Origin PC Opting for Nvidia Over AMD GPUs for Gaming PCs
Origin PC is no longer offering AMD GPUs in its pre-built systems.
On Friday boutique desktop builder Origin PC stopped offering AMD Radeon GPUs in its customizable pre-built systems. In an emailed statement, CEO and co-founder Kevin Wasielewski said the decision to drop AMD GPUs was based on a combination of many factors including customer experiences, GPU performance/drivers/stability, and requests from the Origin PC support staff.
"Based on our 15+ years of experience building and selling award winning high-performance PCs, we strongly feel the best PC gaming experience is on Nvidia GPUs," he said. The title of his email stated that Origin PC is "going green!"
Origin PC's discontinuation of Radeon GPUs is just another blow to AMD this week. On Friday Valve Software finally revealed the specs of its prototype Steam Machine "console," and we cautiously use that word because the form factor is similar to the Xbox One. All prototype models shipping to 300 testers will include Nvidia "Kepler" GPUs and Intel Core CPUs.
Yet to AMD's defense, the Xi3 Piston will ship November 29 with a quad-core AMD "Trinity" chip clocked at 3.2 GHz and a Radeon Series GPU. This will likely be a Steam Machine as well, although the company hasn't made an official announcement. This "console" is also upgradable, allowing users to pull out a processor card and slide in a new one with an upgraded chip.
AMD also supplies APUs for both the upcoming Xbox One and PlayStation 4, both based on the company's Graphics Core Next architecture. AMD is working on a unified gaming front thanks to its new Mantle low-level API that will supposedly give developers direct access to the hardware. Thus it will be possible to have games with the same AMD-exclusive features on both consoles and PCs with GCN-based Radeon GPUs. However, now it appears that Origin PC will be one less vendor supplying the latter.
Typically, boutique system builders stock AMD, Intel and Nvidia components to appeal to everyone. But as of this writing, the company seems to be clearing out all references to AMD in the system spec lists although there are still a few options during the customization process like the AMD FX-9590 "Vishera" chip (Genesis desktop). As it stands now, the company seems to be going all Nvidia and Intel.
Origin PC was also just revealed to be one of Nvidia's Battlebox partners, offering the Millennium and Genesis customizable high-end desktops with GTX 690, GTX 770, GTX 780 and Titan GPUs. Both will provide dual and triple SLI options along with the company's "professional" graphics card overclocking, whereas the Genesis adds a quad option as well (four Titans for $3,173!). The Genesis Battlebox will also use Origin PC's Cryogenic liquid cooling.
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We've reached out to Origin PC to get more information regarding the problems that led up to abandoning AMD GPUs. So far we haven't heard anything back, but we'll provide an update here or in a second article.
UPDATE: Technical Support Manager Alvaro Masis had this to say: "Primarily the overall issues have been stability of the cards, overheating, performance, scaling, and the amount of time to receive new drivers on both desktop and mobile GPUs."
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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Mousemonkey I posted this yesterday and nobody took any notice, I wonder why?Reply
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1825735/origin-drops-amd-graphics.html -
Dorissimo And getting the "Battlebox" contract from nvidia had NOTHING to do with dropping AMD, and making a public statement about it too boot?Reply
ROFL...riiiiiiiiiight..... -
de5_Roy wth is origin pc thinking? if they had ditched amd a few years back when amd refused to acknowledge their cards' inherent microstuttering issue, i woulda understood (i'd still call bias), but now, when amd has console wins and is taking steps to solve driver issues, ditching amd doesn't make sense.Reply
although, 'going green' answers quite a bit. nvidia and their benjamins must be at play here. :P i think they're wrong for betting on nvidia. time will tell.... -
knightmike I have always been a fan of AMD. They usually offer the best bang-for-buck solution. However, the frame time variance issue has driven me towards Nvidia. I'm not so sure it's strictly a driver issue. I think I'll wait for the 8000 series before I consider them again.Reply -
Mousemonkey Well I've been getting driver issues with a single 7790 so its just their drivers as a whole that are crap and it seems as though Origin have finally had enough and seeing as the "new" cards are just the old cards maybe they feel that nothing is going to change?Reply -
parkerm35 Wow, this is a big loss for AMD, and a major coup for NVidia. The tens of machines Origin sell each year will really cripple AMD's sales.Reply -
Mousemonkey Reply11659124 said:Wow, this is a big loss for AMD, and a major coup for NVidia. The tens of machines Origin sell each year will really cripple AMD's sales.
It's not about crippling AMD sales but rather having the balls to to tell it like it is and if they are lying then why haven't AMD gone for the lawsuit to make them retract their statement? They did take on Intel after all because they felt they had a case and they won so if these guys are lying why haven't AMD squashed them like a bug? -
horaciopz Reply11659124 said:Wow, this is a big loss for AMD, and a major coup for NVidia. The tens of machines Origin sell each year will really cripple AMD's sales.
I really would like this statement as a sarcasm. Origin is a boutique-class company. They don't sell in big number, but in few well done items.
That's why most of theirs PC have an attached premium on it.
AMD have problems to be addressed but they are doing fine by now so it shouldn't be a surprise if later on the road they use AMD GPU's again. -
piggys Ask my fried Nvidia card about there drivers. Did did the same thing with 8800. I knew I should of went with AMD.Reply