The MAX2079 fully integrated octal ultrasound receiver is opTImized for high channel count, high-performance portable and cart-based ultrasound systems. The easy-to-use integrated receiver allows the user to achieve high-end 2D and Doppler imaging capability using substanTIally less space and power. The highly compact low-noise amplifier (LNA), variable-gain amplifier (VGA), anTI-alias filter (AAF), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and digital highpass filter (HPF) achieve an ultra-low 2.8dB noise figure at RS = RIN = 200Ω with a very low 120mW per channel power dissipaTIon at 50Msps. The full receive channel has been optimized for second-harmonic imaging with an exceptional 76dBFS SNR over a 2MHz bandwidth, and -70dBc second-harmonic distortion at fRF = 5MHz over the full receiver gain range. Near-carrier dynamic range has also been optimized for exceptional pulsed and color-flow Doppler performance under high-clutter conditions. The bipolar front-end and CMOS ADC achieve an exceptional near-carrier SNR of 137dBFS/Hz at 1kHz from a 5MHz tone for excellent low-velocity Doppler sensitivity.