AMD to introduce entry-level desktop platform "Pisces"

AMD is seeking to expand their offerings on the entry-level market later this year. Working with their industry partners, AMD has revealed that they are developing a new platform dubbed Pisces, aimed specifically at low-cost machines. The platform is based upon the Athlon II series of processors along with a 780G+ chipset that has a Radeon HD 4200 GPU built in it. That's an upgrade from the existing 780G chipset, which relies on a Radeon HD 3200-based IGP.

The first production-ready hardware coming from this platform is expected to demo within the next few months, which could translate in a third or fourth quarter launch. AMD's moves come as Intel has already put significant effort in the entry-level market, ranging from dual-core Celerons to faster Atom CPUs, all of which help vendors put out systems at low price points.

AMD isn't working just at entry-level hardware either, with a recent demonstration of Havok physics at the GDC earlier this month.