Nvidia CEO: Netbooks are Crappy, Low-Cost PCs
For modern computing technology, you can’t really find many companies that are more committed to bringing the cutting edge to the consumer than Nvidia -- and perhaps for that reason, the graphics company isn’t entirely thrilled with the Intel Atom, at least not in its current implementations.
In fact, Nvidia is still trying to wrap its head around the whole netbook idea. “We’re all trying to figure out what a netbook is. From my perspective, anything that has an X86 processor and has Windows running on it is really a PC,” said Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang in an interview with Laptop. “If I were to ask a million people, What do you call something with a Microsoft operating system called Windows and X86 processor from Intel, I would think that 99.9999 percent of them, except for the Intel marketing person, would call it a PC.”
Huang doesn’t have flattering words for current netbooks, saying, “I think that so far, what a netbook is, is a low-cost PC that doesn’t work that well.
“The Atom platform is creating an installed base that doesn’t run modern applications. It doesn’tt run anything well from Electronic Arts, it doesn’t run anything well from Adobe, it doesn’t run anything well from Microsoft. ... So in a way, the Atom platform is creating an installed base of PCs that’s going to eventually hurt the PC software industry.”
That’s where Nvidia would like its Ion platform to come in, which utilizes the GeForce 9400M chipset to give the Atom a much needed helping hand. Huang says will be available later soon to make $399 “full experience” PCs possible.
Paired with the Ion, Nvidia’s tune on the Atom changes considerably. “The Atom processor is really terrific -- it’s small and low powered. Atom plus Ion is just a fabulous machine: It’s small, low powered, and full featured in every way,” adds Huang.
The Nvidia CEO further acknowledges that graphics power is the game changer, as he had positive things to say about AMD’s Neo: “Atom by itself with Intel integrated graphics would get crushed by the Neo platform. That’ss because AMD is one of the world’ss most advanced graphics companies. They bought ATI, who has wonderful technology. When you couple that with an AMD processor, it would destroy the Atom platform.”
Huang also describes VIA’s Nano processor as “fabulous,” and perhaps “architecturally one generation beyond Atom.” The problem, he says, is beyond the hardware: “The challenge in the complexity of the PC is the software outside of the processor. The amount of software and hardware outside of the CPU is so much, unless you have tier-one capabilities, you can’t build a tier-one-capable machine. That’s really VIA’s weakness. They don’t have the resources to build the GPU in the system to be competitive.”
Of course, that’s where Nvidia would step in and provide platform support with Ion -- but that’s something that won’t happen until the next generation, at which point Ion would support the faster Core 2 Duos and Celerons. And by then, who knows what the new strengths the Atom will gain.
Like the rest of you, we hope to get our hands on the Ion soon.
Sure seems that way. It's application performance is pretty pathetic compared to other low-cost chips. AMD has dual core chips for less than $50 that would annihilate the atom.
This spin reminds me of Sony and Microsoft saying how they don't think they compete with the Wii. That may be partially true, but the real truth is probably that Sony and Microsoft don't have a product in Nintendo's space, so they want to devalue that segment. Same thing going on here. Nvidia isn't covering the ultra-low-end portable market, so they want to make it look bad. Mark my words, the moment Nvidia figures out how to make a solution that ends up occupying the $200-$300 range, they're gonna change their tune. Fast.
I don't really pay attention to press releases, of which this is one. Why ask Nvidia what they think about Nvidia products? You're not going to be any wiser for it.
You wouldn't hear them complain in the slightest if netbooks had a starting price of $700.
No,I think Huang's being honest and I wouldn't buy a netbook simply because all I can run on them is a web client and IRC...and still very slowly.Think about how many people will buy these for other people?
Maybe if you actually read it,you wouldn't go defensive fanboy.
2 things I don't agree with!
They're expensive (compared to notebooks) and they're not really crappy.
The atom powered netbooks are made to run Win98,WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP as well as most linux systems perfectly!
The atom is just enough computing power to run XP, IE7 and a flash-file inside it.
Just the fact that people can boot their XP within the minute displays they're far from crappy; and they're style full!
Upto 9" they're great netbooks, even to play dos-simulated games!
(I played DosBox through the celeron all the time!)
The Ion platform is probably better, yes; but apart from encryption the Via chips are worse than atom cpu's I think...
They don't really support HT, neither are manufactured at 45nm,so their power consumption is higher, and performance lower.
So what the guy says makes no sense!
from power perspective, when the Ion platform is there to support competitive core2duo and celeron processors (as well as AMD processors), that will utilize only a few watts more but have near to double the performance, then I think the atom can be left behind.
there's always an Atom 2 Core (4cores in Windows = 2 cores with HT).
The focal point on these systems should less be performance, and more battery life, as well as cheap.
The race started with the OLPC, for $200pp.
Other $100 systems have been invented as well.
Netbooks and mini notebooks had a time they costed nearly $700.
I think any system costing less than $299 with 1GB RAM,processor,case,powersupply, and mobo included is a great purchase.
Perhaps provide an internal connected 8GB USB drive with Linux installed on it, to save power on a HD.
Yeah but power consumption and heat are the major targets aswell not just cost! Although the chipset/platform kills that advantage... and nvidias solution - i no longer trust there products for now.
In my opinion, the current atom is too weak and I won't buy one until a dual core version is available.
Netbooks are just that. To be used for simple activities like browsing, email, online videos, and maybe light gaming. Screen is not big enough anyway.
All this while being very power efficient. I can watch 2 movies on a single charge and still have some extra for playing WC3. It is very portable, light, and stylish.
The Atom processor is powerful enough to run Windows 7 with all bells and whistles, and not sluggishly either. Can run any app you throw at it. Dont expect blazing speed out of modifying a RAW photo though.
The NVidia CEO sounds like he didnt get his foot on board on time and now is crying about it.
The WRAP systems just don't have the horsepower. Even traffic shaping bogs them down. So far I've had the best results using a 1 ghz P4 generation celeron. They seem to take all the work I can throw at them.
I'm hoping the Atoms would do as well and let me use a much smaller package.
I have one; it runs a Linux-based distribution. It runs Quake if I want to frag. It runs OOo if I want to "be productive". It runs several PDF viewers if I want to read stuff on-screen (and most models have very good quality screens). It runs Firefox if I want to browse the Intarweb. It has terrific Wi-fi, Bluetooth and 3G capabilities in that regard.
And it fits in a large pocket without costing more than I earn in a month.
Thus,
- it can kill time with whatever small games you fancy, like a phone or that huge workstation you use to play Minesweeper (except that the small keyboard may allow you to play pinball better);
- it can open and edit any office document (that includes CAD, POO, or ray-tracing scenes if such is your line of work) you throw at it, if for whatever reason you forgot your 4kg laptop but have your document on a USB key, something your phone certainly can't do;
- it can playback movies like DivX files or backed up DVDs, if you don't feel like lugging around your portable DVD player, something that your phone can't do satisfactorily (a netbook's screen is bigger);
- if for any reason it craps out, you don't HAVE to bring it to the shop for a fix, as standard PC tools will do just fine (interestingly, due to the abundance o Linux-based netbooks, I've found netbook BIOSes and hardware interfaces to comply with standards and specs better than any costly, beefier laptop - apart from Lenovo ones maybe - which makes fixing them a snap).
That current netbooks are still using not-exactly-appropriate hardware is one thing, that Nvidia and AMD (certainly AMD) are better positioned than Intel (or Via) to solve:
- Intel graphics are lousy, the Atom is no winner, and the chipset sucks. However, you can run Linux without trouble on Intel hardware, all drivers are free;
- Nvidia doesn't manufacture i386-compatible chips, but could make good chipsets and terrific graphics. Graphics drivers aren't free though (but high quality and well supported)
- Via graphics are currently worse than Intel's, but their chipsets and x86 chips are much better; they're in the process of writing a new driver, with hardware video decoding and 3D support
- AMD is like Nvidia chipset+graphics-wise, but on top of that they have very good x86 chips, and since they free their GPU documentation almost as fast as they create new chips, they don't have much to fear from Intel support-wise.
In fact, the most surprising thing I've found in this article is high, ringing praise to Ati/AMD from Nvidia's CEO!
Also offwork I use it to write ideas I have for short stories (another application that doesn't need "power") and other random notes. While someone did ask what does this do that a notebook or PDA/smartphone can't? not much but the point is for people that dont have a notebook or a smartphone or for people that arent teenagers and dont want to type on a computer onloy using their thumbs and want something portable that I can use some of my regular apps.
While it is not a "everyone needs this" market, the fact it CAN'T run some software makes it perfect for business as employees will be less likely to run non company approved software.
Maybe you've never actually used a netbook. I use one every day and I haven't found anything app that I want to run that has a problem. Video can sometimes be slow, but that happens on any wireless connection I ever use anyway. I run financial software, browsers, spreadsheets, audio, video, etc., on my MSI Wind every day. I also get about 4 hours battery life with virtually no noise or heat output. And it weighs 3 pounds and is great on road trips. I don't use it because it's cheap (although it is). I use it because it does everything I want to do in a small form factor with superior battery life.
If you want to run video games or edit video, use a desktop. For most things, a netbook is fine.
They are slow, underpowered, have poor battery life, a teeny tiny screen, won't run most productivity software, the keyboard is pathetically cramped, and the hard drive space is way too low.