The Intel® 430TX PCIset bridges the gap between desktop and mobile PC performance by optimizing the capabilities of the Intel® Pentium® processor with MMX™ technology. Users of mobile and desktop PCs can enjoy a rich video, audio, digital imaging, and communications experience from multimedia software.

The 430TX PCIset closes the power consumption gap and enables new applications by delivering mobile-style power management to the desktop. The 430TX PCIset features Dynamic Power Management Architecture, extending the battery life of mobile computers and enabling new desktop usage models. Support for ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface), the new power management specification lays the foundation for future O/S-directed power management.

This chipset also supports the Ultra DMA disk drive protocol with the enhancements required for faster performance of today's rich-content multimedia applications. For higher memory throughput, the chipset supports high-performance synchronous DRAM (or mixed SDRAM and EDO RAM). Concurrent PCI support is available for the first time in a mobile PCI chipset, enabling faster and smoother video and audio performance.

The 430TX PCIset implements a full System Management Bus (SMBus) host controller with three-wire interface through which the system can communicate with simple monitoring controllers. For example, Smart Battery devices can provide information to the power management charging system via the SMBus. The user can then be informed of the current state of battery charge, along with an accurate prediction of the available operating time or remaining time to fully charge the battery. The SMBus enables thermal monitoring and DRAM sizing through a Serial Presence Detect (SPD) interface.

The 430TX PCIset also helps bridge the gap between desktop and mobile PC functionality with Universal Serial Bus (USB) support. With the outside-the-box Plug and Play capabilities of USB, the Intel 430TX PCIset helps create new opportunities for integration of multimedia I/O peripherals and digital imaging devices. High integration 2-chip BGA packaging minimizes board real estate requirements and reduces failure points.