MSI has also released a nForce4 SLI Intel Edition motherboard. Besides support for multiple graphic cards through Nvidia’s SLI, the P4N Diamond features extras such as 24-bit 8-channel audio from Creative, dual LAN and optional connectivity for both WLAN and Bluetooth in a single antenna. Complete specifications are as follows:
ASUS has launched its first nForce4 SLI Intel Edition board: the P5ND2-SLI Deluxe. The new nVidia chipset aimed at socket 775 processors, announced earlier this week, sports support for multiple graphic cards, 1066 MHz frontside bus, dual channel DDR2-667 memory and Serial ATA II with RAID 5. The P5ND2-SLI Deluxe adds support for DDR-720 memory, a fanless design to conduct heat away without noise and a bunch of proprietary overclocking technologies.
The Intel Edition of Nvidia´s nForce4 SLI was officially announced this Tuesday. Motherboards based on it should start to hit retail by the end of the month. The chipset, sporting 20 configurable PCI Express lanes to support multiple graphic cards, is aimed at socket 775 processors and is said to also support the upcoming dual-core Pentium D. It features support to 1066 MHz frontside bus, dual channel DDR2-667 memory, up to four Serial ATA II drives, four ATA-133 drives, ten USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel AC ´97 compliant audio, native Gigabit Ethernet and hardware-based firewall.
Graphic cards maker eVGA has confirmed its debut in the motherboard market with the release of a nForce3 250Gb model. The 115-K8-NF31-AX board is aimed at 754-pin Athlon 64 and Sempron processors. It includes the usual features associated with the chipset, but the company has changed the traditional positioning of memory sockets and Serial ATA connectors in order to easy the instalation process.
ECS has just announced a motherboard model that everybody thought that would be impossible: it accepts both Intel and AMD CPUs. The PF88 motherboard has both socket 775 (Intel processors) and socket 939 (AMD's Athlon 64 processors) at the same time, making it an unique product in computer history. Actually this motherboard is a socket 775 one, based on SiS 656 chipset. Then, ECS sells an adaptor board with a socket 939, two DDR400 sockets and SiS 756 chipset. By installing this daughter board you can "transform" your socket 775 motherboard into a socket 939 one. The other features from this unique product also includes four DDR2 memory sockets compatible up to DDR2-667 (used only by Intel CPU since AMD CPU will use the memory installed on the daughter board), Gigabit Ethernet and Firewire ports. Accordingly to ECS, the adaptor board will cost one third of the cost of a "complete" motherboard.
ATI has just released their X200 Xpress chipset for the Pentium 4 platform. This chipset was first released to the AMD platform, and now ATI decided to enter Intel arena as well. This chipset is target to entry-level market, providing on-board video. Here are the main specs for this new chipset:
Socket 478 or socket 775 supported.
PCI Express.
Supports XD (eXecute Disable) bit.
Supports SpeedStep technology.
DirectX 9 on-board video, using up to 256 MB of the system memory as video memory.
Supports both DDR (up to DDR400) and DDR2 (up to DDR2-667), up to 4 GB.
Tyan has released a new Athlon 64 motherboard based on the nForce 4 Ultra chipset from nVidia target for servers, called Tomcat K8E (S2865). As you can see, together with hi-end specs this board comes with on-board video, since servers usually don't require high-end video. S2865AG2NRF model comes will all optionals, while S2865G2NR comes without the Firewire ports and without the on-board audio. Its main features include:
Socket 939 for Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX processors.
nVidia nForce 4 Ultra chipset.
ATI Rage XL on-board video with 8 MB dedicated RAM.
Four DDR-DIMM sockets, supporting up to 4 GB DDR400/PC3200.
With the release of the Turion 64 CPU from AMD, SiS announced a complete series of chipsets to accommodate this new mobile processor:
SiS M760: Mirage 2 graphics core, allows local video memory on the motherboard to not "steal" main RAM memory to use as video memory, AGP 8x, paired with SiS 966L southbridge, which allows two PCI Express x1 lanes, four Serial ATA ports with RAID (RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1 and JBOD), eight USB 2.0 ports, two ATA-133 ports, high-definition 8-channel audio.
SiS M761GX: Mirage 1 graphics core, PCI Express x16, paired with SiS 966L southbridge, which allows two PCI Express x1 lanes, four Serial ATA ports with RAID (RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1 and JBOD), eight USB 2.0 ports, two ATA-133 ports, high-definition 8-channel audio. Will be available in Q2, 2005.
SiS M770: Mirage 3 graphics core, PCI Express x16, paired with SiS 966 southbridge, which allows Gigabit Ethernet, two PCI Express x1 lanes, four Serial ATA ports with RAID (RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1 and JBOD), eight USB 2.0 ports, two ATA-133 ports, high-definition 8-channel audio. Will be available in Q4, 2005.
SiS has lauched their first integrated PCI Express solution for the Athlon 64 platform, the SiS 761GX. "Integrated" means "integrated video" or "on-board video", i.e. the chipset has a 3D video controller embedded (Mirage 1 core in this particular chipset). This new chipset uses the new SiS 966 south bridge, and the specs of this new chipset include one PCI Express x16 slot, Gigabit Ethernet, four Serial ATA ports with RAID support (RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1 and JBOD), eight USB 2.0 ports and high definition audio.
Tyan has just released its Tomcat K7M (S2498), a highly integrated motherboard, based on the new Geode NX CPU from AMD. Featuring the VIA KN400A chipset and using the FlexATX form factor, it has two PCI slots, two DDR memory sockets (up to 2 GB DDR333), two serial ATA ports, two ATA-133 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, on-board audio and on-board LAN, it is available in two versions: S2498AGN, with the listed features, and S2498AGNN, with Gigabit Ethernet. It seems to be a good solution for small embedded systems.
SiS has just released their new chipset for servers and workstations based on the Athlon 64 FX processor. Based on the new PCI Express bus, it uses the SiS 965 chip as south bridge, which supports four Serial ATA ports with RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1 and JBOD capabilities, eight USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and two ATA-133 ports.
VIA announced a new chipset, the K8N800A, for the upcoming AMD Turion 64 mobile technology. It also supports Mobile Athlon 64 and Mobile Sempron processors. The chipset features S3 Graphics UniChrome Pro on-board video with an AGP 8x port for a discrete graphics processor. According to VIA, a host of new power saving technologies including Stutter Mode will provide better IGP performance and longer battery life. The K8N800A supports 800 MHz HyperTransport bus and dual channel DDR memory. It is paired with the customary VT8237 South Bridge supporting up to six PCI slots, two Serial ATA ports, two ATA-133, eight USB 2.0, 6- or 8-channel audio and Ethernet 10/100 or Gigabit LAN.
SiS has signed a licensing agreement with Intel that will allow the company to manufacture Pentium 4 chipsets supporting 1066 MHz FSB. New versions of its 656 and 670 parts, though, will not be available until the second half of the year. The SiS656 is a PCI Express chipset currently supporting 800 MHz FSB and dual-channel DDR2-667 memory. The 656FX, with 1066 MHz FSB, will be sampled in the second quarter and enter mass production a quarter later. The 670 chipset, sporting Mirage3 DirectX 9-compatible integrated graphics, will only begin sampling in the third quarter.
ASUS has launched a new motherboard based on the i915PL, a low-end version of the Grantsdale chipset, supporting only DDR memory. The other features are identical to those of the i915P model, including 800 MHz FSB, PCI Express interface and 8-channel on-board audio. The P5GPL also sports proprietary ASUS technologies like Hyper Path 2 and CPU Lock Free. The complete specifications are:
ABIT added a new motherboard based on the nForce4 Ultra to its Fatal1ty lineup. The AN8 is aimed at Athlon 64 and 64 FX processors and includes native Gigabit Ethernet and firewall. The board, endorsed by gamer Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, features a pack of technologies, like µGuru overclocking and Dual OTES cooling. It also sports 7.1 high-definition audio through ABIT´s AudioMAX. The red and black color and red LED backlights will appeal to case modders.
