Motherboard manufacturers just got a brand-new option: what ULi Electronics Inc. calls the first TGi (triple graphics interface) chipset for AMD Athlon 64 systems using Socket 754, 940, or 939.

When paired with ULi's M1567 Southbridge, the M1695 supports simultaneous PCI Express x16, AGP 8X, and PCI graphics installations, enabling a fully surrounding virtual-reality environment with multiple high-resolution displays. ASUStek has endorsed the chipset for motherboards that offer a smooth upgrade path from AGP to PCI Express cards.

The M1695's HyperTransport tunnel architecture integrates nonblocking symmetrical HyperTransport 2.0 links, letting motherboard manufacturers and system integrators pair the chipset with other HyperTransport-based bridge devices either natively or via the HTX connector. Both upstream and downstream HyperTransport links run at 4GT/sec and beyond, while a bidirectional PCI Express x16 link (4GB/sec peak bandwidth per direction) is configurable as two x8 links. The M1695 provides additional PCI Express links in either 2x1 or 1x4 configuration for high-speed network or storage controllers.