More nForce Questions (Crush18???)

[UNCjigga]

Okay I've been scouring the web for info on nvidia's upcoming nForce chipset, and I've been reading a lot of good things. The only thing that irks me is the integrated video and the fact that its slower than my current video card. Apparently there are no plans to make a chipset without the video. However, I happened across a news item at xbit labs (scroll down to Wednesday, June 20) and they stated nvidia was hard at work on Crush18, which includes an integrated NV17 chipset. Now, I'm assuming the NV17 is going to be GeForce3 MX. Is it also safe to assume that this product will be shipped with the other two previously announced nForce chipsets??? Motherboards based on this chipset are not expected to ship until September, which is a while from now. I'm thinking maybe nVidia hasn't bothered to announce this 3rd nForce chipset until after the GeForce3MX announcement? I would hate to wait 3 months just for an nForce faster than GF2mx and faster than my Radeon.

 

[AppleTalking]

Now, I'm assuming the NV17 is going to be GeForce3 MX.

Yep, AFAIK.

Is it also safe to assume that this product will be shipped with the other two previously announced nForce chipsets???

No. I would not expect the Crush18 to be shipped until Q1 or Q2 of 2002. It would be stupid for nVidia to offer an nForce chipset with a GeForce3 MX integrated at the same time it's trying to sell an nForce chipset with a GeForce2 MX. The only way they would do this is if the Crush18 cost a lot more than the other nForce chipset. The nForce already costs quite a bit, so I don't think nVidia would want to put a $300-400 motherboard out there. The article at Xbit labs was mostly talking about plans for chipsets that will be selling between 6-12 months from now, hence my prediction above. Bottom line: nVidia will not compete with itself and put these two chipsets on the market at the same time.

The GeForce3 MX card isn't ready to be produced as a stand-alone card, let alone integrated into a chipset. What most people don't realize is that integrating graphics into a chipset is hard stuff. It involves putting a bunch of transistors into the northbridge while keeping it at virtually same size. We'll have to wait a long time before we see Crush18.

Nick