Intel 440BX vs VIA Apollo Pro Chipset Comparison

Notice any similarities? You should, the two chipsets are virtually identical in terms of features that are normally used for comparison. They both officially support the 100MHz Front Side Bus frequency, as well as other novelties such as the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) and SDRAM. One feature unique to the Apollo Pro is its support for FPM DRAM, which was normally thought impossible with the 100MHz FSB...until now. How can FPM DRAM, originally intended to be run at a 66MHz FSB setting, possibly cope with the 100MHz setting on the Apollo Pro chipset? Easily. By allowing for pseudo-synchronous operation of the memory bus, you can lock the frequency of the memory bus to either the FSB clock (100MHz) or the AGP clock (66MHz) much like you can on Super7 boards based upon the VIA MVP3 chipset. This enables you to re-use older PC66 SDRAM or even EDO DRAM that you have laying around, although most mainboard manufacturers will opt to go for the presence of DIMM slots exclusively on their boards, you can still use older EDO DIMMs if you happen to have them. This can decrease system cost considerably if you don't have to purchase faster SDRAM to make use of the higher FSB settings. This also brings the 112, 124, and 133MHz FSB settings within your reach even if you don't have the highest quality SDRAM.