VIA Technologies Inc., a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced the launch of the VIA Apollo KT400A chipset, the fastest single channel DDR chipset for the new AMD Athlon? XP 3000+ processor. Optimized for the needs of gamers, enthusiasts and professionals requiring the fastest system performance and a complete suite of the latest I/O and connectivity features, the VIA Apollo KT400A is the ultimate chipset solution for AMD Athlon? XP processor based systems. Read more. At the heart of the VIA Apollo KT400A is FastStream64? Memory Controller technology which uses an expanded array of prefetch buffers to reduce latency in the memory controller, extending performance without the extra cost of the twin memory modules that are required by dual channel DDR chipsets. The VIA Apollo KT400A is over 10% faster than the previous generation VIA Apollo KT400 in 3D applications, and boasts an enhanced feature set including native Serial ATA support and onboard VIA Vinyl Audio 6-channel surround sound. Supporting DDR200/266/333/400 SDRAM memory and a full range of 200/266/333MHz Processor Bus AMD Athlon? XP and AMD Duron? processors, the VIA Apollo KT400A provides lightning fast access to system memory and delivers exceptional performance across the application spectrum. The KT400A is also part of the VIA Modular Architecture Platform initiative (V-MAP), meaning both North and South Bridge are pin compatible with the previous generation KT400 Chipset, ensuring a much faster time to market and a broad range of reliable motherboards for OEMs, SIs and end users. DDR400 offers 3.2GB/s of memory bandwidth through VIA's low latency, FastStream64 memory controller while AGP 8X delivers 2.1GB/s of bandwidth to the graphics engine, improving image quality and 3D performance in the highest resolution conditions. The KT400A North Bridge is connected to a VT8237 or VT8235CE South Bridge through the fast 8X V-link connection at 533MB/s. With native support for two Serial ATA channels in the VIA VT8237 South Bridge supplying 150MB/s of bandwidth, as well as up to eight USB 2.0 ports, the VT8237 offers the highest possible peripheral performance for professional and home users. The VT8237 also integrates VIA Vinyl Audio technology with 6-Channel surround sound and Sensaura? drivers for more vibrant surround gaming and an enhanced end user experience when watching DVD movies. To extend flexibility to the system integrator, the VT8237 features support for Parallel ATA-133 devices to allowing for mainstream or value configurations leveraging the existing technology standard. Additional features include a VIA MAC for 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet, integrated PCI support, and an MC'97 modem. Source: VIA