Origin is a high-end custom PC manufacturing company that lets customers configure ultimate gaming computers that would suit many gamer’s needs for a lifetime, and up until recently, was featuring AMD graphics cards. But according to a report by Engadget, Origin has decided to move away from AMD and focus its computer-building efforts on rival GPU maker Nvidia.
Origin said the switch was because too many customer were reporting negative experiences with the cards, and in an attempt to keep its user base intact, decided to make the switch to drop the Radeon line of GPUs altogether.
“This decision was based on a combination of many factors including customer experiences, GPU performance/drivers/stability, and requests from our 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.”
This comes as a massive blow to AMD, as the fight for PC graphics card supremacy has raged for many years and has seemingly been a pretty back-and-forth affair. But Origin making this bold statement would seem to indicate that they have identified what they feel is the superior technology at this time.
Takeaway
As an Nvidia card owner myself, I have been very pleased with my gaming performance over the years. Though I have never owned an AMD card, I have experienced them in other people’s computers and have been impressed by what I’ve seen. However, I am in no way a technophile, and have no idea how these cards truly compare. AMD’s recent release of the R9 290X, which was said to rival Nvidia’s Titan card, seemed to be showing a drive for the company to provide ultimate cards that would give gamers choice. But Origin seems to think there is only one choice.
For my money, a game like Battlefield 4 will run beautifully on a solid, mid-to-upper level card, and is a realistic purchase for me. I can’t see spending $500 or more on a graphics card alone, especially since the GPU is not the only factor in determining how your games look. RAM, processor, and even sometimes the hard drive can all play a part in how well games look and perform.
But to be considering these high-end graphics cards that cost as much as an Xbox One and PlayStation 4 combined just seems ridiculous. Especially considering that within six months your new purchase will be yesterday’s news.
Following Their Lead
So as PC manufacturers make moves like this, clearly identifying what they believe is the better GPU, not only does it make me feel good that I am already in the Nvidia camp, but it helps me know what to purchase next time I’m due for an upgrade. If a giant like Origin is throwing itself behind Nvidia, I think I can too.
What does this move mean for AMD? Is the company in trouble or is this simply a bump in the road? AMD has been making graphics cards for a long time, so it’s hard to believe they are in any real danger of going away here, but they clearly need to take a look at what they’re doing and determine if changes need to be made.
Just because one company dumps your product, it certainly doesn’t mean you need to make drastic overhauls to your product line. But Origin is a large enough manufacturer that a conversation probably needs to take place.
