Today ULi announced it is expanding its reach in thelow-end market with the release of its PCI-Express single-chip M1697 core logic. The M1697 provides full support for Socket 754, 939, 940 and M2 processors and comes loaded with all the features you would expect from a modern AMD chipset. Several weeks ago we divulged ULi's internal roadmap with details on the M1697 chipset, but to reiterate the specifications:

• Two PCIe x1 lanes
• One PCIe x16 lane that can be reconfigured into two PCIe x8 lanes for dual graphics.
• USB 2.0/1.1 PHYs
• Four SATA or eSATA 3.0Gbps interfaces
• 10/100 integrated Ethernet PHY
• 7.1 HD Audio / AC'97 Audio
• TPM 1.2

The new M1697 supports integrated 7.1-channel High Definition (HD) Audio, SATA/eSATA 3.0Gbps (NCQ supported) and TPM (trusted platform module) technology. Looking at the features, the only thing really missing that may be of interest to enthusiasts are two true x16 lane, GbE and more aggressive hardware RAID support. On the other hand, ULi is hoping the single chip packaging will actually help bring the cost of the chipset down, similar to the way NVIDIA's single chip northbridge did. However, during our chat with Asus a few weeks ago, we asked them whether or not there was a significant cost difference between a single-chip chipset or one that uses two and Asus said that there wasn't a cost difference. That being said, representives from ULi are confident in their new chipset and have the backing from industry heavy-hitters to prove it.

By bringing advanced technologies into one single chip, manufacturers are presented with a solution that enables them to built motherboards with high-end level of quality and features at a very competitive price point, said Alex Kuo, President of ULi.

The M1697 breaks the barriers in performance, scalability, features, and cost, greatly positioning ULi to become a preeminent supplier of AMD64 - based platforms.

ULi's new M1697 will be featured in motherboards from ABIT, Albatron, ASRock, ASUSTeK, DFI, EPoX, Giga-Byte, Jetway, and MSI by the end of Q1 2006. We have working samples of M1697 based motherboards on the way to our labs so stay tuned for more coverage.