Leading motherboard manufacturers are now receiving samples of VIA Technologies' K8T900, a new chipset for AMD Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX desktops. The K8T900 integrates VIA's RapidFire technology that enhances the PCI Express interface with improved signal quality and lower communication latency, as well as Flex Express architecture that supports either a single PCI Express x16 or dual PCI Express x8 graphics cards. The chipset also supports VIA's S3 Graphics division's Chrome S27 graphics processor and MultiChrome technology that lets two graphics cards work together with no special connectors or cables.

Paired with VIA's VT8251 Southbridge, the chipset also delivers six additioal PCIe x1 connections, five PCI links, RAID support for up to four Serial ATA 3.0Gb/sec hard drives, and VIA's Velocity Gigabit Ethernet and Vinyl high-definition audio. Pin-compatible with existing VIA K8T890 chipset platforms, the K8T900 is expected to be available in volume quantities in the first quarter of 2006.