ALi in 2001: DDR SDRAM for all

Like VIA, ALi has a number of pin compatible South Bridge options that provide a great deal of flexibility.  Specifically, manufacturers can use either the M1535, the M1535D, the M1535+, or the M1535D+ Super Southbridge.  They all have an integrated AC-Link Host controller, Direct Sound 3D, Hardware Sound Blaster Pro/16 compatibility and now support SPDIF as well. The integrated Host Signal Processing (HSP) software modem interface eliminates the need for a hardware modem for reduced system cost. Six USB ports and two USB controllers are integrated to provided optimum interface for peripheral components. The Super I/O controller subsystem is also integrated which brings the usual I/O controller functions including a floppy disc controller, parallel ports, and serial ports. 

The + series of Southbridges basically include all the features as their regular counterparts, but with ATA/100 support.  The Southbridges that have a ‘D’ suffix are for desktop implementations, those without the suffix are for mobile usage. 

You can expect most newer implementations of the ALi chipsets to use the ‘+’ Southbridges because of their ATA/100 support. 

With this complete set of chipset support, ALi attracted a wide range of motherboard manufacturers to adopt ALi chipsets on their motherboard solutions.  At the ALi booth, we were able to find a total of sixteen motherboards using the DDR chipsets by ALi.  This is a huge improvement from the disappointing display at Computex over the summer.