New Intel CPU’s mean cheap home theatre systems
Posted on January 19, 2010 by by robtheailean
Intel have released additional mainstream processors to augment the existing high end cpu’s released late last year (i7 and i5).
This new series, dubbed i5 and i3 addresses the low and mid segment of the computer market (where the vast majority of users sit.)
One of the most interesting innovations, is Intel’s decision to not only significantly re-vamp the on board video component, but to also install it in the actual cpu itself.
This means, stripped of all the technical specs, that video performance is greatly increased (compared to the older motherboards with inbuilt or onboard graphics). In addition, Intel have also recognised the impact of High Definition Television/Media/BluRay and have added extra functions to comfortably handle these jobs as well.
For the home theatre enthusiast, this means that a good Home Theatre PC, running Windows 7 (Home Premium edition), can be had for under $1,000 including a 1TB hard drive.
Because there is no cooling requirement for a seperate video card, it also means these systems can be safely built in a small (M-ATX) case (think mini desktop) and hence fit unobtrusively into a family room TV setup.
Finally, it also means that for a fraction of a high end gaming system, Gamers can play 3D graphics titles (admittedly not at the high detail settings) on a PC which is affordable to most users – not just the monied few. One model, the i5-661, even has the internal video chip overclocked! In the past, most 3D titles would not even install on a system with onboard graphics; now at least, a large number of popular 3D titles are accessible by the majority of PC purchases.
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3 Comments to “New Intel CPU’s mean cheap home theatre systems”
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A build-in graphics card into the CPU is something I didn’t really think about before.
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One of the most interesting innovations, is Intel’s decision to not only significantly re-vamp the on board video component, but to also install it in the actual cpu itself.
It is an attempt by Intel to marginalise NVIDIA who have been muscling in on Intel’s market share with processors, support chipsets and GPUs. Something similar occurred previously when AMD was starting to get traction in the multicore processor market segment.
Some call it innovation, others just see it for what it is – a monopolistic player engaging in anti competitive conduct.
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I guess the war of technology and innovation is not only happening with software and online apps but also hardware.
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