First Intel graphics card coming in 2008

Intel is working hard on preparing its entry in the discrete graphics card market. Intel's plans in this market are still a bit vague but most sources claim the chip giant won't go after the high-end market which is currently dominated by expensive cards like the GeForce 8800 and Radeon HD 2900 series.

Instead Intel is said to be preparing a series of mid-end graphics cards which will be priced around $300. If all goes as planned, the first discrete graphics cards from Intel should arrive in the second quarter of 2008, according to sources at graphics card makers.

Reception to the news is generally positive with one graphics card vendor stating that it will almost certainly support the Intel line with new products, while most of the others are all waiting for more information before they make a decision. Many of the card makers feel that the entrance of Intel into the market will increase competition and will spur AMD and Nvidia to be more aggressive in terms of technology and costs.

Sources at Intel where typically coy about discussing the plans, simply stating that the discrete graphics card market is one of the areas the company is considering.

It will be interesting to see how these GPUs from Intel lineup against AMD/ATI's and NVIDIA's offerings.