Maxit Mag

Digitimes reports what most of us were expecting since AMD bought ATI: they are going to enter in the discrete graphics card market next year.

"At this stage all plans are still rather vague, according to the sources, with Intel scheduled to deliver a more complete roadmap and specifications in the fourth quarter of this year. However, according to most of the sources, Intel will aim for the mid-range market in the initial stages with pricing targeted around US$300."

If they can deliver a competitive part, consumers should benefit from lower prices and better performance in the mid-range and entry-level segments. This won't be something easy, because a powerfull graphics card needs good drivers to work efficiently; and you can ask ATI how difficult a task that is. Intel has the means to produce solid hardware, but they lack the experience needed to develope corresponding software.

Other benefits from them entering in the graphics sector would be the real possibility of power savings in the GPU world. The ideas of partial shutdown, dinamic reduction of voltages and frequencies, or superior manufacturing capabilities are just mouth-watering.