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nForce2 Technology Preview

NVIDIA's new AMD Athlon mainboard chipset (codenamed Crush18) is promised to deliver killer performance as well as be the ultimate in integration.

Learn From Your Mistakes?

I remember sitting in a Taiwan hotel room for eight hours last summer feverishly pounding out our original nForce technology preview thinking that NVIDIA had cornered an evolutionary move in chipset technology. We had high hopes for the nForce and at that time. On paper and from what few mainboards we had seen, the chipset looked to be a real winner. Then something happened; it never really showed up. OK, it showed up, but by that time those special features weren't so special anymore.

All of the integrated features NVIDIA touted with the nForce, with the exclusion of the on-chip GPU, were turning up on other less expensive mainboards. Although some features weren't actually integrated into the chipset, in retail who really cares. The dual channel DDR promises fell short as VIA rolled out the KT266A and squashed nForce's bandwidth numbers. By the time we actually saw nForce boards come to market, the competition had already caught up.

I'm surprised we saw any nForce boards being sold. If it's any indicator at to how short NVIDIA fell of their goal, when Asus ships us pre-production boards, they all come in A7N266-E boxes. I guess they have a few of those left over.

Although it all sounds quite grim, I think NVIDIA did a really good job overall for their first rodeo. I think they may have thought being king of the GPU market would make it easy for them to skate right into the chipset game based on that track record. Certainly major players such as Intel, VIA, SiS, and ALi weren't going to stand aside and let that happen.

When we started talking to NVIDIA about the nForce2, our first question had nothing to do with the chipset itself. What I think everyone really wanted to know was if NVIDIA learned enough about this end of the business to be able to execute effectively. NVIDIA responded by telling us that they had learned a lot in the past year. None of the arrogant PR spin was there.

They went, they saw, they got their asses handed back to them, and they seemed to have learned a lot along the way. One of the sure signs of a strong character is getting back up from a good pounding, dusting yourself off, and learning something from the experience.

This is where NVIDIA is now with the nForce2. They're not rookies anymore, and they've learned to better navigate the mine fields - or so they say. This time they're really going to launch their product and are promising retail mainboards out shortly. Because NVIDIA was very open about the past and has identified what they see as their shortcomings with the original nForce, it provides me with much more confidence regarding nForce2.

Please note that this is a technology PREview, and we do not have working samples in the Bunker to test with. We did, however, witness a few last month at Computex, as shown here. Undoubtedly, the benchmarks in a few weeks will tell the real story. Until then, let's look into what the nForce2 is going to deliver...hopefully.

nForce2 Northbridge Flavors:

Many of you might recall NVIDIA following up their original nForce 420 with the nForce 415, the version without the on-chip GPU. They're going to follow this example again with the nForce2. They realize that high end users, like the majority of our readers, neither need nor desire the on-chip GPU and certainly don't want to pay for it.

With that I give you the northbridge, or as NVIDIA likes to refer to it, the "SPP", or System Platform Processor. This product is aimed squarely at the folks that want to buy their own video cards.

On the other hand, if on-chip video is your forte, the IGP should fit the bill.

Interestingly enough, the only difference between these two northbridges is the video capability. The IGP, or Integrated Graphics Processor, has now much greater power than was afforded to it in the last generation of chipset.

nForce Northbridge Features:

The nForce2 IGP packs the power of the NV18 core, also known as the GeForce4 MX series chipset. Benchmarks for the GF4 MX series of video card can be found here.

We're not big fans of the GF4 MX series of video card, simply because we think there are better values out there bearing full DX8.1 capability, but this sort of integrated video is a horse of a different color.

While the hardened gamer might not be impressed by the numbers, they certainly command a good deal of respect. While I don't expect the benchmarks for the on-chip GPU to be quite as high as the ones linked above, they should be in the same ballpark.

For the power user, the integrated video might not have any immediate benefit, but it's important to keep in mind what many of us do with our equipment when we upgrade. The addition of the on-chip GPU will allow us to migrate the mainboard to another machine, one perfectly suitable for a non-gamer or as a server. It's something to keep in mind when confronted with the possibility of shelling out $50 for a video card later.