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Tid-bits
12/27
A specification is being forged to weld together the divergent display interfaces of the PC and HDTV (high definition TV), called UDI, or Unified Display Interface. The aging VGA (video graphics array) of the PC shall be replaced by UDI. What about DVI (digital visual interface), which is found on more recent graphics cards and connectors, you say? DVI shall be backwards compatible with UDI, so that you do not throw away current investments. UDI shall also be compatible with HDMI (high definition multimedia interface), which is the standard digital interface for high definition TVs and other CE displays. So, UDI will replace VGA, and will be compatible with DVI and HDMI. No more graphics cards with separate connectors on the back for output to the TV. UDI will bridge “the anticipated convergence between the TV and PC".
ATI has improved its CrossFire dual-card offering, for those that like ATI graphics cards. CrossFire is no longer limited to resolutions of 1600 x 1200 at 60MHz refresh rates. In certain games, “dual graphics configurations give you almost 100% faster performance than a single card".
Intel keeps working on gaming for dual-core CPUs. AMD, on the other hand, is focused more on 64-bit. Another popular 3D game has been released in a 64-bit version. The creators of the game collaborated with AMD and optimized it for certain AMD chips, “but Intel processors with 64-bit extensions are likely to provide a similar experience".
Chips are in short supply at AMD as well now. Intel has struggled in the past with a chipset shortage for its low-end CPUs. So AMD is now feeling the pain of a shortage of packing components for its CPUs. Both shortages affect low-end CPUs. For its desktop processors, AMD is “experiencing unprecedented demand".