Today NVIDIA is announcing their latest chipset platform for AMD 64 processors, the nForce4. nForce4 is a PCI Express chipset that holds a number of similarities with its predecessor, nForce3, but brings a few other advancements to the platform as well. The main chipset features of nForce4 are:
* ActiveArmour – Dedicated hardware Firewall.
GigaBit Ethernet and Hardware Firewall built within the chipset to reduce CPU overhead from running software firewall applications. Complete with browser based management capabilities and “Intelligent Application Manager” software.
* NVIDIA Storage Solutions
nForce4 platform houses support for 4 new standard SATA2 3Gb/s drives, paired between two controllers for greater disk throughput. RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 0+1 configurations are supported, even across a mixture of both SATA and PATA drives. nVRAID software enables software configuration and management of RAID arrays.
* nTune – Performance Optimisation Controls
With nTune the system can be configured for running in different configurations for different tasks (e.g. high performance for gaming, silent running for DVD playback) and also most of the chipset functions can be monitored.
nForce4 will be available in three configurations: nForce4, nForce4 Ultra and nForce4 SLI. Click here for a list of features available on each of the platforms. Of the three systems nForce4 SLI may be of most interest here as it brings NVIDIA’s platform SLI capabilities.
Current platform solutions for multi PCI Express graphics boards in a system have relied on using a standard 16 lane PCI Express interface for one board and then the extra 4 lanes that may be available in chipset Northbridges being placed on a another 16x connector. The main drawback to this solution is that whilst the master board receives the full 4GB/s of downstream PCI Express bandwidth, the slave board, with only 4 PCI Express lanes, receives 1GB/s. nForce4 readdresses this issue somewhat with a solution that can still provide full 16 lanes of PCI Express when using a single graphics board, but still more to second board should you require an SLI solution.
AMD =
AMD slashes prices, ships Athlon 64 4000+
By Tony Smith
Published Tuesday 19th October 2004 10:03 GMT
AMD today introduced the Athlon 64 4000+ and Athlon 64 FX-55, as anticipated, along with price cuts across the rest of its 64-bit desktop and desktop-replacement mobile CPU line-up.
The company also cut the prices of its mainstream Mobile Athlon 64 processors, and those of the XP-M chips. The latter saw a number of lower-end parts knocked off AMD's official price list.
Gone too is the Athlon 64 FX-53, replaced by the new, faster model. The FX-55 is available immediately, AMD said. The new Athlon 64 4000+ is clocked at 2.4GHz, like the existing 3800+, but gains a boost from its bigger L2 cache: 1MB to the 3800+'s 512KB. It too is a Socket 939 part. The 3700+ is also clocked to 2.4GHz and equipped with 1MB of L2, but its memory controller is single-channel to the 4000+'s 128-bit, dual-channel controller.
The FX-55 is clocked at 2.6GHz, up from the FX-53's 2.4GHz. ®
code:AMD Desktop Chip Prices
Processor Prev. Price New Price Change
Athlon 64 FX-55 $827
Athlon 64 4000+ $729
Athlon 64 3800+ $643 $643
Athlon 64 3700+ $507 $470 -7.3%
Athlon 64 3500+ $346 $288 -16.8%
Athlon 64 3400+ $288 $238 -17.4%
Athlon 64 3200+ $227 $208 -8.4%
Athlon 64 3000+ $189 $163 -13.8%
Athlon 64 2800+ $173 $144 -16.8%
Desktop Replacement Athlon 64 3700+ $500 $463 -7.4%
Desktop Replacement Athlon 64 3400+ $417 $228 -54.7%
Desktop Replacement Athlon 64 3200+ $278 $198 -28.8%
Desktop Replacement Athlon 64 3000+ $218 $153 -29.8%
AMD Mobile Chip Prices
Processor Prev. Price New Price Change
Mainstream Mobile Athlon 64 3400+ $432 $243 -43.7%
Mainstream Mobile Athlon 64 3200+ $293 $213 -27.3%
Mainstream Mobile Athlon 64 3000+ $233 $168 -27.9%
Mainstream Mobile Athlon 64 2800+ $193 $148 -23.3%
AMD Athlon XP-M Chip Prices
Processor Prev. Price New Price Change
Desktop Replacement Athlon XP-M 3000+ $147 $135 -8.2%
Mainstream Athlon XP-M 3000+ $150 $138 -8%
Mainstream Athlon XP-M 2800+ $125
Low-power Athlon XP-M 2200+ $97 $81 -16.5%
Low-power Athlon XP-M 2100+ $97 $76 -21.7%
Low-power Athlon XP-M 2000+ $80 $74 -7.5%
Sourced from beyond3d and something awful respectivley.
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($346 $288 -16.8%
) I wonder if the vendors were anticipating the price drop ?
Originally Posted by RPerry
thats would be nice. Next there will be a Computer Fair. I must look at that nforce 4. 
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