Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Express (PCIe) x16 video expansion slot. This enables you to add a faster video card in the future if
you decide you need it.
CPUs with Integrated Video
As noted elsewhere in this topic, the design of personal computers started out with the use of many
discrete chip-level components on the motherboard. As
Chapter 4
discusses in detail, individual
chips have been replaced by chipsets, several of which reduce the former functions of North and
South Bridge, Super I/O, and video to a single chip. The next step, placing video and 3D rendering
within the processor itself, is now a reality on both Intel and AMD platforms.
By moving video functions within the processor itself, improvements in processor speed, memory
speed, and bus speed directly affect video and 3D speeds. Intel was the first to place video
components inside the processors with its Core i-series processors, but AMD now also offers this
feature in its Fusion series of processors for netbooks, notebooks, ultrabooks, tablets, and desktops.
Table 12.5
compares the video graphics features found in Intel and AMD processors.
Table 12.5. Intel and AMD Processors with Integrated Video
