nForce4 SLI Intel Edition Arrives

Technology Explained

NVIDIA SLI ? For Increased 3D Graphics and Gaming Performance

Finally Intel users can enjoy the pleasures of two PCI Express Graphics cards on one motherboard. Running two cards in Scalable Link Interface (SLI) dramatically boosts graphics and gaming performance with the use of two NVIDIA SLI-ready graphics cards that have been paired together. For some applications consumers can expect nearly two times the performance over a single care! The nForce4 SLI Intel Edition offers 20 PCI Express lanes from the SPP can be configured. In single-card mode, all 16 lanes are routed to a single PCI-E x16 slot. In SLI mode, each of two physical PCI-E x16 slots and equally get 8 lanes. The other 4 lanes are dedicated to other PCI-E devices that you made add in, like a sound card. Since in non-SLI mode you get a full 16 PCI Express lanes you wont see a performance decrease using just one card. If you can’t afford a pair of 6800 GT’s right now you can hold off and buy that second GPU when you’re ready to scale performance.

DualDDR2 ? faster data access w/ 1T Command Rates

Dual DDR2 memory guarantees high speed low latency data transfer between CPU, GPU, and system memory for demanding applications. The NVIDIA nForce4 SLI (Intel Edition) SPP is the first NVIDIA nForce core logic for Intel CPU-based platforms. It is designed for the enthusiast and highperformance desktop segments of the market, where overall system performance is the main metric. This inspired NVIDIA?s architects and designers to implement a number of innovative features in the NVIDIA nForce memory controller to maximize system performance, such as:

• DualDDR2 Support
• Efficienct bus utilzation via 1T command rates
• NVIDIA dynamic adaptive speculative preprocessor (DASP) 3.0
• NVIDIA QucikSync Technology

When paried with great memory like the new Corsair PC-5400UL modules we are expecting to see the best DDR2 memory performance ever seen from any DDR2 platform to date. NVIDIA allows the user to select between 1T and 2T command settings, which is something that is not allowed on Intel’s most recent i955X reference boards.

MediaShield ? Advanced Multi-Disk Storage Solution

Through a simple user interface, NVIDIA MediaShield storage allows you easily manage multiple hard disk drives so you can safely store your digital media assets. With support for RAID 5 hard disk drive configurations, the latest SATA 3Gb/s hard drives and PATA drives, MediaShield offers one of the most advanced storage solutions available for desktop PCs. With a unique dual controller architecture designed for top performance, MediaShield incorporates a choice of RAID configurations including RAID0, 1, 0+1, 3 and 5 across both SATA and PATA hard disk drives (up to 8 disks total). NVIDIA?s intelligent Disk Alert System helps users easily identify failing hard drives simplifying troubleshooting. RAID 5 is all the rage right now for media storage among enthusiasts and the new chipset takes full advantage of its abilities. RAID 5 can be done on the nForce4 SLI Intel edition with up to eight drives!

nTune? – Best Overclocking Experience

NVIDIA nTune? intelligently and automatically optimizes PC performance. Dramatically faster than tuning by hand, nTune sets your PC to within 90% of its optimum performance. By searching through thousands of possible configurations, NVIDIA nTune “tunes” your PC for either the best overall performance (system, GPU, disk) or the quietest setting (for DVD playback). As a safe overclocking solution, nTune will reset any system crash to a stable operating condition as well as save the optimum settings in profiles which automatically load with applications you choose.

ActiveArmor? ? Unmatched PC Security

NVIDIA ActiveArmor is a suite of networking security features integrated into nForce4 MCPs that protect your PC from sophisticated spyware and hacker intrusions. Endorsed by major leading PC companies, such as HP, ActiveArmor includes firewall protection and a secure networking engine that offloads firewall processing while delivering full Gigabit Ethernet networking access. ActiveArmor secure networking is activated the moment you turn on your PC, inspecting at the deepest levels the data packets that flow in and out of your network connection.

Let’s move on to testing!