Dongle-less CrossFire, full HDCP support on both desktop and mobile platforms, and more.
We've come across some ATI documents that reveal ATI's next generation CrossFire enabled chipset which will be positioned as a mainstream part. RD550 has not yet received an official name at this time but details include support for 1x16 + 1x8 PCIe slots. RD550 will also enable dongle-less CrossFire support which will be a welcomed feature by enthusiasts. No master card will be required either.
RD550 is an AMD based chipset and will have support for AMD's upcoming AM2 platform. Support for AM2 will also be included with RD580. Boards using RD550 are expected to be announced sometime in March of this year. Interestingly, during the same time frame, no new chipsets for Intel processors will be introduced but Intel users can expect to see RD600 products to emerge in June. RD600 is slated to support 2x8 PCIe slots and DDR3 memory.
Also coming in June will be ATI's RS600 and RS690 parts which are both positioned as mainstream parts. A key feature of RS600 and RS690 is that ATI will implement full HDCP support on chip. According to the documents ATI indicates that the chipset will hold the necessary HDCP keys as well as support an integrated HDCP-DVI TMDS transmitter. HD audio will also be another key feature for RS600 series. Interestingly, details are noted that a mobile version of the same chipset will also have HDCP keys integrated on chip. Both chipsets will include the ability to output full HD content and come equiped with HDMI connections.
We've come across some ATI documents that reveal ATI's next generation CrossFire enabled chipset which will be positioned as a mainstream part. RD550 has not yet received an official name at this time but details include support for 1x16 + 1x8 PCIe slots. RD550 will also enable dongle-less CrossFire support which will be a welcomed feature by enthusiasts. No master card will be required either.
RD550 is an AMD based chipset and will have support for AMD's upcoming AM2 platform. Support for AM2 will also be included with RD580. Boards using RD550 are expected to be announced sometime in March of this year. Interestingly, during the same time frame, no new chipsets for Intel processors will be introduced but Intel users can expect to see RD600 products to emerge in June. RD600 is slated to support 2x8 PCIe slots and DDR3 memory.
Also coming in June will be ATI's RS600 and RS690 parts which are both positioned as mainstream parts. A key feature of RS600 and RS690 is that ATI will implement full HDCP support on chip. According to the documents ATI indicates that the chipset will hold the necessary HDCP keys as well as support an integrated HDCP-DVI TMDS transmitter. HD audio will also be another key feature for RS600 series. Interestingly, details are noted that a mobile version of the same chipset will also have HDCP keys integrated on chip. Both chipsets will include the ability to output full HD content and come equiped with HDMI connections.
