Platform Trends: AMD Is Back in the Chipset Business

It's been a long time since AMD introduced a new chipset for a desktop PC platform. In the past, company reps repeatedly stated that chipsets were not a prime consideration, and that AMD was more than happy to let third-party vendors create chipsets to accompany AMD processors.

All that changed when AMD purchased ATI Technologies, an entity that had supplied some valuable integrated chipsets for AMD desktop and laptop platforms. Now AMD owned one of its prime chipset suppliers, and something had to give.

Third parties like Nvidia, VIA, and SiS loved AMD's old policy, as it meant one fewer competitor to deal with, but sitting on its ATI chipsets makes no financial sense for AMD. Assuming AMD won't be getting an Intel license anytime soon, the only way for the company to pay off its investment is to reenter the market for AMD-system chipsets. That reentry begins with this week's introduction of the AMD 690 -- an integrated solution that's designed not only to help sell AMD CPUs, but to make use of ATI's background in GPUs.

More Than Minimal

There are two versions of the new chipset, the 690G and 690V. Both feature the RS690 Northbridge and SB600 Southbridge and support the full range of Socket AM2 processors, including the Athlon 64 FX/X2, Athlon 64, and Sempron. Base features include a 1GHz HyperTransport link, a unified memory architecture, PCI Express x16 graphics and x1 peripheral support, support for memory speeds up to DDR/800, no fewer than ten USB 2.0 sports, and Serial ATA.

Most of this is routine nowadays. The main selling point of the 690 is its integrated graphics component, which is also where the two models diverge: The AMD 690G is the higher-end chipset, with the best mix of features and performance. The AMD 690V is a less robust version of its sibling, with a few features deleted in order to lower costs and provide differentiation.

The big difference is the integrated graphics core, with the 690G including the higher-end ATI Radeon X1250 and the 690V using the Radeon X1200. Both of these offer 2D acceleration, OpenGL and DirectX 9.0 support, MPEG-2/4 and WMV9 decode acceleration, and TV-out, but the 690G adds dual-display support and DVI/HDMI output to the mix. This is an adequate mix for an integrated graphics platform, though gamers will note that -- while the 690 is certified for the Windows Vista Aero interface -- it isn't a DirectX 10 product.

Both the X1200 and X1250 are scaled-down versions of the Radeon X1300, with a similar architecture but lower clock speeds and fewer shaders. Adding the usual integrated-chipset reliance on unified (system) memory instead of discrete graphics memory, we can probably expect graphics performance around the level of a low-end Radeon X600.

But if the AMD 690 chipsets are firmly in the middle of the pack when it comes to standard system and memory benchmarks, their 3D performance draws a crowd: While game benchmark scores are still poor compared to a dedicated graphics card, the 690s definitely lead the Nvidia, SiS, and VIA integrated products. Think of it as a "better to rule in hell than serve in heaven" kind of deal.

Obviously, the 690s are aimed at the market for home multimedia systems, not gaming rigs. Within that group, they're a definite step up in both features and performance from the bare-minimum integrated chipsets we've seen in the past, but that still leaves them not even within shouting distance of even a relatively low-end Radeon X1300 -- just as Nvidia and ATI have historically positioned their integrated solutions so as to be no threat to the lucrative market for entry-level AGP or PCI Express graphics cards. The 690 walks the tightrope pretty well, but still seems a tad conservative, especially considering the recent improvements made to mobile graphics.

Diplomatic Relations

The release of the 690G chipset signifies a radical change in AMD's overall business plan. Previously, AMD didn't hesitate to take Intel to task on the latter's huge and dominant chipset business, while boasting of its own laissez-faire approach and the broader selection of chipsets that third parties made possible. With AMD back in the chipset as well as CPU business, it will be very interesting to see how its partners react.

One of the problems is, of course, the AMD brand name: Now that the initials AMD have replaced the product branding formerly known as ATI, there is no place to hide. The 690 chipset line is going to be fighting tooth and nail with former allies, and taking market share away from products such as Nvidia's GeForce 6150, VIA's K8M890, and SiS' 771 -- all of which have been valuable in promoting AMD processors. Motherboard vendors have also been quick to jump on the 690 bandwagon, with products expected from major players including ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte.

Until AMD can release its own quad-core desktop processor to challenge Intel's, the company has to take shots where it can. One of these is the entry-level system market, where the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 is today's de facto standard for consumer desktops. AMD already has the impressive Nvidia GeForce 6150 in its corner, and adding the 690G can only help in that regard. The risk of annoying its current chipset partners is very high, but apparently market conditions dictate that not taking this initiative could be even more costly.