14 DAY TRIAL // Advanced Micro Devices has just introduced its newest 780G series chipset, that is alleged to triple the graphics power of the desktop computers built around it. The event was part of AMD's CeBIT Expo program, that also revealed the new Catalyst 8.3 with CrossFire X and Hybrid Graphics support, as well as some glimpses at the upcoming Puma platform.
The chipset has been unveiled, but it will take about a month until the first name-brand PCs powered by the 780G chipset will arrive on the market. The delay is caused by the fact that the company sells the chipsets mostly to Taiwan-based motherboard manufacturers. However, once the "780G" or "Radeon HD 3200"-powered PCs hit the market, worldwide users will get some more graphics action per buck.
AMD proved to be extremely aggressive at its Intel rival. The main target of the company's rage was Intel's G35 chipset, that faced a humiliating comparison with AMD's top-notch 780G.
AMD's new chipset comes with support for new processors, new integrated graphics, a new southbridge chip (SB700), as well as Hybrid Graphics, that will allow integrated graphics and a low-cost graphics card team up for a cheaper CrossFireX solution. The 780G northbridge features support for socket AM2 or AM2+ processors over the HyperTransport 3.0 link.
It also integrates a graphics core in the HD 3200 family, with full support for DirectX 10, as well as UVD video processing. The northbridge communicates to the soutbridge chip via AMD's "A-Link Express II" interface, comprised of a x4 PCIe interface. The chips are built using the 55-nanometer production node found in AMD's new GPU offerings.
"AMD has taken what used to be high-end graphics and integrated it into the chipset so that ordinary PCs will be able to work with high-definition video," said chip analyst Nathan Brookwood. He also claimed that the new chips from AMD will open new possibilities for the HD video enthusiasts. However, hardcore gamers will not be affected by the new launch, because they are rather focused on high-end graphics cards.
"They're digging themselves out of the hole," claimed Doug Freeman, a financial analyst for American Technology Research in San Francisco. "They are in the early stages of rebuilding their credibility," Freeman continued.
Live report by Bogdan Popa and Alex Vochin from CeBIT 2008 Hannover, Germany.
