VIA Apollo Pro 133A & VCSDRAM - Part 1: The Technology

The official South Bridge counterpart to the 694X is the VT82C596B Mobile South Bridge. The 596B is a part we've already known for quite some time. It is an evolved version of the 596 South Bridge that adds support for Ultra ATA 66 which is denoted by the addition of the 'B' to the title.

The 596B has been in production for quite some time and is already implemented in many motherboard designs. The chip is pin compatible with the 324-pin 686A Super South Bridge. The difference between the 596B and the 686A is that the 686A includes integrated Hardware Monitoring and support for an AMR slot and, consequently, Audio/Telephony (Modem) codecs. Motherboard manufacturers will be allowed to pick and choose from the 596B or the 686A for their Apollo Pro 133A solutions but, most likely, you’ll see the 596B in most boards until the demand for AMR rises.

The combination of the 694X North Bridge and the 596B South Bridge make for a platform that is, feature-wise, everything the BX was, while adding support for the 133MHz FSB, AGP 4X and Ultra ATA 66.