Faster nVIDIA nForces coming

[NFS4]

http://www.virescentnetworks.com/news/new_nforce_information.htm


<< nVIDIA Corporation, one of the world's top graphics chipmakers, is expected to launch an update for the high-performance nForce platform for AMD Athlon and Duron processors. Expected later this month, the updated nForce chipsets are said to support 333MHz DDR memory and faster data transfer technologies, including the ATA-133 hard disk specification.

When combined with the nForce platform, the faster 333MHz DDR memory can deliver up to 5.4GB/s of bandwidth?twice the bandwidth of 333MHz DDR memory alone. The increase in memory bandwidth will allow nVIDIA to use faster integrated graphics engines and support faster processor bus speeds.

AMD's Athlon XP, the processor for which the nForce was designed, takes up to 2.1GB/s of memory bandwidth when using the 266MHz bus, and 2.7GB/s when using the 333MHz bus. That leaves up to 3.3GB/s of memory bandwidth available to the on-board GeForce2 MX graphics controller when the CPU is using a 266MHz bus, or up to 2.7GB/s when the CPU is using a 333MHz bus. >>

 

[bluemax]

Yeeha! Just what I want to see!
By the time I can afford to build my own computer (and give my wife the Dell) there'll be a shiny new nForce just waiting for me.

 

[AGodspeed]

Gee, that's nice. Wonder if nVidia forgot about 415-D.

This will be the successor to the 420-D. I wonder if 415-D will have a successor like this soon...

 

[nortexoid]

great...can we see some cheaper nfarces coming?

 

[thorin]

I thought the new nForce was supposed to have a better GFX core then GF2MX, I thought they were bringing a GF3 Ti200 core or something.

If they stick with the GF2MX on the new version them I'm gonna be disappointed no matter what 'other' enhancements it has. How cares about 333 support since nothing is there yet and who really cares about ata133 support for that matter especially on an integrated platform (it only matters for large disk (>137GB) support).

Thorin

 

[aka1nas]

It would be cool if they put something like the Geforce 4 MX core on it. That would fit the niche performance-wise and give reason to upgrade as its still a fairly fast chip for casual and non-gamers. I kinda hope they will integrate more media stuff into the Nforce, like Tv-out and maybe a good Tv-Tuner. Dual-display would be kinda nice, too. I think that once you get to the point that you don't really care about the performance of a technology anymore(ethernet, maybe sound now, tv-out capability, Tv-tuner, etc) then it is a good time to integrate it.

 

[AGodspeed]

That article mentions that nForce 2 will likely have a GeForce4 MX core and dual channel DDR400 support, which should be fairly acceptable.

I wonder if nVidia's ClawHammer chipset will be called nForce 3...

 

[Aquaman]

If it comes in uATX format and the GF4 MX then I'll be happy (I needs very portable Lan box)

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[thorin]

Sorry I didn't have time to read the article before posting but the quote above only mentions lthe GF2MX core.

Thorin

 

[ElFenix]

i'd like the platform more if AMD would bother raising FSBs. as is the only thing going for it, in my mind, is that it has really nice sound. and pci clock lock. i don't care for the gefarce "4" mx (4 in quotes because we all know its a gf2 mx with a faster clock and better memory controller), and without a faster fsb all that mem bandwidth doesn't help out much. its nice for the integrated video, but that will still be slow.

 

[Strafe]

Sounds to me like the nForce equivalent of the KT333, The only real change is that it supports ATA133 and OFFICIALLY supports 333MHz DDR. Then theres the hearsay like... may support DDR 400, analysts predict GeForce 4 MX...

 

[Passions]

They sell make nForces? Hah, dont really hear about people buying those boards these days.

 

[Dreadogg]

<< They sell make nForces? Hah, dont really hear about people buying those boards these days. >>

Yea thats because there are not to many problems with them unlike other chipsets!

 

[Queasy]

"The new nForce chips are expected to be introduced in both discrete (chipset only) and integrated (chipset with integrated graphics) lines, and are not expected to cost much more than current nForce chips. nVIDIA's current nForce 415-D chipset without on-board graphics costs $30."

Gee, would be nice if we could actually see the 415-D here in the states. I couldn't wait any longer to build a new PC and decided on the Shuttle AK3GTR.

 

[Athlon4all]

Looks nice. Should be good for the integrated video to boost it over MX400 speeds. I wouldn't hold my breath on DDR400 because DDR333 is allready quite a lot for SDRAM technology (much less a Dual Channel DDR Memory Controller).

<< Gee, would be nice if we could actually see the 415-D here in the states. I couldn't wait any longer to build a new PC and decided on the Shuttle AK3GTR. >>

Well, the Asus A7N266-C has finally showed up for the first time in US stores. Take a look at Spartan Technologies. Btw, anyone notice that A7V333 is avialable there as well?

 

[kgraeme]

Why are people wanting the GF4MX on this board? It's just a GF2 core with "4" envy. From what I gather, the higher memory bandwidth is where the performance gains will be. Using a 2MX or 4MX is just a question of putting a "2" or a "4" on the specsheet.

 

[BD231]

The N-Force has to be one of the most hyped up, completely forgoten about chipset thats ever come to market. Once it was released, it died. I dont think N-Vidia will be able to keep up with VIA, simply because chipsets are VIA's #1 market. If the N-Force offers greater performance, VIA will end up throwing an even better chipset into the market somehow(like they always do). I see the N-Force as the possible downfall of N-Vidia. I know thats being a little extreem, but if you think about it, perhaps N-Vidia will persue this chip-set mumbo-jumbo with a little to much of their resources and fall behind in the Video Card market, to who?. ATI of course. I can see it now, ATI sits in the corner silently working on some amazing video card, then boom!, they pop out and say "Eat this Sucka's!!", and dominate the v-card industry in every way possible......., Ya never know

 

[AGodspeed]

<< Why are people wanting the GF4MX on this board? It's just a GF2 core with "4" envy. From what I gather, the higher memory bandwidth is where the performance gains will be. Using a 2MX or 4MX is just a question of putting a "2" or a "4" on the specsheet. >>

Actually, that's quite inaccurate.

A GeForce4 MX will perform much better than a GeForce2 MX. The GeF4MX utilizes the same memory controller as the GeForce4 Ti series, and that right there gives the GeF4MX a huge advantage over the GeF2MX (bandwidth, speed, etc.). The GeF4MX also has a form of vertex shader support (although it's limited), while the GeF2MX certainly can't claim anything of the sort.

Not to mention the fact that the vast majority of reviews out there show that the GeForce4MX (the 460 version I believe) performs between a GeForce2 GTS and GeForce3 Ti200. Whether nVidia will use the better GeForce4MX 460 version in nForce is another question of course.

Of course, if you talk to Carmack, he'll say that you shouldn't even think about a GeF4MX, but that's just because he wants GeF3 parts to become mainstream so that his job will be easier. I do agree with him though, you might as well get a $125 GeForce3 Ti200 and overclock it to Ti500 levels. But GeForce3 Ti200's won't exist much longer so...

And no bdog, I highly doubt nVidia is hurting or will get hurt all that badly from the chipset market. Heck, you could argue that nVidia is more diversified than VIA (and therefore a little more "future proof" so to speak). Just look at the markets that VIA is in compared to nVidia, not all that diversified or much different compared to nVidia is in (GPU market, game console market, chipset market)...

 

[sandorski]

I have no idea what the sales numbers are for NForce boards, but it's an excellent chipset.

 

[kgraeme]

<<

<< Why are people wanting the GF4MX on this board? It's just a GF2 core with "4" envy. From what I gather, the higher memory bandwidth is where the performance gains will be. Using a 2MX or 4MX is just a question of putting a "2" or a "4" on the specsheet. >>

Actually, that's quite inaccurate.

A GeForce4 MX will perform much better than a GeForce2 MX. The GeF4MX utilizes the same memory controller as the GeForce4 Ti series, and that right there gives the GeF4MX a huge advantage over the GeF2MX (bandwidth, speed, etc.). The GeF4MX also has a form of vertex shader support (although it's limited), while the GeF2MX certainly can't claim anything of the sort.
>>



Thanks for setting me straight. But the 4MX core is still NV17 just like a GF2, not NV25 of a true GF4, so in that respect I stand by my comment. And is the memory controller part of the AGP card or part of the GPU? I had always thought it was part of the card, so in the case of the nForce, the integrated GPU uses whatever the mobo memory controller offers, which I already acknowledged will be improved on this new nForce.

 

[NFS4]

The ONLY way that I would buy an nForce based board is if the its price was comparable or lower than VIA or SiS boards. And if I were to pay more, the performance difference had BETTER be great. Besides, I don't need integrated video or integrated sound so it's a waste for me. I already have add-in solutions that blow away anything NVIDIA has now or in the near future. I've also heard of quite a few problems with NVIDIA's audio drivers on nForce. Compared to my completely stable and fast Shuttle AK31 Rev 3.1, the cheapest nForce (415-D) is $48 more expensive ($124 vs $76). And according to this thread, the $124 Asus A7N266-C nForce 415-D board doesn't even have nForce audio.

So for me (at least for the near future), it looks like VIA and SiS.

 

[kgraeme]

NFS4, it's kinda strange that you post a thread about the new boards, then later post saying you would never buy one. I know you're "Ace Reporter" and all, but it's like you post something just to dis' it.

 

[AGodspeed]

<< The ONLY way that I would buy an nForce based board is if the its price was comparable or lower than VIA or SiS boards. And if I were to pay more, the performance difference had BETTER be great. Besides, I don't need integrated video or integrated sound so it's a waste for me. I already have add-in solutions that blow away anything NVIDIA has now or in the near future. I've also heard of quite a few problems with NVIDIA's audio drivers on nForce. Compared to my completely stable and fast Shuttle AK31 Rev 3.1, the cheapest nForce (415-D) is $48 more expensive ($124 vs $76). And according to this thread, the $124 Asus A7N266-C nForce 415-D board doesn't even have nForce audio.

So for me (at least for the near future), it looks like VIA and SiS. >>

Since when does anyone compare ASUS to Shuttle?

And it's really not all that difficult to unlock the nForce's audio features. EAX, for example, works just fine, and even though I don't have a 5.1 speaker system, a lot of people have been able to get them to work. It's kinda like those people that complain about VIA's 4in1 drivers. I have no idea why people complain about a driver install that takes a matter of seconds or minutes, except that maybe, somehow, the 4in1 doesn't fix their problem.

The vast vast majority of people that are having "problems" with nForce sound almost always are talking about some lack features due to lack of drivers or something, not compatibility or sound quality or anything like that. Besides, nVidia released the full set of nForce APU drivers almost two months ago (which was way overdue anyway).

 

[NFS4]

<< NFS4, it's kinda strange that you post a thread about the new boards, then later post saying you would never buy one. I know you're "Ace Reporter" and all, but it's like you post something just to dis' it. >>


What's strange about posting someone's opinion?? If I had posted my "opinion" on the front page of Anandtech, I could see where your concerns would be valid. But not here in GH.

All I did was post a piece of information, then give my opinion. And where did I state that I would never buy one? I'd buy one if there were more to choose from and if they were more reasonably priced comparitively speaking to competing motherboards.


<< Since when does anyone compare ASUS to Shuttle? >>


OK,

MSI K7T266 PRO2: $97
MSI K7T266 PRO2-RU: $117
Gigabyte GA-7VTXH+ LAN ATA133: $107
EPOX EP-8KHA+: $91
EPOX EP-8KHAL: $76

I'm not dissin' NVIDIA (as you should know). I've alwys been a fan of NVIDIA products. But whenever I can get something cheaper that performs just as well and stably, I will do so. Just b/c NVIDIA slaps their name on a motheboard doesn't mean that I'm automatically going to buy it. It's also why even though I started off with NVIDIA based video products, I also tried out offerings from 3dfx, ATi, and PowerVR (V3 3000, ATI AIW, Kyro 2).

 

[Dreadogg]

<< The ONLY way that I would buy an nForce based board is if the its price was comparable or lower than VIA or SiS boards. And if I were to pay more, the performance difference had BETTER be great. Besides, I don't need integrated video or integrated sound so it's a waste for me >>

You really cant beat the price of the nforce in my opinion! You get decent graphics, decent sound, and a reliable nic. The board is very stable also I have barely seen any posts on this forum about BSOD or anything else! But I do agree with you NFS4 that its not for me because I have better sound and better video! But I was kinda interested in the 415-D but to tell you the truth I did not know it was out yet and i thought the price was going to be around $110.00 without the video or sound! If the price is higher than that I'll be waiting on something else or going after those NW's and throwing all this VIA - AMD stuff is my Linux box!