Goodbye ATI (AMD is killing the brand name)

[FuzzyPlushroom]

So, The Inquirer won't be calling it DAAMIT anymore? It's a shame just because of that.

Ehh, it's still ATI, just with the wrong colour logo.

[interceptor1985]

A lil spray paint and a sticker will fix that

[Konrad]

Well, I think the idea of plastering the AMD brand all over GPU APU cards is a bit of a mixed bag. It does show confidence that the AMD brand is as marketable as ATI.

On the upside,
Everyone knows that graphics cards are an important component in any capable PC, second only to the processor and motherboard. Even mainstream (ie, uninterested/uninformed) consumers are aware of this fact, largely due to the requirements and performance of 3D cards in Vista/7.
Having another bright red AMD sticker on the case helps to assert the AMD brand just a little bit more, while removing a non-AMD "competitor" brand helps simplify purchase decisions. Users (mainstream and power users alike) will eventually equate AMD processors and AMD graphics together - "pure AMD" systems will automatically seem like the smartest choice when compared to unnatural and perhaps inferior mixed AMD/nVidia systems.

On the downside,
I can't see Intel allowing Intel+AMD branded machines to remain unchallenged, it's just not in their best interest to advertise AMD components in Intel platforms. So they'll either accelerate Intel in-house graphics development enough to reach parity with AMD or they'll exclusively embrace any non-AMD alternative (such as nVidia) that they can get. They might even muscle nVidia to abandon AMD compatibility or maybe they'll just buy nVidia out - they certainly can't afford to let AMD (or Microsoft) buy it out first.

So I see a terrible polarization of AMD+AMD and Intel+nVidia machinery in the future. I hope this doesn't lead to diverging compatibily standards (and form factors) and fewer compatible hardware paths for system builders. Let alone separately evolved software paths. I hate to imagine having a Windows OS, apps and games which will work properly on Intel- or AMD- but not both.

I'm not sure whether AMD will continue to produce chipsets and GPUs APUs for 3rd-party brands. I suspect the bulk of their current revenue comes from 3rd-parties, since the majority of cards using ATI chips carry other brands. nVidia clearly dominates ATI in licensing mobo-integrated graphics, though I can see AMD pushing for equality, particularly if they affiliate with a major chipset brand like VIA ... they're already well positioned to start their own chipsets, just half a step away from entering the mobo and BIOS markets, it's surprising they didn't do it years ago, and more surprising every time a new generation of AMD processors incorporates more functions that were traditionally parts of the chipset.