Abit unveils Hybrid SLI motherboard

18 Apr 2008 | 16:02 BST

By Sylvie Barak

ABIT HAS UNVEILED its newest motherboard, the A-N78HD, for AMD Socket AM2+/AM2 processors. It is the first Abit mainboard to support Nvidia’s Hybrid SLI technology, and is based on that company’s Geforce 8200 chipset.

Abit says that it’s new offering, which it calls a multimedia platform motherboard, puts more focus on video output flexibility, giving users three different connection options on-board. The first is the standard D-Sub VGA connector, the second is DVI for high resolution monitors and the third option is HDMI for HD monitors and TV devices with combined HD audio output. Abit also reckons its support for Hybrid SLI will make it easier to push further ahead in advanced graphics upgrades in the future.

The company also boasts that its mainboard offers “GeForce Boost” and “Hybrid Power”. GeForce Boost gives the user scalable graphics performance if they install an extra discrete graphics card, and Hybrid Power lets them switch off any unused graphics adaptor, which means it can work on lower power consumption.

For those users who are partial to their high definition multimedia, the GeForce 8 graphics supports DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0. The motherboard also supports Nvidia’s nview multi-display technology, for which it also provides extra add-on cards. Nview lets the user spread their work over multiple displays.

Abit has also added in a four-phase OC-PWM around the CPU and one extra one-phase OC-PWM for the memory area. The company claims that this will allow for better overclocking capabilities. µ

© 2007 Incisive Media Investments Ltd. 2007