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  • bill.rookard - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    While I understand the VR R&D and development is somewhat important, it's not going to matter much if they don't get their Zen processor line up and running to actually start competing on some level with Intel.

    Methinks their resources could be better allocated.
  • BrokenCrayons - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    Maybe by getting more deeply involved in VR, AMD is trying to make the company an appealing target for a Facebook buyout. Facebook would then own both the Rift and AMD, putting in a good position vertically integrate virtual reality advertising into social networking.
  • edzieba - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    Doesn't seem a good buy for VR: AMD's current processors are trailing behind the single-threaded performance needed for VR. Facebook's DC side might want them for Opteron, but Facebook seem pretty happy to keep Open Compute mostly on Intel for energy efficiency.
  • looncraz - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    VR is not inherently single threaded. If anything, it is more parallel.

    For VR, what matters most, is GPU power... especially crossfire scaling, since one GPU can be used for each eye... and AMD's scaling is already superior to nVidia's.

    Zen should erase the single threaded deficit to the point it no longer matters (like in the Phenom II vs Core 2 days).
  • Refuge - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    Maybe its just me, but I've given up getting my hopes up for AMD to compete with each new release. Always over promise and under deliver, the exact opposite thing you want to do.

    As for the single thread performance not being a bottleneck. While you are correct, the latency the CPU creates when tossing out the commands to the one powerful, or two efficient GPU's. Something Intel's processors are much better at with their burst computing prowess.

    It is a subtle difference that is hard to notice yourself, but will cause a lot of motion sickness when motion tracking is used. Just another one of the smaller details AMD is going to have to work on if being a VR\AR juggernaut is their goal.

    At least that is just my two cents.
  • webdoctors - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    FB buying AMD would be a horrible buyout. FB has 12K employees and a market cap worth of 296B dollars. AMD has 10K employees and a market cap worth of 1.4B dollars.

    On the balance sheet you'd double the number of employees and not change the value of the company at all. Thats horrible because for a tech company the employees is the biggest line item by far, so you've doubled operating costs!

    Better to contract out the work to AMD just like their janitorial staff so they don't have to share their employee benefits. Its the Foxconn business strategy.
  • BrokenCrayons - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    It'd be an inexpensive purchase for Facebook and market cap doesn't not only fails to show the entire corporate picture it also doesn't capture the potential of vertical integration. Besides that, Facebook has huge brand recognition that AMD doesn't currently enjoy which might make their product offerings more appealing. Just think of the potential sales of a Facebook-branded CPU, graphics card, and VR headset or even going one step further and selling full Facebook laptops and desktops. There's also the benefit of diversification that you're overlooking by simply tossing out a single dollar value.
  • JoeMonco - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    The only thing a Facebook-branded CPU could be after buying AMD is ARM. But then why bother when they could just get ARM CPUs elsewhere?
  • extide - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    Hrmm, a FB buyout of AMD, interesting, I haven't thought of this before. So as far as the single thread perf and energy efficiency, I think with a big money boost from FB, those things could be addressed. Definitely an interesting thought.
  • BrokenCrayons - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    It's just a passing thought really. Facebook does have a much more positive brand identity than AMD does. Facebook is associated with being youthful, trendy, and socially interconnected. AMD is often associated with stagnation, operating losses, and mediocre performance on a limited budget.
  • Refuge - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    lol Donald Trump has better brand identity than AMD these days...
  • dsraa - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    Are you an idiot or something? Why would FB buy AMD?? Because in your demented thought process it makes sense? Seriously?? What an idiot....
  • BrokenCrayons - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    It's perfectly fine to disagree, but I'd suggest using a more constructive method that rises above petty insults.
  • JoeMonco - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    What would be the point when Facebook would lose the cross-licensing for x86 patents?
  • Qwertilot - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    Could make sense if their VR arm was threatening to get iPhone style big and they wanted to inhouse everything to protect it. Not an absolutely implausible sort of future.
  • Senti - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    Why would they lose it? Intel definitely doesn't want to be split up by antimonopoly laws.
  • zodiacfml - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    That's a long shot. Facebook buying GoPro or a communications network company such as Ubiquiti has more value to fb, at least for me.
    AMD and AP are getting into VR early to get a head start. VR is another industry where companies can expand into. I have tried one channel in Youtube with a live 360 video and it is awful. Yet, I'm sure all are in testing the waters.
  • Murloc - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    could interesting for sports if you can get 3D filming drones that avoid the ball.
  • jann5s - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    lol, avoid the ball.
  • Refuge - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    And the extra point point is looking good, OH! What was that!? A drone knocked it out of the air!?

    Go home Intel Avoidance Technology, you're drunk... :P
  • rabidpeach - Thursday, February 18, 2016 - link

    mmmmm.... nostrils .... mmmmm
  • BrokenCrayons - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    It looks like someone edited the photo to remove nostril hairs and any foreign material from the visible portions of the nasal cavity. Despite that effort, I think the image is pretty unappealing. It's almost as it the people who made it are mocking those who will end up buying into VR technology for entertainment.
  • BrokenCrayons - Friday, February 19, 2016 - link

    Bwa ha! That's hilarious!
    =^..^=
  • nunya112 - Saturday, February 20, 2016 - link

    Has just been delayed #HeyItsAMD
    #AMDAlwaysDelayed #Rebranded.

    smart aleck aside. AMD needs to stop with all this. and get its products out faster. if AMD has dedicated wafer capacity, and a good 14/16nm yield. it should be out already. Instead they are still elf sabotaging at every step of the business
    Fury and Fury X barely 15% better than 390, sorry 290. the dual Fiji that is so damned late. is only 10-15% faster than the current 295 X2

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