On May 28, Taiwan-based Soyo announced that it would introduce several additions to its Dragon motherboard series for Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and preview new designs using Rambus memory and serial ATA hard drive support at the Computex Taipei exhibition next week.
The company will introduce its SY-P4I Raptor, supporting Intel Socket 478 Pentium 4 CPUs and based on the Intel i850E/ICH2 chipset with support for a 400MHz FSB (front-side bus). The Raptor is Soyo’s featured Rambus memory motherboard for 2002 with its four 184-pin Direct Rambus RIMM modules, which will support up to 2GB of memory. Based on the superior memory speed of Rambus modules, Soyo’s P4I Raptor will target power users and hardcore gamers looking for a DDR-alternative and ultra system performance.
The SY-P4I-845E Serial is Soyo’s new solution for the Pentium 4 platform, supporting the fastest 533MHz FSB. Based on the new Intel 845E chipset, the company says the motherboard is the first on the market to feature on-board serial ATA-133 storage interface support. Unlike parallel ATA, serial ATA will enable simpler system design, thinner cables that are easier to route and install, smaller cable connectors and lower voltages that alleviate current design requirements in Parallel ATA. End-users will benefit by being able to easily upgrade storage devices. Configuration of Serial ATA devices will be much simpler, with many of today’s jumper and setting requirements no longer needed.
Featured motherboards in the Dragon series for Intel Socket 478 P4 processors include the SY-645DX Dragon Ultra with SiS645DX/961B chipset, SY-P4S-648 Dragon Ultra with SiS648/963 chipset and 8x AGP support and the SY-P4X333 Dragon Ultra with VIA’s P4X333/8235 chipset. All Soyo Dragon boards for the Intel platform offer DDR memory support, support for 400/533MHz FSB and USB 2.0 ports.
For AMD Socket A processors, Soyo will focus on its new SY-KT333 Dragon Ultra with VIA KT333/8233A chipset, SY-KT333 Dragon Lite with KT333/8233A chipset and forthcoming SY-KT400 Dragon Ultra with VIA KT400/8235 chipset. The two KT333 Dragon Ultra boards distinguish themselves from similar boards with the choice of signature black PCB finish or the unique Platinum Edition. Soyo says the KT333 Dragon Ultra Platinum Edition’s attention-grabbing silver finish is ideal for system builders and enthusiasts who adopt see-through cases.
The addition of Soyo’s “sigma box” series, which provides either four front USB 2.0 ports or combination CompactFlash/smart media reader/writer and two front USB 2.0 ports, sets Soyo apart from the rest of the competition. For the system integrators or small business who are looking for value and solid stability, Soyo’s SY-KT333 Dragon Lite board will feature the VIA KT333/8233A chipset and on-board features such as DDR333 memory support, four-channel audio, AGP Pro and overclocking. The SY-KT400 Dragon Ultra with new DDR400 memory support will include all of the features of a Dragon board with the addition of Serial ATA support for more scalable storage and efficient system building.
Other new Soyo motherboards for Intel CPUs will include the SY-P4VS2 for Socket 478 P4 processors. It will feature VIA’s P4X266A/8233A chipset, support 400MHz FSB and is expandable with three 168-pin SDRAM 3.3V DIMM sockets, which support up to 3GB. The SY-7VEF has also been designed for price-performance systems with support for the Intel FC-PGA 2 Tualatin processor and Intel FC-PGA Pentium III and Celeron processors. The SY-7VEF uses standard 168-pin SDRAM DIMM sockets, which support up to 1GB.
Depending on the model Soyo will integrate advanced features to add performance and value to its designs. Standard features on many boards in the second-half 2002 lineup will include: Embedded Hipoint IDE-RAID chip, which will provide ATA133 IDE- RAID 0,1,0+1; on board 10/100Mbps Ethernet function by PHY or single NIC controller; embedded CMI 8738 audio chips to provide a six-channel audio solution; AGP Pro Slots; and a flexible overclocking interface. Many high-end Dragon designs will also feature on-board or add-on Serial ATA storage interface.
Soyo will also include its “sigma box” line of peripherals with all Dragon Ultra models. These bundled peripherals occupy a standard 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch drive bay for easily connecting additional devices such as USB 2.0, FireWire devices or combination CompactFlash/smart media reader/writer to the front of the system being built. Another signature Soyo bundle feature is the SPDIF audio connector for true digital sound.
The Soyo 2002 motherboard lineup continues Soyo’s tradition of making it easy to fine-tune its motherboards for business & consumer performance applications such as 3D modeling, animation or gaming. Soyo has integrated many enhanced overclocking, system management and security features into the majority of its motherboards. Users can customize their boards to specific applications by adjusting the CPU FSB, core voltage & multiplier, AGP/AGP Pro voltage and DDR SDRAM/RAMBUS voltage via the BIOS setup. The FSB on most models can also be set in 1Mhz increments through the BIOS setup for high performance.
Support is also included for on-board hardware monitoring, and includes Soyo’s Hardware Health Utility to streamline PC system management. Among the many hardware monitoring functions on all Soyo boards are CPU fan speed and temperature monitoring; WOL (Wake On LAN) function to simplify network management; software power-off controls; and remote and/or alarm power-on control.
Pricing on many boards and ships dates are to be determined. Soyo will offer both single board and volume pricing.
See Soyo at Computex Taipei, June 3-7, at Booths F180, 181, 182, 203, 204, 205 in Hall 2.
Article translated by Richard So and edited by Richard So
