By now you’ve probably heard and re-heard the rumor that Apple is considering dumping Intel’s chipset (not the processor, mind you) for its next line of laptops. Now there’s reasonable assertions out there that Apple may well go with an nVidia-developed chipset.
That’s Ryan Shrout’s (of PC Perspective fame) prediction, and it’s not as far-fetched when you spend a minute thinking about it.
Assuming Apple no longer wants to deal with Intel, it has two choices: it could go with a chipset developed by ATi (AMD), or one by nVidia. The problem with choosing an ATi chipset, says Shrout, is its lack of a “top-shelf chipset.” In less diplomatic terms, ATi’s chipsets stink on ice.
NVidia, on the other hand, with its MCP79 line, has quite the opposite. In fact, an nVidia executive called out Intel, saying it would open a can of “whoop ass” re: its (Intel’s) shoddy chipset performance. (Why are nVidia execs are using mid-90s catch phrases to attack the competition?)
Then there’s the obvious graphics performance improvements you can expect with the nVidia chipset. Anyone with a MacBook knows how lowly their gaming performance is, games like World of Warcraft notwithstanding.
via AppleInsider