Desktops and Notebooks: Intel 'Sandy Bridge', AMD 'Zacate' Chips Offer CPU, Graphics Technologies

Intel Sandy Bridge, AMD Zacate Chips Offer CPU, Graphics Technologies

by Jeffrey Burt

Intel CEO Paul Otellini

In his IDF keynote, Otellini talked about Intel's efforts to transform from simply a chip company into an IT solutions provider. However, the PC market remains healthy, he said, and Sandy Bridge shows that Intel will continue to be a force in the space.

David 'Dadi' Perlmutter

Perlmutter, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group, said Sandy Bridge will begin showing up in PCs early next year, and continue to appear in other platforms into 2012.

Sandy Bridge

The Sandy Bridge chip for notebooks includes 1 billion transistors, enhanced Turbo Boost capabilities and improved security, according to Intel.

Zacate

AMD's 18-watt Zacate APU is the realization of a plan that AMD officials put into place four years ago when they bought graphics technologies vendor ATI.

Two into One

With their Fusion effort to combine CPU and GPU onto a single piece of silicon, AMD officials put the capabilities of the discrete graphics card, top, and CPU, at right, onto a single chip.

Fast Graphics

Pictured is the system AMD used for its demonstrations of the Zacate APU versus Intel's Core i5 processor.