While the higher memory bandwidth drives the performance in discrete graphics systems higher by up to 40 percent, something the user can see on his computer, computer manufacturers benefit from high signal integrity and low power consumption. "GDDR5 lowers manufacturing costs since it is possible to use simple 4-layer boards for memory subsystems", explained Feurle. Typically, graphics memory PCBs currently require six layers.

To make things a bit more clear, DDR3 part of the chipset is actualyl inside of the CPU but at the same time these "new" chipsets will be matched with socket AM3 that will enable DDR3 and new CPUs to work. Of course, the new DDR3 boards will use exsisting Hypertransport 3 marchitecture. RD790 DDR3 and RD890 DDR3 should be the first two AMD chipsets, boards based on it, to support DDR3.

GDDR5 uses a feature called Clock Data Recovery, where the memory clock speed is actually generated out of the data stream. Upon power-up, a system using GDDR5 memory actually "trains" the interface between the memories and the host device (the graphics chip, in this case). Command and address clocks are synced up, the data clock is derived from the signal on memory reads, the data/address/command clocks are de-skewed to align signals properly. This "training" process helps produce cleaner signaling and is one way the standard achieves high clock rates. It also makes designs that use GDDR5 more tolerant of different trace wire lengths than GDDR3 or GDDR4. Currently, board designs using high-speed memories are tricky. A lot of care has to be taken to make sure the trace wires are all the same length, so they're a mess of zig-zagging routes. Combine this with the extra wires and board layers required for wider memory busses, and graphics cards get expensive, difficult to build, and prone to failure. The clock training system of GDDR5 should, in theory, help alleviate some of that.

K9N2 Diamond is 3-way SLI technology ready. This technology can combine 3 VGA cards to process tasks, which brings higher 3D gaming resolutions with more detail DX10 effects, and also enhances the 3D frame rate to a higher level for more smooth gaming experience. K9N2 SLI Platinum only supports SLI technology, but through PCI-E bandwidth upgrade to Gen2, it can raise performance in heavy-loading status. These 2 mainboards have different specifications, K9N2 Diamond has an extreme performance design, and the other one has high C/P value product.

Weber believes as many as 20 percent of the roughly ten million servers that ship a year could be candidates for his memory-expansion technology if they can accommodate DDR2 DRAMs. "We thought we would have to aim this solely at AMD-based Opteron systems, but halfway through out project Intel told us they were working on a registered DIMM platform," said Weber. Intel has pushed hard for an alternative to DDR2 it has developed called fully buffered DIMMs. However, some OEMs have pushed back on the technology. "Many OEM were not happy with the power, cost and latency issues with FB-DIMMs," said Suresh Rajan, the co-founder of MetaRAM who previously helped launch NVidia Corp.'s server chip set business. "One OEM said he had to redesign his whole chassis to accommodate FB-DIMMs," he added.

So even Intel is on board. FB DIMMs certainly are Rambus 2.0.