RAM | Reseller Advocate Magazine: Issue 65

By Chris Angelini

When Microsoft first started discussing Vista's capabilities, representatives at both ATI and NVIDIA were understandably very excited. After all, Vista was the first operating system that would actually require a 3D graphics card for maximum enjoyment, plus the UI experience would scale with performance.

Suddenly, the latest graphics technologies weren't just a thing for enthusiasts. They were instead components of a solid Vista platform, and even business PCs adopting the next-generation operating system would need to meet minimal 3D requirements in order to exploit its full feature set.

Fortunately, the minimum requirements to display the advanced Aero user interface aren't overbearing. Most modern mainstream cards should yield a better-than-satisfactory experience since they only need to support DirectX 9, include Pixel Shader 2.0 support, feature at least 128MB of memory, and include a Vista-compatible driver. The problem is that even the least expensive discrete boards add plenty of cost to business workstations, which are already weighed against each others' price tags. How are resellers expected to enable a complete Vista experience without adding an extra $150 to each business machine they build? The answer lies in choosing the right integrated core logic.

Perhaps you were under the impression that chipsets with built-in graphics processors were the lowest of the low-end, the last resort for those on extreme budgets. Once upon a time, they were. But as manufacturing technologies improve and graphics vendors channel more resources into core logic design, those motherboard-down processors have picked up quite a bit of speed. In fact, three chipset vendors are already selling core logic that will power Windows Vista boxes to their visual potential at very reasonable prices.

Intel in the Fray

More than likely, the idea of integrated graphics originally received its negative billing due to Intel's efforts, which were once barely passable to run a 2D Windows desktop much less any 3D applications. That's the old face of Intel. Today, the company is focused on facilitating a solid software experience through all of its hardware chipset offerings—integrated and discrete.

In addition to its many discrete memory controller hubs, Intel is also peddling two integrated components that deliver enough horsepower to take your customer from XP to Vista—Aero glass intact—without the need for a pricey add-on card. The only catch is that the two are very similarly named yet functionally quite unique. VARs who understand the differences between both cores are in the best position to steer customers in one direction or the other.

The GMA (Graphics Media Accelerator) 3000 is Intel's basic integrated offering. Compatible with DirectX 9.0c (versus the older GMA 950, which only adhered to DirectX 9.0), the GMA 3000 sports hardware support for Pixel Shader 2.0 and a 667 MHz core. It's able to address up to 256MB of system memory, easily fulfilling Vista's 128MB minimum with plenty of memory bandwidth to spare. The GMA 3000 does not include hardware accelerated transform and lighting functionality, nor does it feature a native Vertex Shading engine. Instead, the GMA 3000 relies on a speedy processor with plenty of extra cycles for geometry calculations. As a result, motherboards equipped with the GMA 3000 are going to attract business customers, if only because of the integrated graphics processor's mainstream feature set. Of course, Intel architected the core that way, building it into the Q963 Express and Q965 Express chipsets exclusively. Resellers familiar with the vPro initiative should recognize that pair as the chipsets responsible for driving boards in Intel's Executive and Classic motherboard lineups, which are positioned toward vPro's business desktops. The value is right on target. The GMA 3000 gives SMBs just enough horsepower to drive vPro boxes with Vista at the lowest possible price point.

The G965, with its onboard GMA X3000 graphics core, is Intel's more enthusiast-oriented integrated chipset. Adding just that one "X" means a lot in terms of functionality, though. The GMA X3000 is Intel's first motherboard-down processor with hardware support for T&L (transform and lighting), a capability leveraged by many discrete chips but far fewer integrated solutions. Moreover, the X3000 meets the Shader Model 3.0 specification, adding OpenGL 2.0 support to its list of value-added extras.

In short, the GMA X3000 is far more flexible than the GMA 3000. It incorporates hardware to accelerate many of the tasks handled in software by other integrated chips. The IGP is built on an architecture of rendering pipelines that run at 667 MHz, fed by up to 12.8 GBps of bandwidth. And the X3000's feature set is much more conducive to churning through the demanding 3D applications common on desktop platforms. In turn, Intel includes the G965 boards with X3000 GPUs in its Media Series lineup, premium boards more suited to the digital home.

Bear in mind that the GMA X3000 GPU is able to address up to 384 MB of system memory, giving it extra room for larger textures and higher resolutions. But because the graphics processor utilizes that memory for its own purposes, resellers should be building G965 PCs with the memory subsystem to compensate, minimizing the graphics processor's footprint on overall platform performance. Encourage small offices content with 1GB of RAM to take a step up to 2GB, which will give them the headroom to run Vista more efficiently, even as their integrated graphics solutions earmark more memory for graphics.

Regardless of whether you build business PCs using the Q965 Express chipset or mainstream desktops using the G965 Express, Intel's integrated graphics processors enable value beyond their Vista Premium-capable 3D cores. For example, the GMA 3000 and GMA X3000 are both generally found on motherboards with a PCI Express x16 slot, enabling future expansion to customers interested in an eventual graphics upgrade. For about $25, you can drop an ADD2 card into that slot, yielding a second VGA/DVI display output. Whereas most integrated graphics platforms are limited to a single 15-pin VGA port built into the motherboard's I/O array, Intel's solution gives you a duo of crystal clear, 1600x1200 digital connectors. The GMA X3000 also wields a high-definition video playback engine, loaded with pixel adaptive de-interlacing, MPEG hardware acceleration, VC-1 HD decode, and the ability to output an HDMI signal. The extra transistors dedicated to improving video quality go a long way to free your Core 2 Duos from having to assist in playback.

NVIDIA Plays for AMD

Intel's principal advantage in the integrated graphics game is that it sells the only Intel CPU platform core logic your customers would really want in a Vista deployment. Other options trail the (X)3000 by a mile. The Athlon-based market, however, is stiffer.

NVIDIA has two integrated graphics chipsets aimed at Socket 939 and AM2 Athlon 64 buyers. Each may be paired with one of four different southbridge components, enabling seven finely tuned combinations of connectivity. Third-party motherboard manufacturers invariably make the call on which configuration to use, so resellers can only educate themselves on the strengths of each and help their customers pick the best fit.

The good news is that the GeForce 6150 and GeForce 6100 cores both support Shader Model 3.0 and DirectX 9.0c. They also share a similar architecture highlighted by two pixel pipelines and one hardware vertex shading engine. NVIDIA's more mainstream GeForce 6100 operates at 425 MHz, while the 6150 cruises along at 475 MHz. The higher-end GeForce 6150 also adds perks including high-definition video playback, DVI output, and video output.

Since first launching the GeForce 6150 and 6000 GPUs, NVIDIA has introduced a couple of intermediate SKUs—the 6150 LE and 6150 SE, both of which run at the throttled-down 425 MHz of the 6100. The pair does support multiple display outputs, though, along with a TV encoder and DVI output. LE-based boards extend HD playback, and they all qualify for Vista certification.

As you work your way down the hierarchy of NVIDIA's four southbridges, matched almost exclusively to the lower-end GeForce 6100 northbridge, you slowly shed functionality. The nForce 430 starts you off with four SATA ports and four PATA connectors, support for RAID 0/1/0+1/5, Gigabit Ethernet, and gratuitous PCI Express connectivity. The nForce 410 drops one PCI Express x1 slot, does away with multi-display output, drops two SATA ports (thereby eliminating RAID 0+1 and RAID 5), downshifts to Fast Ethernet from Gigabit, and axes the potential for DVI. NVIDIA's nForce 405 goes a step further, removing the PCI Express x16 slot that'd otherwise enable a graphics upgrade down the road. The loss of two PATA ports seems insignificant in comparison. By the time you hit the least expensive nForce 400 southbridge, equipped with only two PCI Express x1 slots for expansion, much of the chipset's extra value has been stripped away. And even though the GeForce 6100/nForce 400 combination is extremely inexpensive, NVIDIA enables so many features with its other chipsets that resellers would be better off tagging a 410- or 430-based budget board.

The AMD Factor

Though historically not a chipset vendor, AMD's acquisition of ATI Technologies yielded a lot of graphics expertise now being repurposed and sold under AMD's brand. The AMD 690 Series chipset goes head to head with NVIDIA, giving your customers one more option when it comes to built-in graphics ready for Microsoft Vista. In fact, the 690 sports a more advanced integrated 3D core, wielding plenty of power for Vista and more demanding 3D apps.

The source of AMD's newfound potency is ATI's Radeon X1250 graphics core, which is very similar to the technology once found in the Radeon X700 family. Four pixel pipelines, four texture units, and four pixel shading engines comprise the GPU's feature list. Notably missing from that list are vertex shading processors. Like Intel's GMA 3000, the AMD 690 offloads its geometry calculations to a host processor. And at the end of the day, AMD integrates enough raw muscle to consistently outperform any other Vista-ready IGP.

Beyond its 3D core, the 690 also delivers dual-link DVI output, making it possible to connect a massive 30" LCD without the need for a discrete board. HDMI is also fully supported. Moreover, AMD is the first vendor to enable HDCP compliance in a chipset, meaning your customer will be able to play back protected high-definition content in Windows Vista at full resolution. MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and WMV-9 videos are all accelerated in hardware thanks to integration of ATI's Avivo display pipeline.

On top of its visual capabilities, the AMD 690 boasts one PCI Express x16 slot, up to four PCI x1 slots, and a socket AM2 interface. It support SATA 3 Gbps across four ports, accommodates 10 USB 2.0 ports, and even extends compatibility to ATA-133. Most third-party boards based on the 690 are expected to duck in well under $100.

Breaking the Mold

Resellers rely on the low cost of integrated chipsets to remain price-competitive while building business machines. With the advent of Vista, older integrated solutions have gone the way of the dodo, unable to render the operating system's advanced user interface. But a select few are capable enough to enable the attractive Aero glass UI in its full glory. Resellers able to tell the difference between a GMA 3000 and X3000 or GeForce 6150 and 6100 are in the best position to pick the right Vista-ready foundation for their customers, be they productivity SMBs unconcerned with pixel pipelines or enthusiasts in the market for an affordable multimedia machine.