GPU market rises substantially.(NEWS: GPUS)

Jon Peddie Research (JPR) released estimated graphics figures for the fourth calendar quarter of 2007. Traditionally, the quarter is a period of growth for the computer industry as retailers and OEMs sell in the holiday season. This year, the industry saw the biggest quarter-to-quarter jump in the last six years. Overall, Intel held its first-place position, claiming 41.1 percent against Nvidia's 31.8 percent, while AMD moved up to 22.8 percent.

On the desktop, Intel barely took back its first-place position, with a 37.7 percent share against Nvidia's 37.1 percent, while AMD slipped to 19 percent. Moreover, the desktop market saw growth of 8.3 percent this quarter, to 66.8 million units.

In the notebook market, Intel held its dominant position with 47 percent, and AMD took back the number-two position at 29 percent (gaining 8.3 percent of market share). Nvidia came in at 22.8 percent. Notebook chips continued their growth in units, with 39.6 million units, a 35.7 percent growth from the last quarter (and 25.9 percent over this period last year) to claim 37.2 percent of the market.

Unlike the second and third quarters of 2007, which saw unusual growth for the period, the fourth quarter, though very strong, was not ...