The objective of this document is to educate the readers on the capabilities of the recent integrated graphics offerings from Intel. We hope that after reading this article the reader would be able to differentiate between the various chipsets by their naming and appreciate how they relate to the platform or capabilities.

Chipset Naming Conventions

Chipsets are classified broadly based on the platforms and the intended market segment that they would be used in. Currently, we have desktop, notebook, server and workstation, embedded and consumer electronics chipsets. In this article, we would be concentrating on the desktop and notebook chipsets and detailing the differences between the Intel® Integrated Graphics solutions offered in these chipsets.

The mainstream desktop chipsets may or may not have a graphics media accelerator. The chipsets that do not have a GMA would have “P” in the prefix or suffix, while those with a GMA would have a “G” or a “Q” in the prefix or suffix. While the “G” series is intended primarily for consumer desktops, the “Q” series is targeted at small, medium and large businesses. For example, the Intel® G965 Express Chipset is a consumer desktop offering, while the Intel® Q965 Express Chipset is for small/medium/large business space. The notebook chipsets typically have an “M” in the prefix or suffix. For example, the equivalent notebook chipset is called Intel® GM965 Express Chipsets.

The following Intel® chipset products page would be a good starting point to learn about the various chipset offerings and their detailed technical specifications.

http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/express_flyer.htm

Intel® GMA 4500, X4500 and X4500HD Series Graphics

The following table illustrates the capabilities supported by the Intel® 4 Series chipsets. When combined with the Intel® Core2™ Duo Processors, the Intel® 4 Series chipset delivers fast system-level performance and responsiveness. Table 1 provides a detailed breakdown of the graphics features supported by the chipsets that contain the GMA 4500, X4500 and X4500HD graphics cores.

*OGL 2.0 will be provided with a driver update. OGL 1.5 is supported at launch.

Table 1: Intel® 4 Series Graphics Media Accelerator Features

Intel® Clear Video Technology

Today’s digital home consumers are demanding high-quality video playback and sharp image quality from their PC. Intel Graphics with Intel® Clear Video Technology provides advanced processing capabilities to enable a richer entertainment experience. Intel Graphics also support the latest in high-definition formats including HD DVD and Blu-ray. Table 2 provides a detailed chart of the video features supported in the latest Intel Integrated Graphics offerings.

Table 2: Intel® Clear Video Technology chipset comparison

The following Intel websites provide a range of information in varying levels of detail regarding the Intel Graphics and Chipset offerings.

Intel Graphics product options: http://download.intel.com/products/graphics/intel_graphics_guide.pdf

Intel Chipset Comparison Chart: http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets/linecard.htm