NVIDIA Corporation has always paid great attention to the needs of computer enthusiasts. Until recently, most "advanced" users sitting on the AMD processors, and for this platform NVIDIA provided the best chipsets in its characteristics. Regarding the Intel platform, the situation is somewhat different. At its possibilities chipsets NVIDIA Intel Edition easily compete with Intel products in two areas: the possibility of increasing the ratio and price / quality ratio. In fact, every generation chipset NVIDIA was excellent alternative to Intel chipsets: nForce SLI supported technology, as well as support for those standards that Intel considered obsolete. The last item refers to support Parallel ATA: when Intel reduced the number of channels from 2 to 1, NVIDIA chipsets supported channel 2. And when Intel completely renounced support of the protocol (on the southern bridge ICH8), the NVIDIA chipsets support remained one channel.

In addition, NVIDIA almost always had the advantage of supporting new standards. In particular NVIDIA chipsets 6 channels supported Serial ATA II, 2 Gigabit Ethernet controller and 10 USB 2.0 ports, while Intel products supported Channel 4 Serial ATA II, a Gigabit controller, and 8 USB 2.0 ports.

But lately, the situation changed dramatically: the possibility of expanding Intel chipsets longer assign characteristics nForce Intel Edition and the release of Core 2 Duo architecture completely reoriented computer enthusiasts to use Intel platform. As a result, NVIDIA chipsets, which could not boast of good overklokerskim capabilities times lost its appeal.

It is understandable that such a situation does not satisfy the California giant. Frankly promorgav exit Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA has become quasi lost Leap. First, was issued 590 chipset nForce SLI IE, which compared to nForce4 SLI IE was updated southern bridge. However, enthusiasm on the part of manufacturers of motherboards, this product is not met. And after a while, NVIDIA announces a new line of chipsets Series 6 xx: flagship 680i, chipsets mid-level 650i SLI and 650i Ultra, as well as low-end 600i.

Marketing NVIDIA good job of advertising a new series, above all, the masthead light chipset 680i. Internet was congested rumours of tremendous opportunities to disperse and unprecedented price = $ 120 chipset. This is three times the value of P965 chipset, and has resulted in the cost of the motherboard will be in the region of $ 300. Today, we check how these rumors were true, and test motherboard ECS PN2 SLI2 +, which is based on the reference design.

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It is noteworthy that in the case of the 680i chipset NVIDIA company changed the approach to the spread of their products. Virtually all motherboards for the 680i manufactured by OEM order any large producer (in my suspicion - that Foxconn), and Commodity Boards already allocated for the remaining producers. Recent work only on the design and content (ie bundling) boxes with reference card. Thus, all second-tier producers have a chance to renew its range of products in the 680i is not investing a single dollar in the design and debugging board BIOS versions.