MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 decoding, overclocking

SIX MONTHS AGO, back in February, AMD launched 690G, its first desktop chipset after six years of break and AMD-760 (first Socket A chipset - actually, it was just NorthBridge). Now, this chipset is getting a free upgrade.

In a bid to offer some serious punch for interested customers and current owners, AMD recently released a BIOS update that brings several features to the table. Bear in mind that this is not something that often happens in the world of chipsets.

For starters, this BIOS update brings DVD/HD hardware decoding in both 720p and 1080p resolutions, making 690G cheapest graphics subsystem that can decode 1080p video. This covers MPEG-2, VC-1 and H.264 video standards and codec's - but bear in mind that hardware requirements are different. For MPEG-2 at 1080p (standard most often used with first gen Blu-ray and HD-DVD titles), you need a 1.8 GHz dual-core processor (Athlon 64 X2 3200+ and above), for VC-1 you have to own a 2.2 GHz processor (Athlon 64 X2 4200+ and above), while H.264 requires that you use 2.4 GHz model (4600+ and above).

There is also requirement for memory amount and clock: at least 1GB of RAM adhering to DDR2-667 (PC2-5400) standards. In all sincerity, with the prices of system memory going down the toilet, if you do not have 2GB of memory, something is wrong with you.

Now, if you do not have a processor clocked at requirement speed, no worries - this BIOS update also brings overclocking features to the table. New BIOSes bring voltage adjustments, memory timings and of course, multiplier changes for the CPU and HyperTransport clock. This is not all, since now Overdrive function works on graphics part of the chipset, meaning you can get a hefty performance boost with overclocking the integrated part by 50-100 MHz. Of course, upgrading your chipset cooling does not seem to be such a bad idea if you are into overclocking the IGPU. µ

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=41419