Programmable Clock Chips Support Timna Chipset

A new family of ICs has been developed that includes what's claimed to be the industry's first programmable clock chips for Intel Corp.'s Timna chipset and Rambus systems. The Timna chipset integrates processor, memory controller and graphics. The new chips meet Intel's clock requirements and offer programmable features via an I2C interface that allow engineers to design high-performance systems with low EMI. The Rambus family of clock chips, designated DRCG, is fully validated and includes four clock generators for designs with transfer rates up to 1 GHz. The devices contain phase aligner control logic that synchronizes their output phase and frequency with the system reference clock. The Timna clock family includes devices for desktop and mobile applications and comes in versions that support Rambus or SDRAM memory architectures. The Dial-a-Frequency feature allows the clock outputs to be programmed to any frequencies from the standard values of 66.6 up to 100 MHz. Pricing in lots of 1000 start at $2.45 each for the Timna clock chips and at $2.75 each for the Rambus chips.