CES: New chips set to transform pc capabilities?

Both Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are expected to unveil new chips which can bring improved video quality and longer battery life to pcs at this week's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. One major change in Intel and AMD's design is that graphics on a pc - historically handled by a separate chip - will be on the same silicon as the computer's main, general purpose processor. By linking graphics more closely with a computer's main processor, pcs will be able to work faster as the distance between the parts is shortened, cutting the amount of time they need to talk to each other. The power the parts need to communicate is also reduced, leading to longer battery life. Jon Peddie, who studies the semiconductor industry as president of Jon Peddie Research, said: "We keep putting more and more stuff into the processor - now it's graphics' turn to get shoved into the processor along with all the stuff that previous generations have shoved in. The big difference this time is because of the processor's smaller size, the capability of the graphics is significantly better." Consumers should expect "snappier operations in anything involving pixel movement", from playing games to editing photos and video and preparing PowerPoint and other visual presentations, Mr Peddie said. But he cautioned that even with the new chips, the low end computers will still be too weak for certain uses, including graphics intensive video games.