X-bit labs

ASUSTeK Develops Socket 939 VIA K8T890 Mainboard.

Category: Mainboards

by Anton Shilov

[ 01/30/2004 | 11:33 AM ]

There are two months left till AMD officially unveils its 939-pin microprocessors and mainboard companies roll-out their products with Socket 939 for the newcomers. Today some details about one of such platforms transpired and we now can draw some preliminary conclusions about the first mainboards intended for new AMD64 CPUs.

Sources familiar with certain plans of ASUSTeK Computer told X-bit labs there is A8V DX mainboard in the firm’s roadmap. The device is based on VIA K8T890 North Bridge and VIA VT8237 I/O controller. The solution also features all necessary expansion capabilities, USB 2.0, Serial ATA-150 as well as 8-channel audio.

VIA K8T890 chipset sports 1GHz HyperTransport bus for next-generation AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Athlon 64 FX processors. The chip also boasts PCI Express x16 bus for upcoming graphics cards as well as Ultra V-Link interconnection for VIA’s VT8237 and VT8239 South Bridges.

Apparently, ASUS may be in a position to begin volume manufacturing of its A8V DX as early as in the first half of March and will quite naturally deliver the actual commercial products by the time AMD formally starts to sell its new microprocessors.

The result of ASUS’ move is availability of PCI Express x16 supporting platforms right when the new AMD64 CPUs for Socket 939 are out. Earlier there were doubts about PCI Express on AMD platform in Q2, however, it now seems like users of new 64-bit AMD microprocessors will have a chance to get a newer bus for graphics cards in addition to more advanced chips from Sunnyvale, California-based chipmaker.

An obvious drawback of the first batch of VIA-based Socket 939 platforms in general and ASUS A8V DX in particular is absence of PCI Express x1 slots for future-generations of add-in-cards due to the absence of proper South Bridge in early Q2. In contrast, Intel plans to deliver both PCI Express x16 and x1 technologies by its Grantsdale (i915) and Alderwood (i925X) chipsets.

ASUSTeK Computer usually does not comment on unreleased products.