VIA PT894 Pro - Enabling Powerful Multi-Display Systems With the Revolutionary DualGFX Express Technology

Optimized for a complete range of Intel® Pentium® 4 processors with Hyper-Threading technology, including the latest 1066MHz FSB processors, the VIA PT894 Pro chipset features support for Dual PCI Express graphic cards courtesy of VIA’s revolutionary DualGFX Express technology. By allowing connection of two high-performance PCI Express graphics cards, the PT894 Pro enables a new generation of advanced multi-display systems for unprecedented levels of multitasking performance.

The VIA PT894 Pro also integrates VIA’s exclusive StepUp memory technology to provide support for both DDR and DDR2 memory standards on the same motherboard, allowing motherboard makers the option of implementing either standard depending on the demands of their target market at any given time.

Motherboards based on the PT894 Pro chipset feature VIA DualGFX technology, enabling dual PCI Express graphics card operation for connecting to as many four separate displays, without compromising system performance. By supporting an almost unlimited range of PCI Express graphics cards, VIA DualGFX Express makes powerful multi-display systems a more viable option for a much wider market. As well as offering a clear benefit to professional applications such as digital design and financial or medical information monitoring, many home users can also benefit from the enhanced multi-display support of VIA DualGFX Express systems, particularly for digital video and audio editing, and gaming.

The VIA PT894 Pro features a high bandwidth Ultra V-Link bus to allow communication between the chipset’s North and South bridges at a blazing 1GB/s. When combined with solutions such as the market-leading VIA VT8237R Plus South Bridge and a broad array of VIA companion chips, the VIA PT894 Pro provides a comprehensive range of storage, multimedia and connectivity features, including native Serial ATA and V-RAID, 6-channel or 8-channel VIA Vinyl Audio, VIA Velocity™ Gigabit Ethernet, USB2.0, and 1394.

The VIA PT894 Pro chipset has received PCI-Express certification, having successfully completed the rigorous testing procedures of the PCI-SIG Compliance Workshop.

Features of VIA PT894 Pro

Benefits of VIA PT894 Pro

VIA DualGFX Express
For users requiring powerful multitasking capabilities, VIA’s unique DualGFX Express technology allows two PCI Express graphics cards to be implemented on a single motherboard, supporting any brand of graphics card. With the ability to run two high-performance graphics cards simultaneously, users can easily connect to two, three, or even four monitors with no substantial hit on performance. To learn more about applications that benefit from VIA DualGFX Express and how to set up a multi-display VIA DualGFX Express system, please go here.

VIA StepUp Memory Support
The VIA PT894 Pro integrates VIA’s StepUp memory technology for lightning fast access to system memory and optimum system performance. VIA’s StepUp memory technology enables support for DDR and DDR2 memory standards giving maximum flexibility.

Native Serial ATA/RAID Support
The VIA VT8237R Plus South Bridge features a native Serial ATA/RAID controller, providing direct support for two 150MB/s Serial ATA devices, and an additional two (for a total of four SATA devices) in combination with the SATAlite™ interface. The integrated V-RAID controller supports native RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and JBOD, ensuring optimum data integrity and system performance, while the user-friendly V-RAID software interface enables easy disk array configuration and management.

VIA Vinyl Multichannel Audio Suite
Delivering rich, warm surround sound at resolutions as high as 24/96 through up to six or eight-channel outputs, the VIA Vinyl Audio and VIA Vinyl Gold Audio enable crisp, clear performance, representing the highest levels of audio quality in a mainstream integrated or onboard solution.

Ultra V-Link Bus
Delivering data throughput speeds of up to 1066 MB/s from the VIA VT8237R Plus South Bridge to the VIA PT894 Pro North Bridge, the Ultra V-Link interface delivers the necessary bandwidth and low latency required by today's increasingly demanding multimedia applications.

VIA Modular Architecture Platform
The VIA PT894 Pro chipset is part of VIA's unique Modular Architecture Platform (V-MAP), which minimizes design times and time-to-market for motherboard partners through a flexible, pin-compatible design approach for VIA core-logic solutions. Motherboard partners are able to cover multiple market segments with fewer design resources, and also benefit from a single unified driver base.

Unified VIA Hyperion 4in1 Drivers
VIA's unified approach to drivers has been established for eight generations of chipsets, allowing end users to benefit from seamless hardware and software compatibility.

* RAID Level 0+1 requires four Serial ATA drives; support for the two additional drives can only be implemented with two external Serial ATA ports enabled through a SATALite PHY.

Block Diagram

Resources

	VIA P4 Series chipset comparison chart / Download .pdf version
	VIA PT-Series press release
	VIA Dual GFX™ An outline of the advantages of AGP and PCI Express graphics compatibility. » Learn more ...
	Catch the Flex Express! VIA's implementation of PCI express. » Learn more ...
	VIA PT894 Pro image kit (hi-res) / VIA PT894 Pro image kit (low-res)