Intel X58: native SLI!   Posted on 28/08/2008 at 12:59 by Marc

	HardOCP has published a series of NVIDIA documents indicating that there will be native SLI support on the X58. For this to be a reality, X58 motherboard manufacturers will have to acquire a license and have their model certified by NVIDIA. With 32 PCI-Express 2.0 lanes, the X58 will be capable of managing up to 4 ports in SLI which will therefore be cabled in x8. Therefore, the nForce 200 is not obligatory even if it enables offering four x16 ports; however, note that with each nForce 200 supporting two x16 ports and this chip itself being connected to the chipset in x16, the total memory bandwidth will remain identical. Even if we would have liked if SLI were simply supported by all motherboards with an Intel chipset and this without a license or specific certification (as is the case with ATI and Crossfire X), it’s still a very good thing. Otherwise, it’s probable that a lack of enthusiasm on the part of manufacturers’ in integrating an nForce 200 chip only for SLI support isn’t totally unrelated to this action. NVIDIA couldn’t leave almost entire exclusivity to CrossFire on Intel’s new high end platform.

The Atom goes ATX and with PCI-E x16   Posted on 26/08/2008 at 16:24 by Nicolas - source: Expreview

	While AMD and Ibase are striving to reduce the size of motherboards which integrate the Sempron 2x0U, the motherboard manufacturer Galaxy is working on a model in ATX format with…an Atom N230 processor (1.6 GHz/1 core) combined with the more ancient 945GC/ICH7 duo. Note that the motherboard has a physical PCI-E x16 port (we do not yet know how many lanes are connected) and five classic PCI ports. Up until now, Intel tolerated at best a single PCI port while some such as Foxconn and ECS "risked" sometimes offering a PCI-E x1 port. Its price should be roughly $100 (tax not included) while it will be reserved for the OEM market. Otherwise, its interest is yet to be seen and there is the fear that it may be found in ersatz desktops...

nForce 770i: DDR3-1333 & 2-way SLI   Posted on 26/08/2008 at 15:58 by Nicolas

	Nvidia recently reaffirmed its desire to remain in the chipset market despite the more than lukewarm success of the nForce 790i. This is now confirmed by a slide put online by Expreview. We learn that the Californian company will launch an nForce 770i at the end of the year which will actually be a “castrated” 790i or rather limited to DDR3-1333 and 2-way SLI support. Other sources indicate that its overclocking potential will also be reduced. However, this is nothing dramatic as it wasn’t the strong point of its bigger sibling. Sold for an attractive price, it may allow Nvidia to glean a few market shares if it proves to be sufficiently robust and if SLI gains in interest compared to Crossfire. The latter is open to Intel chipsets and has benefited from the arrival of the Radeon HD 4800.

The X58 from ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI   Posted on 22/08/2008 at 10:43 by Marc

	ASUSTeK, Gigabyte and MSI have unveiled the first photos of their cards based on the X58 chipset and destined to the future Core i7 (ex-Nehalem). ASUSTeK P6T Deluxe (source) : Gigabyte GA-X58 Extreme (source) : MSI X58 Eclipse : Of course what immediately jumps to our attention is the presence of 6 DIMM destined to accommodate DDR3 memory. You may recall, the Core i7 « Bloomfield » intended for the Socket 1366 and planned for the last quarter has three channel memory support while the more affordable Lynnfield and Havendale “only” support two and use a different Socket. Note these CPUs will not arrive before the third quarter of 2009. For PCI-Express we find two x16 ports with ASUSTeK, three with MSI and four for Gigabyte. In terms of the northbridge, the X58 has 32 PCI-E 2.0 lanes and can function in 2x16 or 4x8. The three motherboards are equipped with integrated power/reset buttons which will please those who like to tinker and are allergic to casings. For cooling, ASUS and MSI offer a passive solution while Gigabyte has integrated a waterblock on the Northbridge. ASUSTeK already offered this type of solution on the ROG (Republic Of Gamer) series and we can only assume that it will be the same on its ROG X58. Moreover, this motherboard should also have the nForce 200 chip, an absolute condition for SLI support on the X58.

Nvidia also moves over to ACC (OC-Phenom)   Posted on 20/08/2008 at 14:18 by Nicolas

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