NVIDIA's nForce4

[Rys]

Along with AMD's new Socket 939 processor launches, NVIDIA have also officially launched their brand new core logic for AMD64 processors, that fully supports PCI Express for peripherals and graphics, and which also brings a few new and revamped features to the table. Here's a snippet.

It's a really excellent bit of core logic for AMD CPUs. I know many of you have been waiting for nForce4 before you upgraded to PCI Express graphics cards. It's here, it performs great, features are top notch and boards won't cost the earth.

Check out the article in full over here.

Rys

[Lee H]

Awesome work as usual Rys. Nice informative review and some nice features on the nforce boards that will make the other manufacturers sit up and take note.

10 USB 2 ports - I feel noone will use all of these surely ?

I take it the "tests" on these boards will be coming shortly as I for one would love to see the results on the SLI based system seeing as its an 8/8 split.

[Stoo]

*drools*

It's a shame about the lack of soundstorm integration, but possibly paving the way for a separate soundstorm audio card, something which surely would give Creative a severe kicking..

[Lee H]

Yeah - that was something I was looking for as my NF7-S had the legendary "soundstorm" but maybe nvidia will branch out in the audio add-on card market sometime and release these "soundstorm" cards for the public to buy.

The board does look like a very well designed and implemented product and hopefully all the boards will be available for purchase soon indeed

[Rys]

Awesome work as usual Rys. Nice informative review and some nice features on the nforce boards that will make the other manufacturers sit up and take note.

10 USB 2 ports - I feel noone will use all of these surely ?

You'll be lucky to see all 10 being being used, unless board makers start putting 6 on the backplane.

I take it the "tests" on these boards will be coming shortly as I for one would love to see the results on the SLI based system seeing as its an 8/8 split.

Stay tuned

Rys

[mike_w]

It will also be interesting to see how 2 6600GTs stack up against a single 6800GT/Ultra - perhaps the most interesting benefit (to me) is that you could buy one card now, and buy another later when you have the money. Or, you could buy one card now, which should be powerful enough for current games, and then buy another when your current card by itself begins struggle in the lattest games.

I look forward to any results!

[myth]

This sucks! I should have ordered two 6800 ultras in expresses... Now when I upragde I'll need to buy 2 more!

[copycatuk]

can see the performance charts for sli here http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...spx?i=2248&p=3

[Apex]

Woot !

One thing david why the hell have they left sound storm out yet again ?

This is starting to anoy me.....

Other than that i am now wetting myself for this ! any idea on the time before shuttle get a nf4 based system out the doors ?

Also it didn't state but is the nf4 a dual channel mobo ?

[Agent]

One thing david why the hell have they left sound storm out yet again ?

This is starting to anoy me.....

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=19148

[BUFF]

Also it didn't state but is the nf4 a dual channel mobo ?

In socket 939 it should be but in 754 form it won't be.

[Apex]

Cheers buff.

and agent...what are they playing at tbh....to say am disapointed is putting it politely

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=19123

We are informed that it's simply too expensive to pay the hefty licence fee to Dolby Labs.

:/

No i won't by a creative product their sound cards are just trash to me.....looks like i will be keeping my SN45G v2 for a bit longer now......

[DR]

It is not down to the license.

Let me xplain

Right - Northbridge/Southbridges cost money
People generally pay $45 ish for a NB and about 20 odd for an SB

For this price you pay for the physical package and the R and D.

There is not AMAZING high money in it but the volumes make it very attractive.

So Mr Corporate wants feature XYZ - and some other things, this guy will buy 10 Million + systems over the next year - based on your chipset, as long as the price point is right.

To put all these features on - it uses up most of the silicon. However, he says he doesn't want to have the sound device, he will put an addin over paying for it on every system. Therefore you can not make the silicon bigger - due to prices put up.

So - by removing it, you save the need for it on the silicon, you save R and D costs, and you save driver updates.

At the end of the day - it comes down to price, there is no way any company will do a small run of product 'x' they want to sell lots - and do it a cost effective way.

The Dolby license - is peanuts in the bigger picture.

So, in summary they gotta cram lots in to a SB - and have lots of features which people will pay for, rather than making the SB more expensive by incorporating features which everyone doesn't want - at the sacrifice of others.

I have been telling NVIDIA all this is wrong, since when I first heard of NF3. Nevermind.

I also think they should bring back voodoo. (can't though due to VoodooPC)

Side, a side this product is very impressive.

[Stoo]

Interesting Comment on The Inq's NF4 Feedback article..

I seem to recall that Creative bought out Sensura, the principle 3D sound technology employed by Nividia's Soundstorm. With out knowing the particulars, I'll speculate that there is more to this issue than just Dolby licensure.

Anyone fancy doing some digging and see if there's any truth in that?

Sounds far more plausable than either silicon space or licensing costs..

[Rave]

Does the S754 chipset still support NCQ even though it doesn't have Sata300?

As an aside, although NVidia claim that the chipsets are specific to each socket, there's no reason why motherboard makers couldn't build a S754 board with the enhanced (hardware firewall and Sata300) chipset, since the hypertransport link is the same on all types of A64/Opteron. With S939 3000s showing up soon though, I guess there's not going to be much demand for higher end S754 boards from now on.

Rich :¬)

[Apex]

David....cheers for that.

I for one would pay to have ss back but it seems like mr money grabber has got his way.

Guess i won't be upgrading then cos in once sense it will be downgrading.