1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.3 Special features
1.3.1 Product highlights
Latest processor technology
The motherboard comes with a 940-pin AM2 socket that supports AMD Athlon™
64 X2/AMD Athlon™ 64/AMD Athlon™ 64 FX/AMD Sempron™ processors. With
an integrated low-latency high-bandwidth memory controller and a highly scalable
HyperTransport™ technology-based system bus, the motherboard provides a
powerful platform for your diverse computing needs, increased ofce productivity,
and enhanced digital media experience. See page 2-6 for details.
DDR2 memory support
The motherboard supports DDR2 memory that features data transfer rates of
800/667/533 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest
3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR2
architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system
performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidths of up to 12.8 GB/s.
See pages 2-11 to 2-14 for details.
PCI Express™ interface
The motherboard fully supports PCI Express, the latest I/O interconnect technology
that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point serial
interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by carrying data
in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with existing PCI
specications. See page 2-18 for details.
Serial ATA I/II technology
The motherboard fully supports the Serial ATA II 3.0 Gb/s technology through the
Serial ATA interfaces and the NVIDIA
®
nForce
®
430 MCP chipset. The Serial ATA 3
Gb/s specication provides twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products
with a host of new features, including Nativa Command Queueing (NCQ), and
Power Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm. Serial ATA allows for thinner,
more exible cables with lower pin count and reduced voltage required. See page
2-25 for details.
S/PDIF digital sound ready
The motherboard supports the S/PDIF technology through the S/PDIF interfaces
on the rear panel. The S/PDIF technology turns your computer into a high-end
entertainment system with digital connectivity to powerful audio and speaker
systems. See pages 2-23 and 2-29 for details.