PCs loaded with discrete graphics technology are quite popular in China, with a current attach rate of approximately 80%.
Similarly, the attach rate in Eastern Europe hovers around 75%, while the Middle East and Africa weighs in at 65%.
In sharp contrast, North America maintains a rather low attach attach of only 10-20%.
“The Chinese are clearly value conscious consumers who want the best performance per dollar,” AMD exec Darren McPhee told TG Daily during a recent briefing.
“However, this is [far from] a new trend. For example, in notebook [sales] for many years now we’ve very high attach rates for discrete, and at the same time we continue to see it as an emerging market for graphics in general.”
According to McPhee, one of the reasons for the extremely high discrete attach rate could be the MMO phenomenon sweeping through the country.
“In China, a lot of people play games online and in iCafes, and PC gamers typically have a better understanding and appreciation of the hardware needed to have a good gaming experience.”
McPhee confirmed that AMD was currently taking a number of steps to educate North American consumers and retailers about the benefits of discrete GPUs, while simultaneously honing its APU (integrated) marketing effort.
“Traditionally we’ve invested in training retail associates as well as our OEMs on the value of graphics as the prime method of education. Also, with the launch of Vision and now Fusion APUs, we feel now that the importance of ‘good graphics’ is being marketed on a much larger scale from AMD.
“We see this [approach] resonating with mainstream consumers more and more, and it should have a positive ripple effect for discrete graphics as well.”
