Single-Chip Technology: SiS 735 And SiS 635, Continued
| Chipset | SiS 635 | VIA Apollo Pro 266 | Intel 815E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | May 2001 | October 2000 | June 2000 |
| Processor Platform | Socket 370 | Slot 1, Socket 370 | Socket 370 |
| CPUs supported | Intel Celeron I/II, Intel Pentium II/III, VIA Cyrix III | Intel Celeron I/II, Intel Pentium II/III, VIA Cyrix III | Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium III |
| Frequency Range | 233 bis 1250 MHz | 233 bis 1250 MHz | 266 bis 1500 MHz |
| Multiprocessor Support | no | no | yes |
| Northbridge (Package) | SiS 635 | VIA VT8633 (BGA) | Intel 82815 (BGA) |
| Southbridge (Package) | - | VIA VT8233 (BGA) | Intel 82801 BA (BGA) |
| Front Side Bus Clock | 66/100/133 MHz | 66/100/133 MHz | 66/100/133 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 66/100/133 MHz DDR | 66/100/133 MHz DDR | 66/100/133 MHz |
| asynchronous Memory Clock | yes | yes | yes |
| 33 MHz PCI at 133 MHz FSB | yes | yes | yes |
| FSB Overclocking* | no | yes | bis 166 MHz |
| max. # DIMM or RIMM Slots | 3 DDR-DIMMs / 3 SDRAM-DIMMs | 4 DDR-DIMMs / 2 SDRAM-DIMMs | 3 |
| max. Memory | 1536 MB | 4096 MB | 512 MB |
| DDR SDRAM Support | yes | yes | no |
| VC SDRAM Support | no | yes | no |
| RIMM Support (Rambus) | no | no | no |
| Dual Rambus Support | no | no | no |
| Ultra-DMA/33/66/100 | yes/yes/yes | yes/yes/yes | yes/yes/yes |
| Max. # USB Ports | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| Max. # PCI Slots | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| # IRQs for PCI | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Integrated Graphics Core | no | no | yes |
| Onboard Graphics Chip | no | no | Intel 752 |
| Video Memory | no | no | max. 16 MB |
| AGP Slot | yes | yes | yes |
| AGP 1x / 2x / 4x | yes / yes / yes | yes / yes / yes | yes / yes / yes |
| ACPI Features | yes | yes | yes |
* depends on clock generator
Comparison of all the important chipsets for the socket 370 platform.
Good marketing strategists know the recipe for success in the end-user market: If you want to be successful, don't touch integrated graphics solutions. Nobody needs this function. So, outside of the OEM business, this sort of feature is taboo. Unless, of course, you give the board an extra AGP interface so you can switch off the on-board graphics when you need to. SiS seems to have learned its lesson well, as neither of the new chipsets has integrated graphics.
Some motherboard manufacturers have already jumped aboard the SiS bandwagon. Currently, Asus (CUS266), Elitegroup (P6S5MT and P6S5AT), Jetway (635CS) and PC Chips (M700) use the SiS 635 chipset. Chaintech is the first manufacturer to bring the SiS 735 onto the market, with its 7SID. Other firms will follow.
For Intel - And AMD CPUs: Reference Boards From SiS
The two reference boards from SiS formed the basis for our test, one was equipped with the 635-chipset for the Intel platform and the other with the 735 chipset for the AMD platform. Most motherboard manufacturers will be working on these reference designs in the coming weeks and launching their own boards in the market. Notable features on both SiS boards are the three FireWire connections (IEEE 1394). For this, a controller chip from Texas Instruments has been used only on the SiS 735 board.
Both boards are factory-equipped with three FireWire interfaces (IEEE 1394).
SiS 735 For AMD Athlon/Duron
A look at our comparison table makes it clear that the SiS 735 chipset is almost indistinguishable from the competition in terms of the functions it offers. The SiS reference board represents a mid-range board, equipped with almost all the important features.
Reference board with the SiS 735 chipset.
On the socket 462 board SiS has installed only DIMM slots for DDR-SDRAM memory modules. The 735 chipset will, however, work with conventional SDRAM memory if required.
Function scheme for the SiS 735 chipset.
Some of the transistors for the system controller have been positioned on the upper and lower surfaces of the board.
The layout of two transistors in the three-phase controller is striking: They are on the underside of the board. The other functions read as follows: the chipset permits a total of six USB connections and three DIMM slots. The test board has 3 integrated PCI slots and 1 ACR, and hardly anyone will be eager to use the latter. The use of the AC'97 sound codec, which costs less than 40 cents per module in production, is also a money-saving feature.