785G Northbridge And SB710 Southbridge Vital Statistics
Let's have an overall look at the 785G and its brethren to see how their vital statistics stack up:
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | AMD 785G | AMD 780G | AMD 790GX |
| Processor Interface | HT 3.0/5,200 MT/s | HT 3.0/5,200 MT/s | HT 3.0/5,200 MT/s |
| PCI Express Support | 2.0/26 lanes/1 x 16 Graphics | 2.0/26 lanes/1 x 16 Graphics | 2.0/26 lanes/2 x 8 Graphics |
| Integrated Core | RV620 | RV610 | RV610 |
| DirectX/OpenGL | 10.1/2.1 | 10.0/2.1 | 10.0/2.0 |
| Shaders/TU/ROP | 40/4/4 | 40/4/4 | 40/4/4 |
| Graphics Clock | 500 MHz | 500 MHz | 700 MHz |
| Display Outputs | DisplayPort, HDMI 1.3, DVI, VGA | DisplayPort, HDMI 1.2, DVI, VGA | DisplayPort, HDMI 1.2, DVI, VGA |
| Multi-GPU | Hybrid CrossFireX | Hybrid CrossFireX | Hybrid CrossFireX, CrossFireX |
| Addtl. PCIe | Six x1 PCIe 2.0 | Six x1 PCIe 2.0 | Six x1 PCIe 2.0 |
| Row 10 - Cell 0 | Row 10 - Cell 1 | Row 10 - Cell 2 | |
| Southbridge | SB710 | SB700/SB710 | SB750 |
| Interconnect | A-Link Xpress (4 x PCIe 1.1) | A-Link Xpress (4 x PCIe 1.1) | A-Link Xpress (4 x PCIe 1.1) |
| RAID Support | RAID 0, 1, 10 | RAID 0, 1, 10 | RAID 0, 1, 10, 5 |
| Audio | HD Audio | HD Audio | HD Audio |
| USB | 12 USB 2.0 + 2 USB 1.1 | 12 USB 2.0 + 2 USB 1.1 | 12 USB 2.0 + 2 USB 1.1 |
| Ethernet | N/A | N/A | N/A |
There aren't any super-significant differences between 780G and 785G as far as raw specifications are concerned, save DirectX 10.1 support for the new 785G. Keep in mind that the 785G does have some features that the 780G and 790GX do not have, which we'll go over in the next few pages.
The higher-end 790GX differentiates itself from its brothers with a higher 700 MHz graphics clock, the ability to use dual discrete graphics cards in CrossFireX, and the additional RAID 5 mode. All of these boons are missing from the new 785G, indicating that the 785G is not positioned as the next big thing, but as an improved replacement for the 780G chipset. Pricing will likely fall to current 780G levels over time, and while AMD admits that its customers will still be able to purchase the 780G chipset should they choose to do so, 785G will slowly replace 780G. Perhaps we'll see a 795GX chipset arrive in the not-too-distant future, bringing the 785G advancements to the higher-end 790GX price segment.
The SB710 Southbridge
The SB710 is nothing new. It has already been used in conjunction with the 780G as a replacement for the older SB700 chipset component. The SB710 is something of a hybrid between the older SB700 and the SB750 commonly used on 790GX-based boards. And, like the SB750, SB710 sports Advanced Clock Calibration (AAC), used to enable additional headroom in Phenom processors (but no longer needed with Phenom II).
Like the SB700, however, AMD's SB710 does not support RAID 5, although it does support RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays.
