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ASUS A7A266 Background ASUS A7A266 is a mainboard based on the new ALi MAGiK1 DDR chipset. Currently we have already review two other ALi based DDR mainboards from Iwill and SOYO. ASUS A7A266 takes the ALi chipset further as ASUS is the first mainboard manufacturer to introduce a mainboard that not only supports DDR, it also supports our conventional PC-133 SDRAM. This is definitely a good interim solution for DIY users who wants to wait for DDR RAM pricing to drop till SDRAM pricing to get the maximum performance. Although there has been reports that ALi based solutions are not as good as other DDR chipsets in terms of overclocking, this is not entirely true. We managed to run at 142mhz FSB. In the next few pages, we will take a look at the various benchmarks and compare it with the rest of the DDR boards we have tested so far. So what is DDR ? Let's take a look at the next paragraph. What is DDR ? So what is so special about DDR ? Well, DDR is the acroynm for "Double Data Rate". With DDR SDRAM, it doubles the data rate of current memory by sending two units of data per clock cycle rather than one with the conventional PC-133 SDRAM. It's peak bandwidth is also reaches 2.1GB per second which doubles the data transfer rate of today's PC100/133. DDR works by using both the rising and the falling edge if the clock signal to send and receive data, thus delivering twice the amount of information in the same amount of time. ALi MAGiK 1 chipset We probably know about the chipsets that are available in the market. IWill KA266R uses one of the fastest growing chipset, the ALi Magik 1. ALiMAGiK 1 new core logic chipsets which bring together for the first time support for AMD AthlonTM processor, the Mobile AMD AthlonTM processor, and the AMD DuronTM processor, PC 1600/PC 2100 DDR and 133 SDRAM memory, and AMD’s PowerNow! TM technology.
The ALiMAGiK 1 chipset, designed for desktop PCs, includes the M1647 Northbridge and the M1535D+ Southbridge and it supports the AMD Athlon processor or the AMD Duron processor. The chipset interface with AMD's 100/133MHz double data rate S2K front side bus. The memory controller in the M1647 supports PC1600/PC2100 DDR, as well as 66/100/133 SDRAM to provide flexibility in targeting systems utilizing the chipset to specific price/performance segments of the market. Utilizing PC-2100 DDR, the M1647 enables 2.1 GB/second peak bandwidth between the system memory and the Northbridge to boost system performance to the next level. Total system memory supported is 3GB to meet the demands of higher-end workstations. When used in power-conscious systems such as mobile PCs, the M1647's support for AMD's PowerNow!TM technology allows CPU operating frequency to be changed and lowers voltage to save power. The chipset supports 4X/2X/1X AGP providing flexibility to system designers in choosing that particular graphics controller which provides the best solution in a given market segment. Let's have a look at the technical specifications on the next page. |
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