JPR: GPU market grew 21.2% last quarter

Third quarter graphics processors shipments jumped 21.2 percent sequentially after an initial rise in Q2 2009, according to the latest numbers from Jon Peddie Research. Overall 119.45 million units were shipped during the period, exceeding the record 111 million units that were shipped in the year-ago quarter, as computer vendors built up inventory in preparation for the Windows 7 launch.

As usual, JPR's report includes market share data and covered both discrete and integrated graphics -- thus as expected Intel continued to hold the top spot with 52.7% of the market, bolstered by its installed base of integrated graphics chipsets. Nvidia was second with 24.9%, followed by a closing in AMD with 19.8%.

In terms of growth, Intel and AMD were the clear winners with quarter-to-quarter shipments rising by 25.2 and 30.2 percent respectively, while Nvidia only managed 3 percent. What's more, compared to Q3 2008 the latter actually saw a 4% decline in shipments. JPR registered growth of 3.1% for AMD, while Intel enjoyed a 14.6% growth in shipments from last year helped by strong netbook and notebooks sales.