AMD’s 790GX Chipset Offers Best Integrated Graphics Available

AMD might not have had the smoothest two years in the company’s history, but they’ve managed to release a few select products that haven’t only impressed, but have astounded. One recent launch to come to mind would be their ATI Radeon HD 4850 and HD 4870 cards, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that thinking. Another successful launch was for their 780G chipset, and to make sure the magic didn’t die, they’ve gone ahead and released an even better model: 780GX.

The chipset adds a brand-new south bridge, SB750, which adds RAID 5 and Advanced Clock Calibration, an option that somehow allows a Phenom to overclock higher. The most interesting addition might be the GPU clock boost, from 500MHz to 700MHz. Does it impress? According to our friends at the Tech Report, yes. Big time.

To quote them, ‘AMD’s 790GX is the fastest integrated graphics chipset on the market. Period.‘ Sure sounds good, right? Well, not so much. The board that the new chipset is found on retails for around $150. For that price, you could score a 790G board along with a modest HD 3650. Tough situation. AMD does offer the best integrated chipset out there, but the caveats will have to be debated before your purchasing decision.

Credit: Tech Report

At least the 790GX is more than just a hopped up integrated graphics processor. The most interesting element of the chipset for enthusiasts may be the Advanced Clock Calibration capabilities built into the new SB750 south bridge. AMD’s ATI acquisition pays big dividends here, allowing the SB750 to reprogram internal Phenom processor timings to improve overclocking. With our X4 9850 Black Edition, ACC is good for a 300MHz clock speed boost, and that’s not bad at all.