Intel admits G45 is imperfect
Better, but still not good enough
INTEL PRODUCT ENGINEER Aaron Brezenski, has updated his blog with an in-depth analysis of Intel's graphics woes.
Firstly, blogger Brezenski analyses the small crop of G45 reviews that have appeared on the net - including Extremetech's Intel DG45ID review here.
He ignores the poor gaming performance on the chipset, which the G45 isn't apparently aimed at, and bemoans the lack of quality benchmarking being applied to the video playback.
Even after Extremetech applied a BIOS tweak the reviewer was still not impressed with the playback abilities of the new chipset.
Aaron then goes onto describe two problems which will affect the take-up of the chipset within the home-enthusiast crowd. Two problems that were also present in the previous G965 and G35 chipsets and have not been fixed.
Firstly 24Hz refresh Blu-ray playback, which is of interest to those who want the best video quality, is still broken.
Secondly, with Aaron stating that this is a more serious issue, trying to send HDMI signals directly to an HDCP TV works, but repeater mode - required if you want to get 7.1 sound or even just to play Blu-ray through a receiver - is still unfixed.
As a commentator points out - if Intel can't get these things right with an IGP three iterations down the line, what chance does Larrabee have with the critical mass of hard-core gamers?
Unless the company gets its finger out, Intel is going to have a bad time against the likes of DAAMIT and Nvidia.
Oddly, juxtaposing the rest of the article, Aaron concludes that 'the G45 is really the perfect home theater chipset'.
At this stage, we'll leave that for you to decide. µ
Comments
I've decided
Yes, i have decided, the only viable solution is ATI chipset at the moment, Intel and Nvidia are broken.How can you span 3 generations of chipset and not fix a recurring issue, this is absurd, this goes to show you that they really dont care what they put out as long as its out there.
This goes back to the Pentium days, where you flame people with images of your product, and the “pod” people will buy it, regardless of poor quality.
hmmm
So it's confirmed then. Even though this head admits this chipset is quite deeply flawed, he still thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread.Obviously he has never heard of the 780G chipset.
What a way to prove ones head up ones own arse!!!
Is it DRM problem?
Since it can send direct to tv without a problem but not to an intermediate device, is this a problem like the DRM that prevents you from recording a DVD onto a home VCR?Haha.
'Aaron concludes that 'the G45 is really the perfect home theater chipset'.'Sry, 780G (or even 790GX if you feel feisty).
I have high hopes for Larrabee but only because it has nothing to do with the IGPs and the people working on them.
G45 Not Good
Yeah, I disagree that the G45 is a good Home Theater chip. I tried running this setup on Windows Vista, and Blu Ray was choppy as hell. Ended up putting an ATI 2600 Pro in there with HDMI and all is happy now.AMD/ATI don't have HD Audio
The 780G/790GX chipsets don't support HD Audio formats and as such aren't even an option for those that want HD Audio. The G45 can likely be fixed via drivers, however will it ever is unknown. Nvidia's solution (8200/8300) works for some people, others have issues.AMD 790GX/780G have HD Audio
AMD's 790GX/780G chipsets does indeed support HD Audio and to claim otherwise is FUD at best. AMD/ATI's chipsets have supported HD audio since the SB600 southbridge came out long time ago. AMD's 790GX/780G chipsets uses the SB750/SB700 southbridges AFAIK.ATI has audio on the HDMI port!
And has since the last generation of chips.It's Intel that's stuck in the 6 wire analog land.
790GX previews state no multi-ch LPCM
I think there may be some confusion as to what is HD Audio. HD Audio is basically the Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master codecs that are lossless unlike regular Dolby Digital and DTS. AMD/ATI hasn't supported HD audio except for the 4850/4870 graphics cards. Other AMD/ATI gpu/chipsets may be able to "play" these HD tracks, but they will be downsampled to non-HD audio resolutions. Anandtech already did a preview of the 790GX and has stated no multi-channel LPCM from AMD only 2ch. Check the "Official HTPC HDMI HD Audio + Video Roundup Thread" on AVS.Demoan: Not FUD, unless Anandtech is incorrect that the 790GX only supports 2ch LPCM.
Ugly American: 4850/4870 support HD Audio, but nothing else from AMD/ATI does.