I couldn't really say. It's been a really, really long time since I tried to use an AMD/ATI card in windows - I'm pretty sure the last time I had one in my main computer running windows was the original Radeon 64MB VIVO in around 2000. My last experience with them was about 5 years ago trying to get a Radeon 4550 running in an HTPC.

Yeah, I think I can safely say my experience with them is more recent than that. In my experience their drivers were unbelievably bad when Half-Life came out and still bad when Half-Life 2 Ep2 came out. I think that the last game they made a mess of for me was Fallout 3. But yeah, they've been pretty consistently bad in my experience, even though I'm using a mainstream OS.

Nvidia. Hardware always substandard compared to ATI (ATI drops the balls on drivers and always have -- rather this than reverse).

Not me. Doesn't matter how good your hardware is, without drivers you can't use it.

Never again AMD graphics for me, got burned with their abysmal drivers in WinXp and Linux Mint alike.

Even so, I'm not willing to take the risk again. Just moving to a 750ti alone helped stuff run better from Nvidia drivers using less CPU resources than AMD.

HD5850 plays Kerbal Space Program @ fullhd with open drivers at pretty high FPS here.

Anything pre-HD3000 is terrible though.

Current AMD open graphics stack is just about 4 years old. Plus 1 year until it stabilizes into mainstream. I think, if you give that card another try with current stack, your reaction will be 360 degree opposite. I know this, because I observed how it evolved with HD4650. From 1 fps in Quake on 1st release, till 300 fps just 1 year later.

In view of my fairly recent OP on hoping to merge the C:-drive with D: of an off-the-shelf Windows OS computer - which cannot be done on the go...

This beggar still plans on being a bit choosy, eh! ;-)

Apple Corporation, creator of Mac and all those things "i".

Not because the HW is bad. It has been bloody admirable, often enough. But the attitude towards the end consumer has driven me away, gradually.


1. iPod

I dropped Apple MP3 player - iPod, which to my pleasure I actually had to google - several years back, due to sheer supply chain arrogance.

When my midi already broke down pretty quick, going back to a store, I was told, almost literally: "Maybe, by grace of god, we might get one in our store in a few months' time. But why are you so obstinate about midi anyway? We have a mini and maxi at hand."

My consumer emancipation, meanwhile, comes from the fact that I have not bought a single item from iTunes since, and never will. The player is immaterial, per se, but having to purportedly await for one is not.


2. Not renewing that iMac.

The DVD-drive slot presumably was deemed an unnecessary complication, which means that as one that dabbles with classic gaming CDs - whenever I do not misplace them - I would have to purchase an external DVD-drive.

The appeal of an iMac (to me) was the sleek single-unit design (minus M&KB, of course). Omitting a DVD-drive slot smells quite arrogantly of "iStore as default" to me...

Their hardware has never been in question. Its the shitty drivers which get peoples goats.

I don't know if you're comparing equivalents or comparing completely different architectures. It seems like GOGgers have difficulties discerning between things like that. :p

Not saying the 750 ti isn't a nice budget/low power card at the time. It has other problems and in general it's cool.
Ack. You responded at the same time. I see more of the "it overheats and nvidia doesn't" arguments when back in the day every computer was a toaster. Comparing a card from a decade ago and thinking nothing has changed for them today is silly.

Nvidia. Good drivers, but closed source. Means, if hardware is older than 4-5 years, the support is cut, bugs are ignored. And they have also tried to control independent open driver and push it into subpar performance.

Sony - Source of DRM and branding overmarketing.

Microsoft - Gangsters. Because of Gary Kildall. Also, because of Nokia "burning platforms" raider.

Hmm... unless I am simplifying, was it not ADM Athlon surviving that spared us from de facto Intel monopoly, somewhat?

I refer to the processors of course, but if AMD Athlon had went bust, the video cards would not be around either.

This article talks about it: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-budget-gaming-pc-guide

AMD's drivers are less efficient than Nvidia's. So if you have a weaker or older CPU, you are more hindered with an AMD card than a Nvidia one if your game is CPU bound.

Razer for basically introducing Always online DRM for peripherics(!!!!!)