Can AMD Help Intel Grow in the Gaming Market?
Could Intel and AMD's Rivalry Turn into a Partnership?
AMD compliments Intel
In the previous part of the series, we saw that Intel (INTC) is looking to serve gamers by offering computers with superior gaming performance. This is part of the company’s strategy to maximize its computing revenue and profit in the slowing PC market.
If the rumor of a possible licensing deal with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) materializes, it could serve Intel well in the gaming space. Let’s see how AMD’s gaming GPUs can benefit Intel.
XConnect brings portability to gaming
Gamers prefer desktops over laptops and two-in-ones because of the difference in performance. The laws of thermodynamics limit portable computing devices’ abilities to offer better gaming experiences. Both AMD and Intel are looking to bridge this performance gap and bring portability to gaming.
AMD has launched a new XConnect technology, which provides advanced driver support for Radeon graphics cards. Gamers can use the full potential of XConnect using Razer’s ultrathin notebook and external GPU enclosure, Razer Core, and Intel’s high-speed data transfer technology, Thunderbolt 3.
A gamer can connect the notebook to the Razer Core device, which is equipped with a Radeon R9 300 Series GPU, using Intel’s Thunderbolt 3. In this way, a desktop-like gaming performance can be realized on the notebook.
Skull Canyon NUC
Intel’s new Skull Canyon NUC (next unit of computing) mini-PC is equipped with an Iris Pro graphics that supports sub-1080p gaming, which is generally done by early-stage gamers.
The NUC provides an option of attaching an external GPU enclosure for experienced gamers who want to enjoy a desktop-like gaming experience. It is compatible with AMD R9 Fury graphics cards. At a press conference, Intel demonstrated how the Razer Core GPU dock worked with Skull Canyon using an AMD GPU.
AMD’s technology can help Intel put its Skull Canyon NUC in third place, after Microsoft’s Xbox and Japan-based (EWJ) Sony’s (SNE) Playstation.
According to a report by ExtremeTech, Intel further showed its interest in AMD at a press briefing, where it indicated that instead of licensing NVIDIA’s (NVDA) G-Sync technology, it may use AMD’s FreeSync standard for variable refresh monitors.
While Intel will benefit from a possible licensing deal with AMD, the biggest gainer would be AMD. We’ll look at the benefits the deal could bring for AMD in the next part of the series.
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