Test: Kontron KT780/ATX UK

Chipset  780G

The chipset is originally developed by ATI's engineers, but is now only produced under the AMD-name, based on the merge of the 2 companies. As something new it is worth mentioning full DX10 support and HDMI with integrated sound, as we know from certain GFX models from ATI. All this is something that makes this chipset stand out compared to others.

The Northbridge chip supports AM2+, HyperTransport 3.0, HDMI, DVI and even the new DisplayPort. The last 3 mentioned even supports HDCP, which will be needed in the future, if you want to direct HD-DVD or Blueray signals digitally for instance via HDMI. The AVIVO technology is also opdated, and is simular to the one in ATI's 3000 series graphic cards.

The new Southbridge SB700 allows up to six S-ATA ports with the possibility of RAID 0, 1 and 10, but not RAID 5 yet. There is even room for a total of 12 USB 2.0 ports, and the connection between North- and Southbridge has become faster.

Both chips has, considering their many features, a relatively small heat development.

The combination of all the features listed above, sounds very pleasing, especially because of the possibility of HD-DVD and BlueRay playback.

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