YeOldeStonecat
12-22-04, 12:51 PM
"nVidia's nForce is one of the strongest name brands in the market today. The nForce name typically conjures up very positive responses from the enthusiast community, as nVidia's nForce2 chipset remains the dominant chipset for AMD's Athlon XP processor. nVidia burst on the chipset scene with the nForce2 series, sporting never before seen features like SoundStorm audio, dual channel DDR memory, HyperTransport connectivity, and integrated GeForce4 MX graphics, giving motherboards with integrated video an actual decent GPU core to work with. On top of it all, nForce2 boards were stable, performed well, and were backed up by excellent drivers. nVidia had the enthusiast community in the palm of their hands.
When nVidia's nForce3 chipset for the Athlon64 rolled around, that optimism turned to disappointment. Soundstorm audio vanished, as did the integrated graphics core of the chipset. Dual channel DDR memory and Hyper-Transport connectivity were no longer major features, as all of the other chipset makers were providing similar solutions as well. Throw in the fact that the Athlon64 processor has an integrated memory controller (negating the use of nVidia's excellent memory controller designs), and nVidia no longer could tout a performance advantage over the competition, namely VIA. While the chipset was stable and worked well, it lacked the flare and passion which nVidia had with the original nForce2.
We're seeing nVidia's nForce division return in full force with the release of the nForce4. The nForce4 chipset is being released in three flavors, the nForce4, nForce4 Ultra, and nForce4 SLI. Originally, we were expecting to see the vanilla nForce4 and Ultra flavors first, but due to exceptional market demand, we're seeing the top of the line nForce4 SLI chipset shipped first. The introduction of SLI technology once again provides nVidia with a killer feature to tout above the competition, which has stirred demand for nForce4 platforms to much higher levels compared to what we had originally anticipated.
Not only does the nForce4 the first (and only) platform to support SLI technology, but it's also the first native PCI Express platform for the Athlon64, a feature which many have been waiting on before upgrading. nVidia also has upgraded their networking and storage abilities to make the nForce4 the prime chipset for the Athlon64 platform throughout 2005.
Today at GamePC, we're looking at the first nForce4 platform to hit the market, Asus's A8N-SLI Deluxe. Asus worked exceptionally close with nVidia to develop this platform, so it's no surprise that Asus was able to get their board out first. While the late arrival and lack of supply will keep the platform from racking up any substantial sales for the critical holiday buying season, there are a lucky few out there who will be able to see SLI in action before the new year."
Full story here:
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=a8nsli&page=1
http://www.gamepc.com/images/labs/rev-a8n-sli-boxLG.jpg
When nVidia's nForce3 chipset for the Athlon64 rolled around, that optimism turned to disappointment. Soundstorm audio vanished, as did the integrated graphics core of the chipset. Dual channel DDR memory and Hyper-Transport connectivity were no longer major features, as all of the other chipset makers were providing similar solutions as well. Throw in the fact that the Athlon64 processor has an integrated memory controller (negating the use of nVidia's excellent memory controller designs), and nVidia no longer could tout a performance advantage over the competition, namely VIA. While the chipset was stable and worked well, it lacked the flare and passion which nVidia had with the original nForce2.
We're seeing nVidia's nForce division return in full force with the release of the nForce4. The nForce4 chipset is being released in three flavors, the nForce4, nForce4 Ultra, and nForce4 SLI. Originally, we were expecting to see the vanilla nForce4 and Ultra flavors first, but due to exceptional market demand, we're seeing the top of the line nForce4 SLI chipset shipped first. The introduction of SLI technology once again provides nVidia with a killer feature to tout above the competition, which has stirred demand for nForce4 platforms to much higher levels compared to what we had originally anticipated.
Not only does the nForce4 the first (and only) platform to support SLI technology, but it's also the first native PCI Express platform for the Athlon64, a feature which many have been waiting on before upgrading. nVidia also has upgraded their networking and storage abilities to make the nForce4 the prime chipset for the Athlon64 platform throughout 2005.
Today at GamePC, we're looking at the first nForce4 platform to hit the market, Asus's A8N-SLI Deluxe. Asus worked exceptionally close with nVidia to develop this platform, so it's no surprise that Asus was able to get their board out first. While the late arrival and lack of supply will keep the platform from racking up any substantial sales for the critical holiday buying season, there are a lucky few out there who will be able to see SLI in action before the new year."
Full story here:
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=a8nsli&page=1
http://www.gamepc.com/images/labs/rev-a8n-sli-boxLG.jpg