CompactPCI CPU Board operates at speeds to 1 GHz.
Press Release Summary:
Millennium C2000, equipped with AGP graphics/video interface, incorporates 2 Coppermine-256 Embedded Pentium III processors, each with speeds to 1 GHz and 256 kbytes on-die L2 cache. Processors are connected to Intel 82443 BX or GX North Bridge, whose 100 MHz Front Side Bus provides access to up to 2 Gbytes of 100 MHz SDRAM/RSDRAM. Additional offerings include AGP connector, PCI bus, and watchdog timer. Almost all I/O is accessible via rear panel transition module.Original Press Release:
GMS Announces Industry's Fastest CompactPCI Board
Dual-Pentium III Board Provides Standard AGP Interface, Eliminating Need For Expensive, Custom PMC Graphics
Long Beach, CA. Bus and Boards Show. January 20-21, 2003. General Micro Systems today announced the industry's fastest CompactPCI CPU board. Known as the Millennium C2000, the new dual-Pentium III board is also the first to provide a standard AGP graphics/video interface, eliminating the need for expensive, custom, PMC video/graphics modules.
The C2000 features a pair Coppermine-256 Embedded Pentium III processors, each operating at speeds as high as 1 GHz, and each equipped with 256 kbytes of on-die L2 cache. The two processors are connected directly to an Intel 82443 BX (or GX) North Bridge, whose 100-MHz Front Side Bus provides high-speed access to up to 2 Gbytes of 100-MHz SDRAM/RSDRAM.
To accommodate third party, off-the-shelf AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) graphics and video cards, such as those from ATI and Asus, the C2000 provides a standard AGP connector, which connects directly to the North Bridge via a dedicated 32-bit, dual-edge, 66-MHz graphics bus. Unlike traditional PCI-based AGP graphics implementations, which utilize the PCI bus for data transfers between the graphics subsystem and host processor, the C2000's dedicated bus boosts performance by eliminating arbitration delays and speeding data transfers by 4x.
The C2000's PCI bus, which also connects directly to the North Bridge, provides high-speed access to two 10/100-Mbit/sec Fast Ethernet ports and an Ultra-Wide SCSI port. The PCI bus also connects to an Intel South Bridge, which provides access to standard PC peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard, two Ultra DMA-33 IDE interfaces, two USB ports, a 120-Mbyte Super Floppy interface, and two serial ports. All of the C2000's I/O, with the exception of one USB port and one serial port, is made accessible via a rear panel transition module, which eliminates the need for front panel I/O and costly custom interconnects. This module also accommodates a mounted 2.5" IDE flask disk, which enables the C2000 to be used in rugged environments requiring diskless operation.
"The C2000 is the industry's fastest CompactPCI CPU board," said Ben Sharfi, president of General Micro Systems. "Moreover, its standard AGP interface eliminates the need for expensive, limited-function PMC modules, providing access to third party video products that make it cost-effective to add imaging functionality such as camera interfaces and video capture to CompactPCI systems. Now, designers take advantage of a vast selection of the most advanced off-the-shelf graphics and video cards, at a fraction of the cost of comparable PMC products, and without the integration and obsolescence headaches."
The C2000 features a detailed diagnostic and failure reporting system, including full Power-On-Self-Test (POST) diagnostics utilize eight binary front panel displays to indicate status for the POST function currently executing. The C2000 also monitors key onboard and CPU parameters such as voltage and temperature, using front panel LEDs to report failures. The C2000 also uses a watchdog timer that can prevent lockups by terminating the current task, generating system interrupts and resetting the CPU or I/O devices.
The C2000 supports all major operating systems, including Windows NT/2000, VxWorks, Solaris x86, and Linux.
The C2000 equipped with one 850 MHz Pentium III CPU and 64 Mbytes of SDRAM costs $1780 in single-piece quantity. For more information on the C2000, please contact General Micro Systems, Inc. at 8358 Maple Place, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730. Phone: (909) 980-4863. Fax: (909) 987-4863. E-mail: sales@gms4sbc.com. World Wide Web site: www.gms4sbc.com
