News Release

VIA Announces Chipset Support For AMD Athlon XP Processor 3200+ with Advanced 400 Front Side Bus

Forthcoming VIA Apollo KT600 Chipset features ultra fast 400 Front Side Bus enabling gamers and enthusiasts to extract searing performance from AMD Athlon XP processor 3200+ platforms

Taipei, Taiwan, 13 May 2003 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced that the forthcoming VIA Apollo KT600 and VIA UniChrome™ KM400A chipsets will support the new AMD Athlon™ XP 3200+ processors with 400 FSB.

The advanced 400 Front Side Bus at 3.2GB/s will match the data transfer capacity of the VIA Apollo KT600 FastStream64™ Memory Controller using DDR400 (PC3200) memory. This balanced configuration can minimize memory latency and enable the full performance potential of the AMD Athlon XP processor 3200+ to be realized.

"For the past decade, VIA has consistently supported the latest processor technologies from AMD and we are pleased to continue that proud tradition with the 400 Front Side Bus AMD Athlon XP processor 3200+ and the VIA Apollo KT600 Chipset," said Chewei Lin, Vice President of Product Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Paired with the new VIA VT8237R South Bridge featuring the world's first integrated SATA/RAID controller, the KT600 is set to rule the performance oriented market for AMD Athlon XP processor 3200+ based systems in the second half of 2003."

"VIA's complementary chipset offerings can offer our shared customers increased performance to realize the full potential of the AMD Athlon XP processor 3200+ with 400 FSB," said Tim Wright, director of desktop marketing, AMD's Microprocessor Business Unit. "By focusing on innovations that truly benefit PC users, AMD's newest desktop PC processor enables the highest level of performance possible on content creation, office productivity and gaming applications."

About the VIA Apollo KT600

Supporting DDR266/333/400 SDRAM memory and a full range of 266/333/400MHz Processor Bus AMD Athlon™ XP processors, the VIA Apollo KT600 provides lightning fast access to system memory and delivers exceptional performance across the application spectrum. DDR400 offers 3.2GB/s of memory bandwidth through VIA's low latency, FastStream64 memory controller, while AGP 8X delivers 2.1GB/s of bandwidth to the graphics engine, improving image quality and 3D performance in the highest resolution conditions.

The VIA Apollo KT600 North Bridge is connected to the new VIA VT8237R South Bridge through a fast 8X V-Link 533MB/s connection. With support for Serial ATA in the VT8237R, supplying 150MB/s of bandwidth to your hard drive, as well as support for up to eight USB 2.0 ports, the VT8237R offers the highest possible peripheral performance for professional and home users. In SATA mode, the VIA VT8237R also provides multi level RAID support including RAID level 0 for maximum performance, RAID Level 1 for maximum security, RAID level 0+1 and JBOD. The VIA VT8237R also features support for up to two Parallel ATA-133 devices, extending flexibility to the system integrator by allowing for mainstream or value configurations leveraging the existing technology standard. Additional features include a VIA MAC for 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet connectivity, integrated PCI support, VIA Vinyl Six-channel Audio and an MC'97 modem. The KT600 also benefits from the advanced unified VIA Hyperion 4-in-1 driver set, delivering seamless compatibility with the latest software and hardware.

For more information, please see the KT600 product page:

VIA UniChrome KM400A

The VIA UniChrome KM400A chipset features the S3 Graphics integrated UniChrome 2D/3D graphics core with DuoView™ technology for excellent multimedia performance and complete flexibility on the desktop. The chipset North Bridge exchanges data with the processor through an ultra fast 400MHz FSB and features an AGP 8X controller for graphics upgrades. The KM400A also supports a complete range of DDR memory speeds, including DDR266/333/400, enabling OEMs and system integrators the opportunity to attack different price points based on the same mainboard platform.

The VIA UniChrome KM400A North Bridge is connected to the VIA VT8235CE South Bridge or the new pin compatible VIA VT8237R South Bridge through a fast 8X V-Link 533MB/s connection. With support for Serial ATA in the VT8237R, supplying 150MB/s of bandwidth to your hard drive, as well as support for up to eight USB 2.0 ports, the VT8237R offers the highest possible peripheral performance for professional and home users. In SATA mode, the VIA VT8237R also provides multi level RAID support including RAID level 0 for maximum performance, RAID Level 1 for maximum security, RAID level 0+1 and JBOD. The VIA VT8237R also features support for up to two Parallel ATA-133 devices, extending flexibility to the system integrator by allowing for mainstream or value configurations leveraging the existing technology standard. Additional features include a VIA MAC for 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet connectivity, integrated PCI support, VIA Vinyl Six-channel Audio and an MC'97 modem. The KM400A also benefits from the advanced unified VIA Hyperion 4-in-1 driver set, delivering seamless compatibility with the latest software and hardware.

VIA PR Contacts

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