Nanotech - The Circuits Blog

Updated at 11:50 a.m. PST with additional information on Nvidia and ATI graphics in Mac Pro

Apple's rollout of new Macs Tuesday was a vote of confidence for Nvidia: its graphics chip have now become as ubiquitous as Intel's processors across the Mac line.

Apple's entire Mac lineup now features Nvidia GeForce GPUs. "If you go into a retail store, it's (Nvidia) top to bottom," said an Nvidia spokesperson today. "The message is that Apple is differentiating itself, investing in the GPU," he said.

The GPU, or graphics processing unit, is used to accelerate HD video, image editing, video transcoding, and games.

So, which GPUs are where?

• New versions of the iMac and Mac mini use the GeForce 9400M GPU
  
• 24-inch iMac available with GeForce 9400M, GeForce GT 120, or GeForce GT 130
  
• New Mac Pro equipped with the Nvidia GeForce GT 120
  
• MacBook Air, MacBook, and MacBook Pro already use GeForce 9400M and/or 9600
  

Note that the Mac Pro is offered with either the GeForce GT 120 with 512MB of GDDR3 memory or the ATI Radeon HD 4870 with 512MB of GDDR5 memory.

Nvidia is working with top-10 PC makers to bring its graphics chips for the first time to Netbooks, according to an executive at the company. And an important part of this push is getting its silicon working with Windows 7, a more Netbook-friendly operating system than Vista.

Nvidia is targeting Ion at Netbooks (bottom) and at larger notebooks (top)

(Credit: Nvidia)

This week, Nvidia released Windows 7 beta drivers for the "Ion" Netbook silicon that it's handing over to customers. In conjunction, Nvidia demonstrated in Taiwan this week applications running on Windows 7. Nvidia also announced that its Ion platform has been certified on Windows Vista.

The Ion chipset is based on Nvidia's GeForce 9400M graphics chipset, which currently handles graphics tasks in Apple's MacBook line.

The goal is to replace the Intel silicon that supports the Atom processor and make a Netbook perform more like a typical laptop. Currently, Netbooks from companies such as Acer, Asus, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell use the Atom with an accompanying Intel chipset.

"Why would you buy a small notebook and not expect it to do what a PC can do?" Dan Vivoli, Nvidia senior vice president, said in a phone interview Thursday.

Intel, in fact, took a small step in that direction this month. The chipmaker upped the ante by shipping a new Atom N280 processor and chipset that for first time on an Intel-based Atom system can run 720p high-definition video. Graphics silicon that can handle 720p video is considered a minimum requirement for larger mainstream laptops.

Nvidia, as the world's largest graphics chip supplier, believes, not surprisingly, that minimal graphics is not good enough.

"I remember back in 1998 when Intel came out with their 740 (graphics chip), there was this worry that no one would want to buy anything more than that," Vivoli said. "Of course, that didn't happen."

Dan Vivoli, senior vice president of marketing at Nvidia

(Credit: Nvidia)

The 740 eventually faded as graphics chips from 3dfx, ATI Technologies, and Nvidia bested it in the marketplace.

All companies tend to exaggerate the prospects of a new product--and Nvidia is no exception. But there seems to be more at stake than usual because getting Nvidia graphics into small devices--where its graphics have historically been almost completely absent--is imperative for its growth.

"In all the years I've been here I've never seen a product generate more excitement than Ion. At Microsoft, at Apple. Everybody we expose it to says we had no idea you could get this kind of experience on a platform this small and this inexpensive," Vivoli said.

"Big names that you would know are working on Ion designs," Vivoli said. "These are top-5 and top-10 companies," Vivoli said. He expects products by midyear.

In Nvidia's fourth-quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was more circumspect. Though he claimed that Nvidia had Ion notebook projects happening all over the world, "a lot of this depends on the success of our customers and these platforms. There's still a lot execution between now and then. And lots of unknowns," he said.

Also, on the same call, a financial analyst brought up the point that Netbook makers are not marketing the devices for 3D gaming and added that 3D graphics is not a feature that consumers care a lot about on a Netbook. Huang countered that anything people want to do on a typical laptop, they want to do on a Netbook.

Nvidia on Wednesday introduced its GeForce 9400M graphics chip, a direct threat to Intel's graphics silicon.

Apple's choice of the 9400M for its refreshed MacBook line heralds a much-needed infusion of competition in the market for mobile integrated graphics--a low-cost solution that is built into Intel chipsets. To date, Intel has dominated the market, with many of the top notebook vendors defaulting to Intel graphics in low-end models and ultraportables. Apple chose Intel graphics for previous versions of the MacBook and MacBook Air.

Nvidia claims the GeForce 9400M is smaller and faster than Intel's popular integrated graphics silicon

(Credit: Nvidia)

Not this time though. Apple did its homework and CEO Steve Jobs made a point Tuesday to cite the 9400M as a reason for better performance in the new MacBooks. You can bet that other PC makers are looking closely at the 9400M.

"Intel's technology is integrated throughout Apple's product line but we didn't win this particular design," Intel commented yesterday. Its newest graphics product is based on the G45 chipset.

The Apple announcement Tuesday is the "first in a string of announcements" coming from PC makers, said Bill Henry, director of notebook marketing at Nvidia. "Most of the top OEMs have designs in the works."

"It's ideal for getting really good graphics capability in 10-inch designs and 12-inch designs," Henry said, referring to small laptop designs that use screens sizes ranging from 10 to 12 inches. These are typically referred to as ultraportables.

Some important 9400M features include the integration of 16 streaming processors to boost game-playing performance and a technology called Hybird SLI, which allows Nvidia's integrated silicon to be paired with an external graphics card for more speed. (SLI stands for Scalable Link Interface.)

The 9400M can handle 30-frames-per-second frame rates in many games and supports Nvidia's PhysX technology for more realistic game playing.

From a PR perspective, Nvidia also made it clear Wednesday that the 9400M won't have any of the issues of past Nvidia mobile graphics. Some of Nvidia's mobile chips have had issues with weak die and packaging materials.

"We've updated the materials we're using to manufacture our chips," Henry said.

Nvidia also issued this statement: "Apple was fully aware of the issue during the MacBook development program, and they are satisfied that Nvidia has implemented corrective actions to ensure there will not be an issue in the future."

The chip is being manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company on a 65-nanometer process.