Elite Bastards posted part one of their nVidia article
While the enthusiasts drool over video card manufacturer's high-end parts, and indeed large margins are made on these products, the amount sold means that this isn't where the big money is for either ATI and NVIDIA or the AIB partners. No, the big money is towards the low-end of the market, where there are massive OEM deals to be won which allow for vast quantities of low-end boards to be shipped. Take a look at the success of the GeForceFX 5200 while the rest of the NV3x series floundered as proof of that.Read more
Of course, the key to winning over both AIBs and OEMs is to produce a competitive product at the lowest possible cost, and of all the components which make up your typical video card, RAM is well up there amongst the most expensive. So, any opportunity to cut the amount of on-board memory is going to be welcomed with open-arms firstly by the AIBs who can drastically cut production costs, and secondly by the OEMs who get a big-name video card for a ridiculously small price.
