AM3 Reference Diagram Discovered - FastSilicon.com

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AM3 Reference Diagram Discovered

Editor: Nigel Woodford

Author: Chris Hunter

The guys over at Chilehardware published a diagram on the future customer desktop AM3 reference boards for AMD and ATI. Details are not clear yet, but after doing some research and looking at the layout, we can expect an interestingly robust infrastructure from the RS780 based design in H1 2008.

Utilizing HyperTransport 3.0 (20 GB/s 2.6 GHz), the reference calls for DDR III and has four banks directly connected to the AM3 Socket through a 240-pin 128-bit interface. The RS780 chipset is also directly connected to the socket and has a dual 16x link for input/output.

The biggest improvement for this generation of chipsets is the audio and video capabilities integrated into the motherboard. The new features packed into these mid-range chipsets are beginning to look like standalone platforms. The RS780 supports DirectX 10 and has a UVD, which is similar to most high-end cards of today. The Unified Video Decoder should be able to support 20 Mbps and 40Mbps video streams with no problem.

The display options are incredibly diverse as well. The video outputs consist of DVI/TMDS, Display Port, HDMI, VGA, and TVOUT. The HDMI connection will also carry audio data simultaneously and HDCP support should be present. Because the graphics core has two display controllers, dual display support can be expected.

*click on any section for a resampled enlargement*

On top of the diverse connection options and UVD, a local frame buffer of 512 Mbits is present through a side port. This allows manufactures to add dedicated video memory to their motherboards. This feature is an exciting addition for those super budget enthusiasts.

However, a hefty 16x (2 x 8x PCIE) PCIE slot is available for those with a taste for the bleeding edge, but cannot afford it yet. The reference has two 8x PCIE interfaces in reality. When only one of those 8x slots is in use, it operates on both lanes, which creates one 16x union. Included in the RS780 is a 6x1x PCIE interface. This interface is the pipeline used for the one 4x PCIE connection, the one 1x PCIE connection, and the Broadcom Gigabit controller (BCM5761/5755). It is not entirely clear, but there may be a USB port dedicated to a cable-modem-type USB Ethernet connection, and it is directly connected to the BCM controller (BCM5761). The Ethernet controller operates at 10/100/1000 Mbps standards.

Moving to the Southbridge, AMD utilized the SB700 through a 4x PCIE link to the RS780. The Southbridge handles the PCI bus, general I/O, HD audio, and storage. There are 12 USB 2.0 ports and 2 USB 1.1 ports. The only three connections located on the PCI bus are two PCI slots and two 1394B Firewire controllers.

The SB700 chipset has a supposed dual-purpose PATA controller that supports the Hyperflash connection. Hyperflash is AMD’s offering that is competing against Intel’s Turbo Memory. For storage, there are a healthy six SATA II 3.0 Gbps ports, which support raid 0/1/10. Two of these ports are intended for eSATA applications. On-board monitoring is also present and is something that we like to see.

The design has great support for video, audio, storage, and networking. With all of the components connected through a speedy backbone, this looks positive. Whether this is the case or not, is what the benchmarks will tell. After reviewing this diagram, FastSilicon.com greatly anticipates what the manufactures of high-end RS790< editions are implementing. The RS780 reference from AMD will definitely help the HTPC and budget markets due to the vastly improved IGP system.

Editors Note:

AM3 processors will be able to run on Socket AM2 motherboards, but not vice-versa. AM3 processors will have a new memory controller supporting both DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAM, allowing backwards compatibility with AM2 and AM2+ motherboards. Since AM2 processors lack the new memory controller, they will not work on AM3 motherboards.

AMD Diagram Confirmed

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