Intel on Wednesday said a problem with the integrated graphics controller that assists a computer's microprocessor in rendering video and other graphics prompted the chipmaker to delay the release of the Centrino 2 mobile platform until mid-July. Intel on Tuesday said the new platform would ship July 14 instead of June, which is when it was expected. Centrino 2 includes Intel's 45-nanometer Core 2 processor, formerly code-named Penryn. The flawed integrated graphics controller was in the GM45/GM47 chipsets available with the new platform. The IGC's purpose is to off-load graphics rendering from the CPU and is typically used in computers that don't need the higher level of power delivered through separate graphics cards from companies like Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices' ATI unit.
Intel declined to provide details on the problem, which was discovered during validation and testing of the chipsets. The company, however, said it was fixed. "It won't be a problem in the future," an Intel spokeswoman told InformationWeek. "We've resolved it." Graphics technology within chipsets has grown in importance as personal computers are increasingly used to view and edit video and photos. On the higher end of computing, graphics rendering is a differentiator for chipmakers in PC gaming. Nvidia and AMD's ATI unit are major suppliers of discrete graphics cards for computers, and Intel is boosting its presence in the market through integrated graphics in chipsets, which are also offered by AMD. The delay as an isolated incident is not expected to have much impact on Intel or its customers, Illuminata analyst Gordon Haff said.
Intel declined to provide details on the problem, which was discovered during validation and testing of the chipsets. The company, however, said it was fixed. "It won't be a problem in the future," an Intel spokeswoman told InformationWeek. "We've resolved it." Graphics technology within chipsets has grown in importance as personal computers are increasingly used to view and edit video and photos. On the higher end of computing, graphics rendering is a differentiator for chipmakers in PC gaming. Nvidia and AMD's ATI unit are major suppliers of discrete graphics cards for computers, and Intel is boosting its presence in the market through integrated graphics in chipsets, which are also offered by AMD. The delay as an isolated incident is not expected to have much impact on Intel or its customers, Illuminata analyst Gordon Haff said.
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