re: PC Discussion - Gaming, Performance and Enthusiasts

quote:

---

Today, independent software quality assurance experts QA Consultants release a new report determining AMD has the most stable driver in the graphics industry. AMD systems passed 401 out of 432 tests while Nvidia systems passed 356—equivalent to a pass rate of 93 percent for AMD versus 82 percent for Nvidia.

QA Consultants tested six of AMD’s most popular graphics cards at the high, medium and budget price points, from both the Gaming and Workstation lineups against competing Nvidia GPUs. These include the Radeon RX Vega 64, RX 580 and RX 560 for gaming, and the Radeon Pro WX 9100, WX 7100 and WX 3100 for workstations, using drivers Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.5.1 and Radeon Pro Software Enterprise 18.Q2, respectively

The testing was extensive – QA consultants conducted a four-hour CRASH test on each GPU consecutively, six times a day for twelve days. Completing each test was considered a pass, and the overall stability score was determined from the total number of passes divided by the total number of attempts.

Driver crashes are more than just an inconvenience, they can incur real costs like lost productivity and time. These results reflect AMD’s continued focus on driver stability along with the most requested features and top performance to ensure the best overall Radeon Software experience.

---

quote:

---

Analyst Kevin Cassidy, responsible for AMD shares rating with Stifel, has revised expected AMD growth in the wake of expected (and already verified) PC market growth. Following the news at the end of last week, AMD shares jumped by 5% on Friday, and increased by another 2% on Monday. This marks an increase of 61.3% YTD (year-to-date.) Looking at this trend, the analyst increased his 12-month price target on the stock to $21 from $17, a nearly 27% upside from Monday close.

The upside rides on expected sales increase for AMD's EPYC models, and considers an expectation of some 5% captured market share for the server business in Q4 2018, as well as an expected gross profit margin increase in Q3 to 37.7%.

---

quote:

---

Evercore wrote in a note to clients Monday that the leadership shakeup comes at a "crucial time" for Intel, which is facing heightened competition as its "manufacturing advantages appear to be flagging." In April, Intel announced that it had delayed volume production under its 10-nanometer chip process until 2019. Meanwhile, AMD plans to ramp up next-gen 7-nanometer chip production by the end of 2018, while rival Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) already has its 7-nanometer processes in production. Smaller nanometer chipmaking technology translates to faster, more efficient products.

“The company’s competitors are not standing still. AMD is in its best position in years, and the AI/compute landscape is changing dramatically with the rise of alternative architectures (NVDA, custom processors, etc.)," wrote the Evercore analyst.

---