New Via chipsets gain Vista certification

The certification testing confirms trouble-free installation of the Windows Vista Ultimate, Enterprise, Business, Home Premium and Home Basic editions, Via said in a statement.

PC chipsets are the two chips, dubbed the Northbridge and Southbridge, that connect a PC's processor to main memory, graphics, audio and other chips inside a computer and regulate the flow of data between chips.

The Via K8M890 chipset works with the full range of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) Athlon64 processors and AMD Sempron processors, including processors made for the latest AM2 socket. The Via P4M900 chipset was made to work with Intel Corp. processors up to the 1066MHz front-side-bus speed, including the latest Intel Core 2 Extreme chips.

Aside from trouble-free installation, the certification ensures users can expect the chipsets to support functions that take advantage of some of Vista's new features. For example, both the Via K8M890 and Via P4M900 chipsets carry integrated graphics processing cores, the Via Chrome 9 IGP, which provide DirectX 9.0 graphics support and other enhancements meant to optimize Vista's visual experience. The two chipsets also support for the latest PCI Express add-in graphics cards, giving PC makers the flexibility to add greater graphics power, depending on user requirements.

Both chipsets are available now from all of the world's top motherboard makers, Via said.