Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
series support PCIe version 2, which doubles the throughput of PCIe 1.x. The 740 and 740G are also
the last cards with 1GTps FSB; the remainder of the series features 2.6GTps FSB.
The 760G and 780G are the first chipsets to support CrossFire Hybrid, a variation of CrossFire that
enables integrated video to work in conjunction with a PCIe x16 video card for faster 3D rendering
and gaming; the 785G, the last chipset in the series, also supports CrossFire Hybrid. The 790GX
supports both CrossFire Hybrid and CrossFire X for faster 3D rendering and gaming. The 770 and
higher models introduced AMD OverDrive, which enables the user to perform overclocking, memory
tuning, and system monitoring tasks from the Windows desktop without restarting the computer.
The high-performance 790FX is the first AMD chipset to support quad CrossFire X (up to four PCIe
video cards in x8 mode) as well as dual x16 operation.
While some members of the series can use the SB600 South Bridge, AMD introduced a new series of
South Bridge chips in the 700 series for use with the 700 series North Bridge chips. The SB700
series includes support for SATA 3Gbps devices, eSATA support, RAID support (0, 1, 10 modes),
up to 12 USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 1.1 ports. Some also include integrated Super I/O and RAID 5
support.
AMD 800 Series Chipsets
AMD's 800 series chipsets are designed for use with Socket AM3 processors such as the Phenom II,
Athlon II, and some models of the Sempron. In addition to supporting newer processors, the 800
series also includes models with support for CrossFire Hybrid (880G and 890GX), two card
CrossFire X (890GX and 890FX), and up to four card CrossFire X (890FX). All chipsets in the 800
series include PCIe 2.0 and a 2.6GTps FSB. See
Table 4.33
for details.
Table 4.33. AMD/ATI800 Series Chipsets for Phenom II, Athlon II, and Sempron Processors
The 800 series also includes two new South Bridge chips: the SB810 and SB850. These chipsets are
the first AMD South Bridge chips to eliminate support for the venerable PATA interface but include
support for up to six SATA ports with RAID support, include Gigabit SATA, and HD audio. The 800
series also includes two PCIe 2.0 lanes (2 x1 or 1 x2).
AMD 900 Series Chipsets
AMD's 900 series chipsets are designed to support FX “Bulldozer” and “Piledriver” processors that
use the AM3+ processor socket. These chipsets can also support Socket AM3 processors when a
suitable BIOS is installed.
