The new AMD 690 chipset is a very good and solid start after the AMD/ATI merger, offering a lot of features in a well rounded package. The use of the Radeon XPress 1250/1200 IGP makes casual gaming possible, while AVIVO improves the video playback quality significantly. The included HDMI on-die also reduces cost and space needed on the mainboard, which translates into full featured small form factor motherboards. The small size and great price allow very affordable mainboards to be built which feature HDMI 1.3 and all the extras usually found in more expensive offerings. Overall the AMD 690 chipset series should make for some very innovative and interesting mainboards.
In the notebook segment the chipset offers a lot of improvements too over previous generation technology. Centrino is dominating the sales of high-end notebooks, but the 690 Series Chipset can bring new value to the budget segment of notebooks with its improved battery life features and solid 3D performance.