![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Tuesday , July 16, 2002
- Author:
- Kyle Bennett
- Editor:
- Sean Quinn
- Google +1
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.
nForce2 Southbridge Flavors:
In the same fashion as the northbridge, the southbridge will also have two parts differing in features and cost. NVIDIA has dubbed their southbridge the "MCP", or "Media Communications Processor". The top-end unit is simply called the "MCP-T".
The MCP-T packs a barrage of features as well as an original feature we haven't seen on a retail board before.
I think the best way of explaining these features is to concentrate on the MCP-T then go back and show the features of the lower-end MCP.
The one truly original retail mainboard feature supported is the option for mainboard builders to implement dual 10/100 Ethernet controllers. One of the 10/100 controllers is actually on-chip and the other is implemented with the addition of a 3Com NIC, giving you dual 10/100 "NICs" on your mainboard. The first thing that many think is "server" when they hear this, but NVIDIA is pushing this feature because of the way it perfectly complements Microsoft's new Windows XP operating system which comes standard with Internet Connection Sharing.
This feature, if implemented, will allow you to forgo the purchase of a broadband router and share your broadband connection at home. Theoretically, you could also use it to share a dialup or ISDN connection as well. Seeing how an average broadband router is now about US$100 or so, it may be worth the expense. Then again, you're still going to need a hub or switch, something many broadband routers come with built in. Still, if you can get this on board feature for cheap, a good quality four port hub or switch won't set you back more than US$30. Another point, and one that may not matter to many, is that the main PC must stay on in order to provide access to the others. I think this is certainly a good feature for the new Net family or other group of folks that do not yet live in a wired home.
Considering that many folks are abandoning wires altogether in favor of WiFi, it would've been interesting to see WLAN supported natively. Maybe next time.
The MCP-T's strong point is certainly the integrated sound. The MCP-T boasts a certified Dolby Digital stamp of approval. It's certainly not something you find on every 5 or 6 channel sound chip out there. For all you audiophiles out there, included are 4 BOPs and a multi DSP audio engine with 192 2D and 64 3D Voices with a real-time encoded Dolby Digital AC-3 stream.
For all you non-audiophiles, the MCP-T delivers 5.1 stereo surround sound and does all the decoding in hardware, making it super-fast and doesn't leave the CPU to do the load of the work. In fact, this is "just like" the XBox!
Where some folks new to this get a bit confused is thinking that once you get the nForce2 board all you need are speakers. If you get a set of speakers like my fave Klipsch 5.1s, they do have a built in amplifier and while they support 5.1 surround sound this is not Dolby Digital compliant. Once you get them plugged in, you'll be all set to go for the most part though even though analog signals are still used. Any set of speakers that doesn't have a built in amplifier will require a Dolby Digital 5.1 compliant amp, as shown in the above graphic and will require you to use the digital out interface in order to be Dolby Digital compliant.
NVIDIA rebranded the sound end of their chipset with the "SoundStorm" name seen above. The MCP-T carries the SoundStorm features, while the MCP does not. If you're wondering what the differences are in audio capabilities, NVIDIA was nice enough to supply us with a chart.
The big difference here is the 5.1 speaker support and SPDIF interface. If you ever intend to use your PC for 5.1 sound, you'll need the SoundStorm package. Worthy of mention is the fact that DOOM]|[ will utilize 5.1 sound.