Nvidia Launches GeForce mGPUs for Intel Platforms

The recent introduction of Microsoft Vista and a slew of other 3D-optimized applications, including Google Maps and Microsoft Office 2007, has redefined customers’ expectations for experiencing visually-rich mainstream applications on their home and business PCs. As a result, consumers have now made the GPU a primary requirement in their PC purchasing decisions. As the only independent GPU provider, NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) is well positioned to capitalize on this emerging trend, and is proud to announce that it has extended its family of GeForce 7-Series motherboard graphics processing units (mGPUs) to Intel processor-based PCs. Starting today, GeForce graphics are more affordable and accessible than ever before for Intel customers.

NVIDIA Press Release
NVIDIA Delivers First Modern Motherboard GPU to Intel-Based Desktops

A detailed comparison chart (PDF available here) shows the specifications of all ten models being introduced today. But while six of those models are for AMD-based systems (with nForce 405, 630, and 630a chipsets) and the other four for Intel’s (with nForce 610i and 630i), AMD customers may be the ones more likely to claim they’ve been shortchanged.

The reason is because the chips with more limited feature sets and clock speeds are being rolled out on the AMD side of the fence, while the 500 MHz and 600 MHz versions are for Intel only. When compared to nVidia’s discrete graphics line, the AMD side is more comparable to the company’s GeForce 6800 Ultra and 7800 GTX (the latter of which was the top of the line only last year); the Intel side, meanwhile, is comparable to the GeForce higher-clocked 7950 GX2 and 7950 GTX.

That said, the one chip nVidia reserved for home theater system builders - the GeForce 7050 PV - is for AMD-based systems with nForce 630a chipsets. This is the only chip in the line to support the company’s PureVideo platform, which embeds H.264, WMV, and MPEG-2 codecs in firmware.

BetaNews - NVidia Moves Further Into Integrated GPUs

However, the lower-cost design of the new chipset family forced Nvidia to sacrifice certain features that are available on competing Intel G35 core-logic set, particularly, DirectX 10-supporting graphics core as well as dual-channel memory controller. Nvidia’s products support DX9 and have to use single-channel memory, something, which may limit system performance.

Xbit labs - Nvidia Launches GeForce “mGPUs” for Intel Platforms