AMD launched a triad of chipsets in a narrow time frame and together with the Phenom II X6 series the interest in the company platforms is greater than in a long time. Great for AMD, but there are problems in paradise, with supply. AMD’s popular SB850 southbridge is the only chipset with native SATA 6.0 Gbps and is used with the majority of AMD 8 series motherboards, but it looks like motherboard manufacturers will have to use older circuits to meet market demands.
The number of SB850 chipsets aren’t enough to meet partner demand and the reason is said to be limited capacity of the 55nm node at TSMC. This is said to affect the launch of SB810, a cheaper version with limited RAID functionality.
AMD SB850
The solution several motherboard makers are contemplating is using the older SB710 southbridge with the newer northbridges. Though this will limit functionality and future potential.
We can only presume that these SB710 will be targeting the entry level segment and something you will easily spot in the specifications. We can’t really recommend anyone to buy a new AMD motherboard and not get the excellent SB850 southbridge.
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