Together with the expertise of ATI, AMD-ATI will soon release what may turn out to be the first "AMD" branded chipset for the AMD AM2 platform.

The upcoming RS690+SB600 uses an X700-like graphic card on a socket AM2 platform. We strongly believe that the pipeline count on this Shader model 2.0 supporting chip has to drop down from eight to four. There is simply not enough space on a chipset Northbridge chip to put the whole X700 core with its 120 million transistors inside. The previous ATI integrated graphic had only two pipelines, so the number four is the logical evolution.

The Inquirer have all the details.

THIS MIGHT be the first chipset to be shipped under the AMD brand.

Even if not, it is likely to be the first AMD integrated chipset that really runs Vista's graphics. That can make a huge difference in the OEM and retail market. The currently-shipping RD485 and its X300 crippled graphic works well under Vista but the X700 will do much better with the new shiny OS.