The number of graphics add-on cards sold grew sequentially in the
third quarter, a good sign for both the PC market in general and
Advanced Micro Devices in particular, according to analyst firm John
Peddie Research.
In a report issued Aug. 26, John Peddie Research said that 16.81
million graphics cards were shipped in the second quarter, up 3 percent
from the first quarter but down 15 percent over the same period last
year, when 19.78 million units were sold.
The research firm noted that the last quarter of 2008 and the first
quarter this year were particularly bad, as the global recession hit
the hardest. Echoing what other analyst firms and technology vendors have said about
the PC market, the second-quarter numbers for graphics cards
“demonstrated some much-needed firmness in Q2’09, adding more evidence
that demand has bottomed and a recovery is in the offing,” John Peddie
Research said in a statement.
AMD took a somewhat larger share of the overall market, rising to 34 percent for the quarter. Nvidia continued to dominate the market, with 64 percent, a four-point drop.
The analyst firm noted that AMD began making strides in
the market when it released its Radeon graphics cards in the summer of
2008. The move forced Nvidia to slash prices in order to protect its
market share.
However, with prices settling and AMD rolling out its RV770 GPU and
follow-on cards in its Radeon line, AMD began grabbing share.
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