VIA's PT880 Pro and PT894 Core Logic Preview

[Steve]

Looking past the testing issues and slightly off-balance performance from the core logics, there's a lot to like about PT880 Pro and PT894. Starting with PT894, setup alongside VT8251, it's clear that VIA have created a low-cost, feature-rich alternative to Intel's premium core logic products. PT894 supports the same memory, CPU and graphics standards as 925XE at much less unit cost.

http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews...lld19JRD05OTU=

[Rave]

Has anyone seen an 8251 in the wild though? However good the northbridges are, the 8237 just doesn't cut it any more. I really hope we don't see boards coming to market without the 8251 as that would really short change buyers IMO. With the advent of the ICH6 series and NForce4, onboard gigabit and four lanes of SATA with NCQ are features that people have a right to expect.

Rich :¬)

[DR]

This is the first board which haas featured it.

[Rave]

I got the impression from the article that both reference boards had the 8237? In which case the question remains- when will we see working samples of the 8251?

Rich :¬)

[Ping]

Maybe we can expect Nforce4, NCQ, loadsa SATA 150 & 300 and all sorts of other goodies, but just try getting your hands one one. Been Looking for an MSI K8N Diamond or one of those tasty looking Asus Boards with the SLI etc, But they're like snow in the Sahara for now. Damned inconvenient when your looking to build a few 939 Systems, Damned Inconvenient !

[DR]

I got the impression from the article that both reference boards had the 8237? In which case the question remains- when will we see working samples of the 8251?

Rich :¬)

Sorry I presumed we had one in.

Yes I agree - 8237 used to rock but we need the next gen.

I will speak to VIA for you.

[Rave]

Yes I agree - 8237 used to rock but we need the next gen.

I will speak to VIA for you.

Cheers. Rys clearly makes the point in the article that the 8237 is past its best, but I hope that Hexus can put a bit of pressure on VIA not to allow boards to be shipped with the 8237, either for the new P4 chipsets or the K8T890- if not you can warn people to beware. As an example, Asus have specced the A8V-E Deluxe with the 8237, and it ships with only two SATA ports which is bizarre for a board with the 'Deluxe' moniker. To be fair they haven't given it a new model number, so it's fair to see it as an evolution of the A8V rather than a whizzbang new design, but I still think it's a shame and it makes the board a poor proposition for most buyers IMO.

Rich :¬)