VIA releases HyperTransport Analyzer 1.0 for AMD64

By Alun Williams

Posted on 4 Sep 2003 at 11:35

VIA Technologies has released version 1.0 of its HyperTransport Analyzer tool for AMD64 systems. It is available for free download.

The software can be run on any AMD64 based system and it displays the actual bus width and frequency, both upstream and downstream, of the HyperTransport link between the CPU and chipset.

'Anything less than a full-speed, full-spec 16-bit/1.6GHz implementation of the processor-to-chipset HyperTransport link will clearly compromise the performance of AMD64 based systems,' states Richard Brown, Associate VP of Marketing, VIA Technologies. 'We believe that people have a right to know exactly what implementation of the HyperTransport link is offered by the various AMD64 supporting chipsets available, so they can make an informed decision and ensure their AMD64 system achieves its full performance potential.'

VIA explains that several AMD64 supporting motherboards currently available feature a below-spec HyperTransport implementation. By reducing the processor-to-chipset HyperTransport link to a 16-bit/1.2GHz or 8-bit/1.6GHz implementation to deal with signal interference, VIA asserts that total bandwidth can be reduced from 6.4GB/sec to as little as 3.2GB/sec.

Needless to say, VIA claims that its VIA K8 Series chipsets eliminate signal interference, removing the need to scale down bus speed or data package size.

You can download the software from the VIA Arena, its tech support portal, and you can read an FAQ on AMD64 on the AMD website. A HyperTransport FAQ can be found here.