PLX Technology offers a range of 5-Gbit/s PcI Express Gen 2 switch chips for almost every embedded application. the high-port-count, multi-root/host chips include the 24-port, 96-lane PEX 8696. also, the 48-, 60-, and 80-lane versions can handle up to eight root/hosts and support multicast and read pacing. the 35- by 35-mm package uses 11 W. Pricing starts at $78.40 for the 48-port PEX 8649.
the four-port, 16-lane PEX 8613 and three-port, 12-lane 8617 round out the latest offerings. like the larger siblings, these chips support non-transparent bridging. they also support a pair of virtual channels (Vc), providing improved qualityof- service (QoS) support. and, they use spread-spectrum clock isolation, allowing the use of asynchronous clock sources. Pricing starts at $15.35.
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