FR33E FIC corporations

The architecture of the motherboards which are one of the major components of modern computers, is grounded on application of the newest computer processing techniques. Implementation of these processing techniques is carried out through used chips, design and production of these cards.

In release of motherboards tens computer corporations now are engaged. Production of leaders is widely presented in the domestic market. However it does not mean, that products of less known corporations is not worthy. Quite often thanks to a functional saturation and rather low price this production uses the deserved popularity. It is necessary to estimate correctly only their potential possibilities and correctly to take up a position area of their usage with the due analysis of requirements of solved tasks. And it, by the way, is fair under the ratio not only cheap, but also expensive products.

Considering inexpensive, basically budgetary systems, it is expedient to consider at a choice, that with development of solid-state technologies obvious growth of popularity of the integrated solutions is observed. It became a consequence of improvement of processing techniques and lowerings of industrial costs of development and release of motherboards, and also perfection of an inner pattern and rise of a functional saturation of electronic parts. Among these components the central place is occupied with processors and sets of system logic.

Manufacturers of modern processors in hard competitive struggle continuously carry on operations on upgrade of the architecture of the products and processing techniques of their production. The units which newest models are characterised by high operating frequencies, are as a result released by productivity and functionality.

In connection with commercialising the production process 0,13 microns, 0,18 microns which have come in the stead , have been created the appropriate even more powerful processors possessing a number of specific features of power supplies and the interface. Among such features it is necessary to mark, for example, refusal of the specification 8.4 for VRM (Voltage Regulator Module — the unit of a voltage regulator which is built in structure of the motherboard). Here it is necessary to remind, that the specification 8.4 provides power supply of a kernel of the processor by a constant voltage which level does not depend on the value of a current consumed by this unit. The new VRM unit satisfying the specifications 8.5, carries out power supply of a kernel of the processor by the power which level linearly decreases with the growth of a current consumption depending on computing load on this unit. It has allowed to simplify implementation of VRM unit and it is essential to lower thermal load on a processor chip, that as a result promoted rise of dependability and increase in a resource of operation of a kernel.

However it does not settle requirements of the processors fulfilled on processing technique of 0,13 microns, to surrounding units. It is necessary to mark, that for these processors in addition to new modes of power supplies levels of signals on processor bus FSB have decreased.

Earlier released sets of system logic — the chip sets developed under the previous models of processors, were incapable to realise the specified requirements and to provide correct operation of the products fulfilled on processing technique of 0,13 microns.

As an example of such units it is possible to result the processors created on the basis of kernel Tualatin which high models of Intel Celeron concern, and also appropriate server and transportable processors of Intel of Pentium III. For their support, together with the previous processors of the corporation of Intel (0,18 microns, Coppermine) and similar products from indirect manufacturers, in the architecture of a number the developed models of chip sets the corporations releasing similar production, have made necessary changes. Thus corrections have undergone basically the structures of chips North Bridge which are responsible for link with the processor.

New modifications of chip sets and created on them in a basis motherboards, as a rule, in the name have a letter "T". As an example of such products it is possible to result VIA corporation sets: VIA Apollo Pro133T, VIA Apollo Pro266T, VIA Apollo PLE133T.

The specified chip sets are oriented to the architecture of motherboards with Socket 370 plug . Carry out support of processors of Intel Celeron and Intel of Pentiums III created on the basis of kernels Coppermine (0,18 microns) and Tualanin (0,13 microns), and also processors VIA C3 (VIA Cyrix III).

Last from the enumerated list of sets of system logic it is interesting to that is a chip set with the integrated drawing that allows to create rather cheap motherboards, for example, such as FR33E from FIC corporation, oriented to development of inexpensive computer systems.

In structure of chip set VIA Apollo PLE133T which is as a matter of fact the central unit of the motherboard and substantially defining its possibility and consequently, and all system of the computer, high-powered arrangements for implementation of basic functions of multimedia are built in.

Chip set VIA Apollo PLE133T is oriented to systems with usage of processors with Socket 370 plug : Intel Celeron, Intel of Pentium III, VIA Cyrix, including models 0,13 microns created on processing technique , for example, such, as processors from Intel with kernel Tualatin.

Chip set VIA Apollo PLE133T is calculated for operation with frequency of the bus of processor FSB 66, 100 and 133 MHz. Supports I/O buffer Host interface, synchronous and pseudo-synchronous functional modes of buses, memory PC66/PC100/PC133 SDRAM in size to 1 Gbytes, CAS-before-RAS or self refresh, specification AGP v.1.0 etc .

As a prototype of chip set VIA Apollo PLE133T earlier developed and released sets of system logic VIA Apollo PM601 and VIA Appolo ProMedia have served. As well as for its predecessors as a chip set basis chip North Bridge VT8601 has served. However the new version of given chip North Bridge VT8601T has undergone a number of changes. First of all 64-bit graphics kernel Trident Blade3D and resources of decoding DVD has been improved. In a package drivers under DirectX and OpenGL ICD are delivered. However there is no hardware implementation T&L though anisotropic filtering or a compression of textures DXT1/DXT2 are supported. Support of processors of type P6 created on processing technique of 0,13 microns is entered.

Video processing resources are integrated into North Bridge VT8601T architecture — Trident Blade3D AGP 2X 64 bits Single Cycle 2D/3D Graphics Engine. The given graphics resources are characterised by following properties: support from 2 to 8 Mb Frame Buffer, Real Time DVD MPEG-2 and AC-3 Playback, the video processor, I2C Serial Interface, the integrated 24-bit 230 MHz True Color RAMDAC, the permission to 1600ґ1200, a text mode of 80 or 132 columns at 25/30/43/60 strings, DirectX 6 and OpenGL ICD API. Productivity of the built in graphics resources is characterised by following parametres: 1 M polygons in a second and 100 M pikselov/with, 30 frames/with of playback DVD at 9,8 Мбит/c MPEG-2 video c 30 % headroom, decoding Host Based AC-3 at loading of the processor of 8 %. Support is carried out: CRT, LCD or TV.

The chip set has the built in resources: 10/100 Base-T Ethernet controller, AC ’ 97 audio, MC ’ 97 modem, Super I/O, IOAPIC, hardware monitoring, two ports UltraDMA/100/66/33 EIDE, four ports USB, Advanced Power Management and permanently delete. d

Possibilities of input/output are defined by type of used chip South Bridge in which quality in FR33E FIC corporations chip VT82С686B is used.

Processors: with Socket 370 plug Intel of Pentium III 533-1000 MHz, Intel Celeron of 433 MHz and above, including models with kernel Tualatin, VIA Cyrix III 733A-933 MHz.

Chip set: VIA Apollo PLE133T (VT8601 + VT82С686B).