Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are generally considered rivals in the PC gaming industry. Today Intel announced a new partnership between the two companies. They have decided to come together to produce a computer chip containing both an Intel processor and an AMD graphics card.
The chips will be a part of the eighth installment in Intel Core processors following the i7. It is tailored towards serious gamers who want to be able to play AAA games on a laptop. The new chip will have better graphics than AMD’s Ryzen chips and more power than the Intel i7.
The new module will allow for the manufacture of substantially thinner laptops. “Currently, most enthusiast mobile PCs have Intel Core H-series processors plus higher-powered discrete graphics, resulting in systems that average 26mm in height. Compare this to thin and light laptops that are trending down to 16mm or less, with some even as thin as 11 mm. We wanted to find a way to improve this,” said Intel.
The new design will use EMIB, an innovation that allows for quicker transport of information. The chip will also use HBM2. HBM2 is a new discrete graphics-based design that uses less power than GDDR5.
Scott Herkelmam, AMD Vice President said of the partnership “Together we are offering gamers and content creators the opportunity to have a thinner-and-lighter PC capable of delivering discrete performance-tier graphics experiences in AAA games and content creation applications. This new semi-custom GPU puts the performance and capabilities of Radeon graphics into the hands of an expanded set of enthusiasts who want the best visual experience possible.”
For the most part, AMD on custom chips have been the go-to chip for consoles. The customized nature of them allow for more diverse use. The partnership with Intel could have major implications for thin lightweight laptops as well. It is rumored that one of the biggest consumers of the new chip will be Apple, who could use it in all of their MacBook line.
The partnership will allow both companies to compete with Nvidia; a company widely seen as the best company for PC graphics cards. In addition, the new processor will contain its own RAM.
The new module will release in the first quarter of 2018.
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