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The latest chipset, which is embedded in a motherboard, supports Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s latest graphics technology DirectX 10, which is only in Windows Vista. In addition, 780G uses the ATI-developed unified video decoder for boosting processing speeds to handle high-definition movies, eliminating the need for a separate graphics card, Adam Kozak, product manager for AMD chipsets, said.
The chipset is substantially more powerful than the older 690G with 205 million transistors versus 72 million. "It's a huge leap forward," Kozak said. In addition, the latest chipset uses less than a watt of power while in idle mode, which is 40% less than the previous chipset.
Other advancements include technology called "hybrid graphics," which means the chipset can work in conjunction with a separate graphics card, boosting the performance of the latter 60%, according to Kozak. Older integrated chipsets would automatically shutdown when a separate card was added to the motherboard.
The 780G has been paired with the new SB700, an input/output chip that handles SATA and USB connections to a variety of devices. The SB700 can support up to six SATA connectors and 14 USB connectors, including a dozen that support the USB 2.0 standard.
Finally, the 780G supports DisplayPort, a digital display interface standard that defines a state-of-the-art digital audio/video interconnect intended to be used between a computer and its display monitor or a home-theater system. Manufacturers are not expected to start shipping computers supporting DisplayPort until the second half of the year, Kozak said.
The 780G is made to run with AMD's Phenom quad-core and triple-core chips and its Athlon dual-core processors. Motherboards with the embedded technology are official scheduled to go on sale March 4, but a few Internet retailers offered them over the weekend. "There are sufficient quantities (of the chipset) available," Kozak said. "This is not a paper launch. There's actual product in the channel." Pricing for the motherboards are expected to range from $80 to $120.
