Integrated Video Chipset Roundup - January 2001

Socket-A Solutions: VIA's KM133

The second integrated Socket-A solution that we got our hands on was the VIA's KM133, the second of only two integrated Socket-A solutions we have seen to date. Much like SiS is attempting to do with their 730S chipset, VIA is also trying to make the Duron processor more popular in value markets where it has previously been excluded from due to the lack of an inexpensive solution.

The KM133 uses the ProSavage graphics core; a core VIA claims is made up of the Savage4's 3D core and the Savage 2000's 2D core. The decision to use an S3 chip in the KM133 was an easy one for VIA. Ever since VIA acquired S3's graphics division in the summer of 2000, VIA has gained full access to the S3 line of graphics cores so incorporating the ProSavage chip in the KM133's northbridge did not require a completely new core design.

The ProSavage chip uses a unified memory architecture, meaning once again that the frame buffer for the video controller is located in the system memory. Since the board supports both PC100 and PC133 memory, the maximum available memory bandwidth is 800MB/s or 1.06GB/s depending on the memory used.

Besides the addition of the ProSavage graphics controller, the KM133 is identical to the KT133 northbridge. This means that the two share the same memory controller, AGP controller and the like. So, with the addition of an external AGP card that is supported with the external AGP 4X port, the KM133 should perform identically to the KT133.

The board manufacturer has the decision of which south bridge to mate the KM133 with. The most common mate will be either VIA's 686A or 686B chip, with the only difference between the two being the fact that the 686B chip supports ATA/100 while the 686A chip only support ATA/66. Otherwise, both chips feature support for 4 USB ports and AC/MC'97 codecs. The cost of the KM133 is only about a dollar above the cost of SiS' 730S chipset.

For more information on VIA's integrated Socket-A solution, the KM133, please see our VIA KM133 Socket-A Chipset review.

VIA KM133 Reference Board

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