As the title says, why doesn't EVGA make any AMD boards?  I know Intel is the shizzznit but come on... throw us AMD guys a bone!

^^^ Yep... I have had a few that they once did sell. But the reality is what was mentioned above for the most part.

lehpron

Why? No market = the number of people demanding it for the price they are willing to spend doesn't match up with the total cost to EVGA to make AMD boards for those people.

At leasst one of three circumstances need to happen to change this:

1. The total cost to make the boards needs to drop so EVGA can deliver products to the existing demand,
2. More customers need to be interested than there are, or
3. The existing group of people interested (you included) need to be willing to spend more than you think you should, to account for the costs.

The trouble is that the current competition for AMD boards is already taking a major share compared to even EVGA's current legacy AMD boards.  Plus if even one of these three situations improve, EVGA will not have these advantages to themselves and will be shared among AMD board competitors; except name brand recognition. 

I'm curious to know where you got that specific info from? We see posts asking for AMD boards fairly often around here, and there doesn't seem to be much more competition with AMD boards than there is with Intel boards.
Also if I'm not mistaken generally AMD solutions are cheaper? Not so?

Because Nvidia doesnt have a chipset out to run against the newest AMD chipsets, in fact, Nvidia has been quite dormant in the chipset world since they lost the ability to produce Intel chipsets.

EVGAWeb_ShaneD

sinephase
I'm curious to know where you got that specific info from? 

 


Business 101 I'm assuming :)

I guess but business 101 doesn't show you info about demand for a specific product, unless he graduated a month ago and analysed AMD vs. Intel demand as well as demand specifically for EVGA to make AMD motherboards...
Like I said I'm curious to know where he got that info?

Granted AMD has had a lower market share for a few years now, why is it justifiable for other companies to produce these boards but not EVGA?

@Rudster - nvidia doesn't make intel chipsets anymore so why couldn't they use chipsets from AMD?

There is all ways AMD mobo's in the B-stock there is one in there now!!!

 
nForce 730a

• NVIDIA nForce 730a Chipset
• Supports Phenom, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64, Sempron, AM2, AM2+
• Dual Channel DDR2
• 2600MHz Hyper Transport FSB

sinephase

EVGAWeb_ShaneD

sinephase
I'm curious to know where you got that specific info from? 

 


Business 101 I'm assuming :)

I guess but business 101 doesn't show you info about demand for a specific product, unless he graduated a month ago and analysed AMD vs. Intel demand as well as demand specifically for EVGA to make AMD motherboards...
Like I said I'm curious to know where he got that info?

Granted AMD has had a lower market share for a few years now, why is it justifiable for other companies to produce these boards but not EVGA?

@Rudster - nvidia doesn't make intel chipsets anymore so why couldn't they use chipsets from AMD?

Other companies already had strong investments into AMD; AMD Techs/engineers were already employed, teams for AMD tech support already existed, vendor relationships were solid, etc etc.

EVGA would need to start most of that from scratch right now.  Why would you invest all of that capital in a market that is not worth pursuing at this time based on EVGA's focus/market?  

If AMD brings something more worthy to the table, the demand may make it such that the economies of scale will justify the investment such that a profit could be made.  Small run items cost too much to be worth it for a company to invest in (again because of economies of scale).  It is just not worth the monetary investment at this time.

Also, EVGA is one of the principal NVidia partners.  We won't see AMD EVGA boards unless nVidia starts pushing an AMD solution.  We have not seen much from AMD nForce camp in recent years.

Brad_Hawthorne

seabigbear

There is all ways AMD mobo's in the B-stock there is one in there now!!!

 
nForce 730a

• NVIDIA nForce 730a Chipset
• Supports Phenom, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64, Sempron, AM2, AM2+
• Dual Channel DDR2
• 2600MHz Hyper Transport FSB

I bought two of those and are using them with old Phenoms I had sitting around in a parts box. A lot better mobos than i was using with them.

I thought about buying one as well,  I have a 5600+ X2 AM2, 3GB DDR2, and GTS 250 as a second computer on a cheap HP Micro ATX Board, and problem is the Video Card blocks all the SATA ports, so I'm using a IDE hardrive, and External DVD burner because of it =/

It's just a folding@home box anyway so meh probably no big deal

EVGAWeb_ShaneD

sinephase
I'm curious to know where you got that specific info from? 

 
Business 101 I'm assuming :)

More or less and somewhat intuitive; market analysis has more of a hobby even since I took those classes in college and computer hardware is just another applicable industry; the one reason why new technology is slow in the commercial space is demand versus cost to satisfy that demand.  It is cheaper and less risky for companies to simply wait for more demand than to try influencing it by bitting a bullet and get the ball rolling.  It doesn't happen often to be a model of success, Apple did it with their Ipod, Toyota's Prius, Boeing's 787, etc.
 
Much of what I want to work on in my field isn't exactly popular, let alone in existence: Supersonic mass transport systems, in which the same logic applies.  Growing up I've always been told either at career fairs or from professors, or reading in various aviation publications, that there was "no market" for an SST and I never questioned what this meant.  The fact is, even now, some airlines and some routes demand such an airplane, the problem?  Not enough to cover the current costs to develop the airplane.  The average passenger may be willing to spend 25% more just for twice the speed, based on that there is a market for 300 aircraft mainly on the Eastern side of the planet; but current technology costs (if we neglect sonic boom suppresion tech and fuel-efficient engines) still require 600+ to break even, closer to 1,000-units to make a profit over the 20-25yr cycle that airliners typically experience (as opposed to the more torrent annual cycle of computer hardware).  BTW, we're talking about an 200-passenger model in excess of $400 million each, compared to the 280mil 800-passenger subsonic A380 in 2008 prices.
 
On a similar vein, EVGA needs a break-even, a number of customers to account for the total cost of making an AMD board to support the very lastest CPUs including the upcoming Bulldozer microarchitecture.  We don't know what that number is, but we can conclude that the lack of an SKU thus far could only mean that number hasn't peaked yet.  Companies don't want to just pay for the adventure, they want to get something out of it.  I'm actually curious on whether EVGA's SR-2 had broken-even, whether the number sold thus far has paid for the gamble yet, or when that mark is projected to occur.
 
I'll bet EVGA is and perhaps always has been looking into an AMD board, but the numbers don't match up yet, but I'm sure they are paying close attention to the marketplace.  One of the best things they have going for them is recognition and reputation, hypothetically if they offered an AM3+ board with Bulldozer capability, it will sell; but enough to make a profit?  EVGA has been absent in the AMD market since their last product was 780a, an nForce chipset.   nVidia stopped making chipsets for both AMD and Intel, so EVGA would have to get an AMD chipset (890X or successor) to make those boards.  Furthermore, similar to the logic behind SR-2, such a board would have require a plethora of features to net the most sales (by satifying as many as possible so they don't have to spend on multiple board types) and thus end up an expensive adventure.  Add in the EVGA tax for popularity and their board could cost more than competing well-known brands for AMD boards, like Asus (which is much bigger in terms of being a financial heavyweight compared to EVGA, they could probably afford to drop prices to compete with EVGA and still make a buck).
 
Yes, AMD systems typically cost less and that has been a selling point for AMD which has worked so far, but under constant threat as Intel can't stand their existence.  This means we have a general idea of the kind of customer AMD attracts, they aren't all fans, but they either can't afford or shifted budget away from an Intel counterpart.  So how would such a budget-minded 'enthusiast' individual view a potentially expensive EVGA AM3+ board without any recent AMD reputation?  Let's say EVGA could get a majority of Black Edition owners, they must be enthusiasts who want the best AMD CPU for their money, therefore EVGA customer candidates.  But they can also be regulars or brand loyal similar to how we view non-EVGA GeForce cards: Just another vendor, but we are comfortable with what we usually get, and what we know.  Can EVGA sell based solely on their name, like Apple logic?  Maybe, we would have to get the word out.
 
I know catering to airlines isn't like catering to end-users, but you get the idea; at the end of the day a business' bottomline comes first and many wait for enough demand.  EVGA waited a few months to debut an mATX X58 board after DFI and Asus, another few months for FTW³ support, but a year after i5520 debuted for SR-2 considering the size of that market relative to the forward. 
 
EVGA would literally need to make a poll, "would you buy an AMD board if they offered it" -- but most of us aren't AMD users and considering where our money has gone so far, how many of us (except the OP and those who geniunely want an EVGA AMD board) would ditch Intel?  EVGA would need new customers, they can't depend on a massive chunk of Intel users to switch unless AMD's CPUs end up better-bang-for-buck.  Intel is paying close attention to AMD in the mainstream space, they might not let AMD take even the slightest advantage for long, unless they can't make a buck first.
 
Ultimately, you can take this all with salt, I'm speculating based on intuitive reasoning, unless Joe or Jacob wants to come in here and say something...

_Nite_

Brad_Hawthorne

seabigbear

There is all ways AMD mobo's in the B-stock there is one in there now!!!

 
nForce 730a

• NVIDIA nForce 730a Chipset
• Supports Phenom, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64, Sempron, AM2, AM2+
• Dual Channel DDR2
• 2600MHz Hyper Transport FSB

I bought two of those and are using them with old Phenoms I had sitting around in a parts box. A lot better mobos than i was using with them.

I thought about buying one as well,  I have a 5600+ X2 AM2, 3GB DDR2, and GTS 250 as a second computer on a cheap HP Micro ATX Board, and problem is the Video Card blocks all the SATA ports, so I'm using a IDE hardrive, and External DVD burner because of it =/

It's just a folding@home box anyway so meh probably no big deal

I would say get it only $44.99 + %10 off sence you a folder I have been toying with the idea of bulding a 2nd rig, too!!!

While I prefer AMD CPUs I would gladly buy an Evga board.  Business 101 aside, EVGA has an established name & reputation.  If they put out a good board, not too too expensive, it would sell.  I know many people that prefer AMD CPUs but Nvidia GPUs.  My current board is ASUS with Crossfire.  It useless to me because I refuse to go ATI.  I would have long since jumped on the GTX 460 SLI train if my system had the capability.  ASUS actaully makes an AMD SLI board but besides the SLI capability, its a downgrade from my current board.  When I do my next build, I hope there will be a good AMD/SLI board out or I might just have to part ways with AMD!

@dbe425: You speak as if AMD is a sibling of yours.  A company won't hate you because you choose to go with another one.  Why not take the plunge?!

As per rjohnson's response and even looking at Steam's Hardware & Software Survey for July 2010 it makes perfect sense.
http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/processormfg/

Also, considering that in Q2008, Intel's revenue was $37.8 billion (and market capitalization $77.14 billion) while AMD's revenue was $6.013 billion is another reason for EVGA to continue with Intel boards. (cited from a page on Facebook)

However, if you choose that you don't want to switch to Intel, no one's going to stop you.

i would buy ane evga amd mobo if they were even 200 bones. just love evga!

rjohnson11
It's a business decision on EVGA's part. EVGA studies their market carefully and produces products to meet their market demand. That's all I can say right now.

Fixed for clarification; EVGA's products are optimized and priced for a certain type of customer and/or use, not everyone represented in the market.  There are products EVGA doesn't make, that doesn't mean there is not enough demand, just not enough demanding them to do anything about it; hence this topic.
 
Is it really so rude if an EVGA rep came in here and told anyone asking about an AMD EVGA board, "There aren't enough of you that want us to make one" ?

dbe425 
Business 101 aside, EVGA has an established name & reputation.

...lately with Intel and nVidia products yes.  But they don't have a name and reputation with recent AMD products.  You want an EVGA AMD board which is great, get more people interested, hundreds more so EVGA can make a buck; otherwise give up because you might not pay too much extra to distribute those costs.  EVGA isn't in control of those costs, we are [based on what features we are willing to pay for].
 
Edit: $300 for an AMD board, eh?  The most expensive 890GX board on newegg is $230; some might use the logic that for $300 you might as well shift the money to CPU and go Intel.  In any event, there needs to be a lot more people than just you willing to spend $300 too.
 

dbe425 
I know many people that prefer AMD CPUs but Nvidia GPUs. 

Yeah but how many?  EVGA can't just sell a couple dozen like coming off a photocopier at FedEx Kinkos, to keep costs down hundreds need to be made.  Those hundreds of customers need to exist, and not just any AMD users that gets nVidia GPUs, specifically those wanting an EVGA option.
 
I know a lot of times products come into existence and our typical response are along the lines of "who the hell would get that".  The product may not be for us, but the company did their homework already; they figured out who wants it and then put in the investment.