The AMD 7-Series Chipsets

The third and final component of the AMD Spider platform is the new AMD 7-series chipsets. Designed around the AMD Phenom processor, motherboards based on these chipsets will not only support the Phenom's additional capabilities but also those of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series graphics cards. In all, the AMD 7-series chipsets will support up to 4 graphics cards as well as HyperTransport 3.0 and PCI Express 2.0.

At launch, the AMD 7-series will consist of three chipsets. The top of the range will be represented by the AMD 790FX. It will support up to four graphics cards and is targeted at overclockers and hardware enthusiasts.

For those who do not require the ability to support more than two graphics cards, the AMD 790X chipset delivers the other capabilities of the 790FX chipset but at a lower price point. Finally, for those on a budget, the AMD 770 chipset offers a low-cost PCI Express 2.0 solution that also supports HyperTransport 3.0.