NVidia has teamed up with Intel to highlight the benefits of PCI Express with the launch of its next generation of professional graphics processors.

NVidia has unveiled four PCI Express-enabled Quadro chips: FX 3400, FX 1300, and FX 330 for professional 3D applications, and NVS 280 for 2D.

The launch coincides with Intel introducing its E7525 chipset, which uses PCI Express technology to double the graphics bandwidth compared with AGP 8x, as well as supporting DDR3 (double data rate) memory.

"With PCI Express, the Intel E7525 chipset unleashes the Quadro graphics with improved bandwidth that translates directly into improved application performance," said Dan Vivoli, executive vice-president of marketing at nVidia.

"The inclusion of Intel EM64T in the Intel Xeon processor line also allows users to address substantially more system memory. Intel is using our graphics hardware as part of its chipset launch programmes."

Intel bought several thousand of nVidia's PCI Express-enabled graphics processing units for platform-level testing, software development kits, channel seed kits, technical solutions training and various demo systems, Vivoli added.

Richard Dracott, general manager of marketing and planning at Intel's enterprise platforms group, said: "All users will benefit from PCI Express's breakthrough bus architecture.

"The Intel E7525 chipset was designed for the most discerning workstation user, with data-intensive performance, reliability, DDR2 memory support and headroom for future processing."

The new Quadro processors will appear in workstations from firms such as Dell, Fujitsu Siemens and Hewlett-Packard. The system builder and specialist workstation community have also pledged support.

According to PNY Technologies, the sole manufacturer of Quadro-based graphics cards for the US and EMEA, firms including Alienware and Boxx Technologies are already onboard.

crn@vnu.co.uk