AMD Ups the Ante in New 785G Graphics Chipset

We don’t often get excited over integrated graphics chipsets, but as far as that segment goes, AMD’s new 785G chipset looks awfully enticing, at least on paper.

Whereas the older 780G was built around the Radeon HD 3200 GPU, the 785G bumps up graphics duties to the HD 4200, and with it support for DirectX 10.1. The new chipset also updates the HDMI 1.2 port to HDMI 1.3. Other goodies include support for PCI-E 2.0 graphics and ATI’s Hybrid Graphics mode, 3Gbps SATA connectors, USB 2.0, and HD audio.

Moving away from the hardware, AMD apparently is putting extra effort into building support for Windows 7.

“We recognized that inflection point and realized we needed a product for that timeline,” Adam Kozak, Desktop Marketing Manager for AMD, told ExtremeTech. “One of the things with AMD, there’s a lot around this, and our driver schedules and everything are part of the proof that we value this transition. That’s why you’ll get the WHQL drivers way ahead of launch. We’ve worked hard with Microsoft to ensure that all these features work. It’s been a long process to get to where we are now.”

While hardcore gamers probably need not apply, AMD says that an Athlon II X2 CPu and 785G-based mobo combo should run under 200 clams.

Source