The new Peak family of AT bus chip sets from San Jose-based Chips & Technologies Inc is designed to support the fastest 80386 microprocessors currently available, future 80386 speed upgrades, and 80486-based microcomputer systems. There are currently two three-chip sets, with a common cache-based architecture, individually optimised to maximize 80386 or 80486 system performance. The Peak/386 supports 20MHz supports 20MHz, 25MHz, 33MHz, and 40MHz 80386-based systems and also supports 80486 microprocessors, while the Peak/486 is optimis for the 80486 and can be used with chips having clock speeds of 25MHz, 33MHz and 40MHz, and the sets enable customers to do complete 80386 or 80486 motherboards with just 19 components plus memory. The architecture features an integrated cache/DRAM controller with up to 128Kb of fast Static RAM cache, can handle 256K-bit, 1M-bit or 4M-bit dynamics configured as up to 128Mb of main memory, and is optimised for OS/2. The Peak/386 also supports 80387 or Weitek 3167 maths co-processors. The Peak/486 offers a secondary cache of up to 128Kb to supplement the 80486 8Kb on-chip cache. The Peak/386 set consists of 82C311 CPU/cache/DRAM controller, the 82C315 bus controller, and the 82C316 peripheral controller. The Peak/486 consists of the 82C312 CPU/cache/DRAM controller, the 82C315 bus controller, and the 82C316 peripheral controller. They come in 160-pin plastic flat packs, and Peak/386 samples will be available in July with Peak/486 samples following in January next year. In quantities of 1,000-up the Peak/386 will cost $160 and the Peak/486 will be $180. Chips & Technologies Inc has also come out with what it claims is the first single chip solution for graphics cards compatible with IBM’s 8514/A graphics standard. The 82C480 graphics processor is accompanied by an interface driver that provides compatibility with the 8514/A Adaptor, so that programs bypassing the adaptor interface and writing directly to the registers, such as Windows and Presentation Manager software, will run. The company also offers a register specification document, something that IBM has never released, giving software developers the flexibility of optimising software performance by also writing directly to the registers. The 82C480 also offers AT bus as well as Micro Channel support where IBM’s original is for the Micro Channel, and an 8514/A-compatible graphics sub-system can be built with just 22 chips. The 82C480 graphics processor is packaged in a 160-pin plastic flat pack and samples in September at $99 for 100-up.
