Chicago (IL) - Via today announced the PT chipset series Intel's Pentium 4 platform. Three new models support the most recent technologies and cover performance mainstream and high-end segments. The PT880 Pro delivers on the promise to support PCI Express and AGP graphics card simultaneously.

The new chipsets include the PT880 Pro and PT894 targeting the "performance mainstream market", and the PT894 Pro, a solution which is designed for high-end systems such as workstations and enthusiast systems

All new chipsets support FSB1066 as well as DDR memory up to 400 MHz and DDR2 up to 667 MHz. While Intel dropped support for AGP graphics cards, if users wanted to transition to PCIe and use the manufacturer's 9xx-series PCIe platform, Via is first to offer both worlds: The PT880 Pro chipset allows users to use PCIe and AGP graphics cards on the same motherboard using Via's proprietary Universal Graphics Interface (UGI).

Combined with DualGFX Express, another proprietary technology, the users can connect up to four monitors using dual PCIe graphics cards in combination with the PT894Pro or using a PCIe and an AGP graphics card simultaneously with the 880Pro.

The PT894 is positioned by Via as lower cost "alternative" to higher priced i915 chipset based motherboards and will help the technology to move faster into the mainstream, Via said. The chipset supports two PCIe x1 connections directly to the chipset's North Bridge to accelerate connections to PCIe devices such as HDTV Tuner Cards, as well as Gigabit Ethernet, SCSI and RAID controllers.

Read the detailed review of the PT880 Pro here:
VIA Arming the PCIe/AGP PT880 Pro Chipset For P4 Upgrade Business