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Intel® 946PL/GZ Express Chipset
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Intel® 946PL Express Chipset
Intel® 946GZ Express Chipset		Desktop PC platforms based on the Intel® 946 Express Chipset family, combined with either the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor or Intel® Pentium® D processor, deliver innovative capabilities and usages for everyday computing. Exciting improvements bring new capabilities to everyday value conscious users.
 
Product Information
 
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Motherboard and Barebones selector guide
 
Description
 
The Intel 946 Express Chipset family continues the Intel chipset legacy and extends it to new levels with purpose-built capabilities designed specifically to address the key needs of the home user. With advancements in graphics (available only on Intel® 946GZ Express Chipset), responsiveness and data protection, the Intel 946 Express Chipset family allows your PC to be the center of everyday computing and communication.
 
 
 
Related products
Processors
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor
Intel® Pentium® D Processor
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology
 

 
Maximum visual experience
See how Intel Graphics help you make the most of your visual experience ›
 

 
Premium Ready for Microsoft Windows Vista*
Ready for Microsoft Windows Vista*
Platforms based on the Intel® 946GZ Express chipset, when configured with memory devices of adequate amount and speed, meet all current requirements for the Windows Vista* Premium OS system logo.
 
 
Features and benefits
 
Intel® 946PL/GZ Express Chipset Features
800/533 MHz System Bus Supports the Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor with Intel® Virtualization Technology, Intel® Pentium® D processor 900, Intel® Pentium® 4 processor with Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology† and all other Intel® processors in the LGA775 socket.
PCI Express* Interface The PCI Express x16 graphics interface supports the latest high-performance graphics cards. The PCI Express x1 I/O ports offer up to 3.5X the bandwidth over traditional PCI architecture, delivering faster access to peripheral I/O devices.
Dual-Channel DDR2 667 MHz Memory Support Delivers up to 10.7 GB/s of bandwidth and 8 GB memory addressability for faster system responsiveness and support of 64-bit computing.
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3000

(Available only on Intel® 946GZ Express Chipset)		 The Intel 946GZ Express Chipset 3D enhancements enable greater game compatibility with software based transform & lighting (T&L), and improved realism with support for Microsoft DirectX* 9.0c, OpenGL* 1.4, and floating point operations.
Intel® High Definition Audio (Intel® HD Audio) Integrated audio support enables premium digital sound and delivers advanced features such as multiple audio streams and jack re-tasking. The Dolby* PC Entertainment Experience¹ is available exclusively on systems with Intel High Definition Audio.
Intel® Matrix Storage Technology On systems with 2 or more hard drives, provides quicker access to digital photo, video and data files with RAID 0, 5, and 10, and data protection against a hard disk drive failure with RAID 1, 5, and 10.
Serial ATA (SATA) 3 Gb/s High-speed storage interface supports faster transfer rate for improved data access.


 
Packaging Information
 
Product Package
Intel® 82946PL/GZ Graphics and Memory Controller Hub 1202 Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA)
 
† Hyper-Threading Technology (HT Technology) requires a computer system with an Intel® Processor supporting HT Technology and an HT Technology enabled chipset, BIOS, and operating system. Performance will vary depending on the specific hardware and software you use. See www.intel.com/products/ht/hyperthreading_more.htm for more information including details on which processors support HT Technology.

¹ The Dolby PC Entertainment Experience Initiative* is only available on systems based on the Intel® 975, 965, 955, 946, 945, 925, 915 or 910 Express Chipset. Only boards with either Dolby PC Sound Room Ready* or Dolby Home Theater Ready* or Dolby Master Studio Ready* logo and, systems with either the Dolby Sound Room*, Dolby Home Theater* or Dolby Master Studio* logos are capable of supporting the Dolby PC Entertainment Initiative.