Q&A with Abit

No_Style · Aug 7, 2004, 02:54 AM

Q: Motherboard makers are now in a period of technology transition. We have the transition to PCI Express, and along with that the transition to DDR2 memory. If Intel had its way, we would also be making a transition to the BTX form factor. How is Abit responding?

A: Most motherboard companies welcome a form factor that is a standard. We like the Micro-ATX form factor, and if BTX is going to improve on that and become an industry standard, then we support it, definitely.

Currently, SFF (small form factor) systems do not have an industry standard. They come in different shapes and sizes. In the end, that harms the SFF market. Once there is a standard, then motherboard makers will make the boards, and the case makers will make the cases, and end users will be able to mix and match. Currently, you don’t have that.

On the other hand, this is not quite the right time for BTX. This is the first time that the board makers have been responsible for designing a case, and they will have to develop the technologies first. By the end of the year you will see top companies working on BTX. At Abit we do have BTX designs in progress, and possibly we will introduce a BTX system at the end of the year if things go smoothly.

Right now, everyone’s main concern is with making the transition to PCI Express and DDR2. At Abit, we never expected that PCI Express boards would sell in volume in June and July as Intel had indicated. We had more realistic expectations and thought that volume sales of PCI Express products would begin in August. In line with our expectations, PCI Express graphics cards are now starting to move in volumes.

We had in fact anticipated that boards with AGP8X graphics would sell in good volumes right through June, July and August. We introduced a socket 775 board, the AS8, fitted with the 865PE (Springdale) chipset supporting an AGP8X card. This board was a quick mover over June and July.

Like some other companies, we will be getting into bundling arrangements with PCI Express graphics cards. This will be a basic strategy for top-tier motherboard companies. Originally we had prepared a large bundling package, but it had to be cut back because the boards became available before the PCI Express GPUs (graphics processing units). We decided to ship the boards rather than wait for the GPUs.
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Read More/Source: DigiTimes

Aug 7, 2004, 02:54 AM	#1
No_Style Styleless Wonder Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 6,034 Rep Power: 0	Q&A with Abit Q: Motherboard makers are now in a period of technology transition. We have the transition to PCI Express, and along with that the transition to DDR2 memory. If Intel had its way, we would also be making a transition to the BTX form factor. How is Abit responding? A: Most motherboard companies welcome a form factor that is a standard. We like the Micro-ATX form factor, and if BTX is going to improve on that and become an industry standard, then we support it, definitely. Currently, SFF (small form factor) systems do not have an industry standard. They come in different shapes and sizes. In the end, that harms the SFF market. Once there is a standard, then motherboard makers will make the boards, and the case makers will make the cases, and end users will be able to mix and match. Currently, you don’t have that. On the other hand, this is not quite the right time for BTX. This is the first time that the board makers have been responsible for designing a case, and they will have to develop the technologies first. By the end of the year you will see top companies working on BTX. At Abit we do have BTX designs in progress, and possibly we will introduce a BTX system at the end of the year if things go smoothly. Right now, everyone’s main concern is with making the transition to PCI Express and DDR2. At Abit, we never expected that PCI Express boards would sell in volume in June and July as Intel had indicated. We had more realistic expectations and thought that volume sales of PCI Express products would begin in August. In line with our expectations, PCI Express graphics cards are now starting to move in volumes. We had in fact anticipated that boards with AGP8X graphics would sell in good volumes right through June, July and August. We introduced a socket 775 board, the AS8, fitted with the 865PE (Springdale) chipset supporting an AGP8X card. This board was a quick mover over June and July. Like some other companies, we will be getting into bundling arrangements with PCI Express graphics cards. This will be a basic strategy for top-tier motherboard companies. Originally we had prepared a large bundling package, but it had to be cut back because the boards became available before the PCI Express GPUs (graphics processing units). We decided to ship the boards rather than wait for the GPUs. _______________ Read More/Source: DigiTimes