Nforce question.....

[Shooks]

Ok, i am a newbie, i admit it, but I just have this question that is bothering me. The N-Force is supposed to have integrated video right?....so you wouldnt need a new vid card if you werent really into high end gaming.....my question is, how do you use the integrated video on the board? I mean, where would you plug the monitor in?? The board is ATX right?? Is there some riser card to plug the monitor in?? Im sorry if these are really stupid questions, but Im a moron.

 

[tazdevl]

Not a stupid question @ all. The nForce has a lot of people asking a lot of questions.

From the pictures I have seen it appears the back panel (where you hook in your mouse, keyboard etc..) has connects for ethernet, USB, everything else... and the monitor.

 

[WetWilly]

The 15-pin DB-15 connector for the video replaces one of the two DB-9 serial connectors that are usually under the parallel port on the ATX backplane. There's usually a header on the system board (and cable) to replace the moved serial port.

 

[Shooks]

Oh, so instead of the serial port being there, the port for the video will be there instead?

 

[Yvo]

yup.

They (Intel & Microsoft) actually want to get rid of serial ports all together, so it really doesn't hurt taking one port away. Most devices that used to use the serial or parallel now either use USB. Most printers still have backwards compatibility with parallel. Wouldn't really hurt to get one of the serial ports and maybe the other in the near future.

Also there will be a PCI card that will connect to the Nforce motherboard that will support Dolby 5.1, just incase you were wondering.

I am really not putting all my money on the Nforce... I am rather the person that waits and sees what happends. For now I am happily satisfied with the KT266A and when I build P4 systems the P4X266

Yvo

EDIT: Horrible grammar errors!

 

[WetWilly]

You're also not really taking one port away. On most boards with integrated video there's a header on the board plus a bracket with the DB9 port so if you really need the second port you install the bracket or mount the DB9 connector directly to your case if the case has the appropriate punchout.

As for the nForce's DD5.1 connectors, we're still waiting to see. nVidia's reference board used an ACR (not PCI) slot for the additional analog out ports and digital outs. I can't tell for sure, but it also looks like they put the codecs for the additional channels on the ACR card. It's theoretically up to the manufacturers as to how they implement the additional outputs - or whether they include them at all.

I'll agree with Yvo - the KT266A and P4X266 are good solutions right now. If the nForce 220D sells for $120 or less I'd consider it.