Thread: NVIDIA nForce4 chipset

Recently, the company nVidia experiencing some difficulties in the market 3D cards. In particular, it has not been able to issue a response to a decent chip ATI RADEON X850XT PE. However, in stock from nVidia has a strong bargaining chip - SLI technology.

In a nutshell SLI technology enables two PCI Express graphics card, which will calculate and create 3D image. As a result, the rate rises to work 50-80 per cent, depending on the application.

In order to quickly implement this technology, nVidia has released a new set of system logic - nForce4. Moreover, the chipset available in three versions: nForce4, nForce4 Ultra and nForce4 SLI. They are designed for AMD Athlon64 processors differ among themselves functionality, and price accordingly.

It is noteworthy that the development nForce4 chipset was not as smooth as developers want. As a result, manufacturers of motherboards by the end of the year were able to submit their first products on this chipset. I was the very first company with cost-Gigabyte K8NXP-9.

NForce4 chipset
Initially, it had chipset code name CK8-04 (Pro), and for the first time "beacon" at the Computex 2004 (specifically on the bench Epox.

This base version chipset supports only 800 Mgertsovuyu tyre HyperTransport, supports 4 channels SerialATA capacity Mbayts 150. In addition, the chipset supports PCI Express tyre (20 channels), embedded Gigabit Ethernet Controller, 10 (!) USB2.0 ports, and improved technology nVidia Firewall 2.0.

Particular mention that the company's engineers introduced nVidia nForce4 SerialATA two controllers (each of two channels). This has resulted in a significant expansion of the functionality of configuration and usage RAID arrays. In particular, nForce4 Ultra chipset supports RAID Morphing technology and Cross-Controller RAID.

First (RAID Morphing) greatly facilitates the task of configuring RAID arrays. In particular, the user can add on-the-fly in a RAID array of new discs, as well as change the level of RAID arrays (eg convert from RAID 1 array in RAID 0).

The second function, as can be seen from the title (Cross-Controller RAID), allows for RAID arrays as SerialATA, and ParallelATA discs. Incidentally, this feature has been another chipset nForce3 150 (He even maintained ParallelATA Channel 3).

Another interesting feature is called Disk Alert. Данная фича позволяет отслеживать корректность подключения жестких дисков, и при возникновении какой-либо проблемы сообщать о ней (например если один из дисков в RAID массиве плохо подключен, то Disk Alert не только сообщит об этом, но и выведет номер проблемного порта).

Ultra version differs from the basic version support 1000 Mgertsovuyu bus HyperTransport, as well as ActiveArmor technology (hardware firewall). In addition SerialATA capacity increased to 300 Mbayts (4 channels). Also chipset supports hard drives with technology NCQ (Native Command Queuing - optimized query execution), as well as the ability to "hot swap" (or "hot replacement disk"). In fact, nForce4 UltraSLI this is the first chipset that supports SerialATA II.

Another feature of version nForce4 Ultra is the support of utilities nVidia nTune Performance Application. The program is designed for fine tuning of the motherboard, monitor, install memory timings, as well as overclocking. By the way, before she called nVidia System Utility, and was intended for motherboards at nForce2 chipsets and nForce3. Try it in the program will not be immediately succeeded: the latest available version 1.08.5 website nVidia does not "know" card to the nForce4. However, the desired version (2.0.17.5) got one semi site, which is very strange (considering held announces chipset).

Finally the most powerful (and expensive) changed nForce4 SLI has the ability to combine two PCI Express x8 graphics card. In other words, unlike the "base" version and the version of Ultra, chipsets nForce4 SLI configuration can change channels for PCI Express. For such a regime SLI scheme would look like this: 8-8-1-1-1-1 (two-slot PCI Express x8 slots and four PCI Express x1). While all cards on the nForce4 (Ultra) are hard configuration 16-1-1-1-1.

Note that the nForce4 chipset is designed not to "scratch", and based on the nForce3 250Gb chipset (Ultra). As a result, it still consists of a single chip (classic chipset consists of two chips: "northern" and "southern" bridge). Since the memory controller is integrated directly into the Athlon64 processor, the platform for such a scheme AMD chipset is the best.



Also, we note that visually nForce4 chipset is quite different from nForce3. In particular change in the type of packaging: nForce4 chipset has FCBGA packaging (flip-chip ball grid array)

When you make an approximate comparison nForce4 chipset with the latest Intel chipsets, the ratio of forces will be as follows. For platform nVidia + AMD has the advantage of the support of hard drives: 4 channels SerialATA II, an advanced RAID functionality and 2-channel ParallelATA (at the ICH6 - 4 channels SerialATA, and one channel MatrixRAID ParallelATA). For nForce4 advantage in the number of ports and USB 2.0: 10 to 8. On the possibility of communication chipsets approximately equal: both allow Gigabit Ethernet Controller to the bus PCI Express, a version with support for WiFi ICH6 never appeared. The only thing what ICH6 wins - 8 channel support it sound High Defenition Audio.

However, the stock is weak from the nVidia card: fully debugged and ready SoundStorm kernel, as well as support for Firewire tires (both were introduced in the MCP-T). If these two functions were incorporated into the nForce4 chipsets, the AMD platform would have received greater impetus in the development (although we note that following the successful transition to 0.09 micron technological process, the problems with the development of AMD is not.

However, nVidia has not done: for the non-implementation of SoundStorm and Firewire were as technology (larger chipset), and more important marketing obstacles. Among the most recent - Union with Intel, which has enabled nVidia get access to an attractive market very chipsets for Pentium4 processors.