At the end of February ‘07, AMD released their first new chipset since the AMD/ATI merger. The goal with the new 690G/V series was to bring improved integrated graphics to the market, with better performance and broader compatibility. Initial impressions were generally positive; with an integrated Radeon XPress 1250, support for two monitors and options for DVI or HDMI outputs, the 690 series did bring something different to the table.
Since the 690G’s release, we’ve spent some time with several models from MSI and now ASUS, with the M2A-VM HDMI being the latest model to land in our labs. What’s interesting about the M2A-VM HDMI is that rather than offering an HDMI model or a DVI model, ASUS incorporates both through the use of a riser card. In fact, when perusing the product line up of such companies as Gigabyte, DFI and ECS we found most offered only DVI versions of the 690G.
With competitive performance and relatively broad video options for a chipset with an IGP, the 690 series shapes up to be a rather versatile chipset, bringing features that suit entry-level workstation, HTPC and desktop users alike. What ASUS has done is incorporate everything the chipset has to offer into a single package, making the M2A-VM HDMI unique at this stage of the game.
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