Done with Taiwan, off to WWDC

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• Xboxer - Thursday, June 2, 2005 - link

  ya i know...i was actually anticipating part 2 from a while back...so i hadn't completed reading the article before i post here...he's got the demo thing confused...
  
  the rest of the article seems to go in the right direction...it's even backed up by some developers' comments.
  
  The interesting thing is that if the X360 architecture is actually going to be bad at A.I., game control and Physics...(seeing the shift in gaming...more physics etc)...it makes it even more plausible that Microsoft should include the PPU in there...so that the processor only has to handle game controls, A.I. and other things...Cost-wise I don't think this is going to happen...but I do see a lot of hints towards this...1) Microsoft hinting strongly that there might be hardware upgrades 2) the TeamXbox interview with Ageia tech. pres. who said that "on this one you'll have to wait" when asked if X360/PS3/Rev will have a PPU...3) the listing on Ageia's website that lists ASUS and "one large OEM" who have signed on to use the PPU chip...that OEM is supposed to be a console manufacturer...
  
  anyway...just rants maybe!

• hohoho - Thursday, June 2, 2005 - link

  to #9
  
  I'd read the article, only the conclusion and there's a huge error, killzone's sony's demo not ms...... hmmm...hope he got the technical issues right... :)

• Xboxer - Thursday, June 2, 2005 - link

  hey Anand, for your X360 vs. PS3 review, here's another link:
  
  http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/xbox360...
  
  Interesting!!!?

• GhandiInstinct - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

  Buggy drivers for Crossfire? How long have they been working on this? I heard pre-21st century.

• Gage8 - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

  great review. All I can say is...maybe a better digital camera?

• jkiley - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

  #4 - I disagree.
  
  First of all, AnandTech's Crossfire review was generally positive. In the conclusion, Derek and Anand say: "If ATI can get CrossFire out to the market in good volume (for its potential demand), we could have an excellent alternative to SLI on our hands." Obviously they aren't going to have anything more concrete than that because they haven't had a chance to test final silicon extensively. I would consider that line to be very optimistic.
  
  Secondly, it seems clear to me that Anand's job here is to present the facts to his readers, regardless of what company the facts favor. The fact is that he's hearing from the motherboard manufacturers in Taiwan that they are having problems with ATi's southbridge, and that many are successfully using a southbridge from ULi. This is good news for the consumer, because it means that even if ATi can't get their southbridge to work well, we will still have access to bug-free Crossfire motherboards using ULi southbridges. I'm glad we know that, because otherwise people would inevitably hear somewhere else that ATi's southbridge is crap and think "that's too bad, that pretty much ruins the great potential of Crossfire."
  
  As for the part about ATi pressuring motherboard makers to use their southbridge - I'm not omniscient so I can't tell you what Anand or Derek are thinking when they write something, but it seems to me like it's a pretty clean presentation of the facts. People in Taiwan said that they were getting pressure from ATi to use ATi's southbridge, and Anand passed the info on to us. Is there something wrong with that? Would you rather Anand not tell us what he hears?
  
  Perhaps Anand really is getting free cars and huge payoffs from nVidia to tell us that ATi wants Taiwanese companies to use their southbridge, not ULi's, but I think it's more likely that he's just telling us what he's heard. It's not like he's adding spin to it by saying "Clearly ATi is desperate for every penny they can get - they'll do anything to stop mobo makers from using ULi chips" or "Think twice before you buy your next nVidia video card, you wouldn't want ATi's hitmen to show up at your door some day." The article doesn't make ATi out to be a monster, if that's what you get from it, that's just your interpretation of the facts.
  
  If there's a pro-nVidia bias anywhere on AnandTech, it's in some nVidia fan-boy thread in the forums. I think pretty much everybody who reads this site daily would agree it's nowhere to be found in anything written by Anand or his staff.

• tuzz - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

  #4 geez take it easy.
  
  If I was looking at spending my hard-earned cash on one of these boards I sure as heck would like to know that the product I'm getting is as bug-free as possible. As it is now the southbridge isn't up to snuff, and I for one would like to know that before I make my purchase.
  
  "The pro-nVidia bias is so thick at this web site!" -- you just have to read the reviews on this site to see this statement is so untrue.
  
  Anand's doing a great job of bringing us balanced and objective reviews. And they're free too. Give the guy a break.

• Anonymous - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

  Where were the G70/R520 reviews???
  
  I don't get this, "Let's bring our latest to Computex, run them behind the scenes, but don't officially announce them" bit. As much as Anand would like to single out the faults of ONE company, this applies to both ATi and nVidia.
  
  Oh, and I love how in your Day 2 review you have to go out of your way to note whether a particular Crossfire board is running the ATi or ULi southbridge. (When you mention ULi, it's basically a jab at the quality of ATi's southbridge then you mention how ATi is pressuring mobo makers like evil dictators.) The pro-nVidia bias is so thick at this web site!
  

• puffpio - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

  Geez your schedule is nonstop

• hopejr - Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - link

  Bonjour in iChat is good. I've used it a few times.
  
  Have fun at WWDC. The industry partner (a lecturer at my university :P) of my final year project will be at the WWDC showing off a demo of our project (which is terribly behind schedule).