Intel launches mainstream 800MHz FSB chipset

i848P debuts

Intel this week released its single-channel DDR, 800MHz effective bit rate frontside bus chipset, as anticipated.

The i848P chipsets sits between the single-channel i845 chipset family and the dual-channel i865 series. In addition to supporting 400MHz DDR SDRAM and the higher Pentium 4 FSB speed, the new chipset supports AGP 8x, a feature missing from the i845 line.

Unlike the i845 family, the new chipset uses the ICH5 family of South Bridge chips (the older chipsets are based on ICH4), which supports Serial ATA with RAID, ATA-100, six-channel audio, USB 2.0 support and gigabit Ethernet.

The chipset represents Intel's attempt to pitch the 800MHz FSB at the mainstream - its i865 and i875 parts are primarily aimed at the high-end of the desktop market, with the latter edging into the workstation and low-end server arena thanks to its ECC memory support.

The i848P is priced at $31, we hear, well above the i845PE's $23 price-tag. Boards based on the i848P are expected to arrive mid-September. ®

Selected Intel Pentium 4 Chipsets
Chipset	Max. FSB clock	Max. DDR clock	DDR channels	AGP
i865PE	800MHz	400MHz	2	8x
i865P	533MHz	333MHz	2	8x
i848P	800MHz	400MHz	1	8x
i845PE	533MHz	333MHz	1	4x
i845P	533MHz	266MHz	1	4x