Advanced Micro Devices is finally able to match Intel with a complete platform of its own chips following the introduction of the 690 Series chipset today.

The product of its takeover last October of ATI, the Canadian graphics chipmaker, it allows AMD to combine its microprocessor with an ATI integrated graphics processor on a motherboard, something Intel has been doing for years with its own integrated graphics chipsets.

The 690 is designed with Windows Vista in mind, allowing HDMI high-definition connections and superior gaming performance.

Henri Richard, head of sales and marketing, was also talking tough at the launch about future offerings, including Barcelona, the codename for a quad-core processor expected in the third quarter.

“It’s more of a killer product than Opteron was when it was launched,” he said, referring to the processor launched in 2003 that enabled AMD to make major market share gains against Intel in the server category.

“It will be a fantastic second wave of success for our architecture,” he added.

Barcelona cannot come soon enough for AMD, which has been taking a benchmark beating from Intel since its larger rival introduced a new architecture last year and became the first to offer quad-core processors.