Sandy Bridge and Fusion - New combo chips from Intel and AMD

Berlin - The race has begun: Early this year the first desktop computers and notebooks based on the latest processor architectures from AMD and Intel hit the shelves. AMD calls its new chip Fusion; Intel's is named Sandy Bridge.

While the names are different, the underlying principle is the same: both manufacturers placed the processor and graphics chip on a single circuit board. This, say the manufacturers, results in faster and more efficient computers.