Taipei (Taiwan) - Via's S3 graphics unit is not quite the first destination for gamers who are looking for a performance graphics card. But with dual-graphics solutions quickly moving into the mainstream segment, it was not a question if but rather when Via would enter this increasingly lucrative opportunity to grow its graphics chip sales. The firm now announced it has begun sampling the K8T900 chipset, which supports the firm's dual-graphics card technology Multichrome.
The chipset targets the AMD platform with support for Opteron, Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64 and Sempron processors. According to the company, the chipset allows users to run two "or more" Chrome S27 cards in tandem through its currently offered dual x8 PCI Express interfaces. The company positions its Multichrome technology "that enables high speed communication between the graphic cards without the need for special connectors or cables", but does not claim that it will outrun higher-end Nvidia SLI or ATI Crossfire systems. Instead, the company says that it will provide a performance-per-watt optimized solution for multimedia desktops, workstations and professional applications that require output to up to four monitors.
