AMD Game!

In a move that could mean the revival of the PC gaming, the chip maker AMD announced a new program, AMD Game! Yes, that’s right! Not a new technology or something like that, but a new program.

Called AMD Game!, the program is conceived to help consumers select perfectly suited PCs for high-definition gaming, the company explained. Of course, as you can imagine, AMD-powered PCs.

AMD GAME! platforms will include AMD Phenom processors, the upcoming AMD Turion Ultra processors, AMD Athlon processors, ATI Radeon HD 3000 series graphics, and AMD chipsets.

Acer, Alienware, Logitech and Microsoft are joining AMD to ensure consumers can easily identify PCs that deliver HD gaming, the company added. Hardware and PC components that carry the AMD GAME! logo let PC buyers and do-it-yourself gamers know they will have an exceptional gaming experience.

AMD Game! is just one the latest company’s efforts toward the gaming PCS. In March, AMD unveiled a new motherboard, created especially for gamers and multimedia lovers. The AMD 780 Series motherboard GPU [video] will be the core platform component for the AMD desktop PC platform codenamed “Cartwheel” and AMD notebook PC platform codenamed “Puma”, the chip maker said. Both are scheduled to launch in Q2 2008.

The new platform supports AMD Phenom 9000 series quad-core processor or Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor.

The AMD 780G chipset is the first chipset created by the company that offers DirectX 10 game compatibility.

For the gamers AMD offers ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology, that harnesses the graphics power of both a discrete graphics card and the motherboard GPU in tandem, delivering in some applications up to 70 percent improvements in 3D performance.

Also, the AMD 780G chipset brings a full HD experience with support for the latest and most demanding formats, including VC-1, MPEG-2 and H.264 to the mainstream PC. Featuring the AMD Unified Video Decoder (UVD), it directs HD playback to the better-suited GPU rather than to the CPU so consumers may enjoy a smooth HD viewing experience.

The PCS built around the AMD 780G could be ideal for Home Theater solutions as they will offer a broad range of video interfaces, including DisplayPort, DVI and HDMI.

During the same month, AMD unveiled two new AMD Phenom X3 processors that were initially announced last year in September.

Labeled AMD Phenom X3 8400 (2.1GHz) and 8600 (2.3GHZ), the new processors are intended to be paired with the AMD 780 series chipset.