1.3Special features

1.3.1Product 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 office 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 2­11 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‑to­point serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with existing PCI specifications. 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 specification 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 flexible 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.

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Chapter 1: Product introduction