Asus's ATI graphics decision is big step for cardkind

AFTER WE SAW a story on Digitimes we asked around whether Asus – a former Nvidia key partner – is actually going for ATI. Well business is tough and as we suggested few months back you cannot just concentrate on one brand and not do anything else and be exclusive, those times are simply gone. Asus now has made publicly known that it will build ATI Radeon 9100 IGP boards and now it's time for it to share with the world its plans to make Radeon based graphics cards as well.

Asus will try to do both ATI and Nvidia and we reckon that this might change the industry as many smaller player might go in same direction. Nvidia has to do something about it and it will be interesting to see what happens. Nvidia has two options, as we see it. One is to keep working with Asus since it's too big a player to just turn it over to its biggest nemesis ATI and the second option is to Asus as an example.We talked to several Nvidia partners and they said that if the big boys do this, they will try and do so too.

Asus at this time wants to do both Nvidia and ATI if Nvidia lets it, of course and ATI doesn't have much choice since it's happy, nay ecstatic to welcome Asus to the party.

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