Why every new PC and peripheral should have Universal Serial Bus.

Easy Plug and Play Functionality. Universal Serial Bus (USB) allows virtually unlimited PC expansion "outside the box." With USB, PC users no longer need to worry about selecting the right serial port, installing expansion cards, or the headache of configuring dip switches, jumper cables, software drivers, IRQ settings, DMA channels and I/O addresses.

USB employs a "one-size-fits-all" connector that allows PC users to install and remove peripherals without opening the computer. What's more, the "hot insertion and removal" feature enables users to install and detach peripherals while their PC stays up and running. And while USB makes it easy to add existing devices, it also paves the way for exciting new digital peripherals, integrated PC/telephony applications and multi-user games.

Universal Compatibility.USB provides a single industrywide Plug and Play standard that takes the guesswork out of expanding PC functionality. The USB standard is currently supported by more than 250 leading computer, telecommunications and software companies. Intel is a charter member of the USB Implementers Forum.

Simpler Peripheral Design. Eliminating the need for expansion cards makes peripherals easier to design and manufacture. In addition, the universal compatibility inherent in USB architecture eliminates much of the expense of testing and validation of different combinations of peripherals and software.

Intel offers a complete USB design solution, and it's available now.

Intel offers a complete USB solution in silicon, including PCI chip sets, peripheral controllers and a full line of design tools:

The Intel 8x930 USB peripheral controller is the industry's first USB-compliant control chip.
The Intel 430HX and 430VX PCIsets for the Pentium® processor are the first PCI chip sets to bring USB compliance to a host PC platform. The 430 PCIset family includes the 430HX PCIset for business PCs and the 430VX PCIset for home and small business systems. Both PCIsets support the 100 MB/second performance of the PCI 2.1 standard and feature Intel's concurrent PCI architecture for enhanced multimedia and scalability.
The Intel 440FX PCIset for the Pentium® Pro processor brings the enhanced performance of the Pentium Pro processor to mainstream desktop systems.

FEATURE	TECHNICAL SUMMARY
Virtually unlimited expandability	Users can simultaneously connect as many as 127 daisy-chained devices. Peripheral connections may be up to five meters in length.
Eliminates AC power supplies	USB cable distributes + 5-volt power to low-power devices.
Supports wide variety of peripherals	The USB data transfer rate of 12 Mbits/second supports a wide variety of desktop peripherals, from modems, printers, microphones and speakers to graphics tablets, game controls, joysticks, scanners, and digital cameras.USB also features a 1.5-Mbit/second data rate option to support lower speed devices such as keyboards and mice.
Ideal for emerging telephony applications	USB architecture enables easy connectivity to PBX and digital telephones without proprietary expansion cards. It also supports high-speed interfaces including ISDN, PRI, T1 and E1 while enabling flexible compliance with country-specific standards.

A commitment to USB design support.

Intel USB design tools and prototyping hardware help accelerate the time-to-market for USB-compliant PCs and peripherals.

The USB Host System includes a Pentium® processor-based Intel 430HX PCIset system, debug driver stack, software utilities and Intel technical support.
The USB 930 Evaluation Kit includes tools to speed the development of USB-compliant peripherals, including an evaluation board, schematics and peripherals.
Intel USB Platform Reference Designs include "Baby AT" designs based on the Intel 430HX/VX PCIsets, and an ATX design based on the Intel 440FX PCIset, reference schematics and Gerber files.