- Oct 20, 2006
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I've seen questions on weather you should pay the extra money for the 16x mobo and here is an answer from NVIDIA's Mad Mod Mike.
You and I think alike my friend. I myself only build PCs using the best components and always make sure that they offer the best future-proofing. When the next generation games come out, I want to make sure my PC will still be able to hang, and then some.
When NVIDIA launched its first nForce4 SLI media and communications processor (MCP) for PCI-Express motherboards, end users had 2 ways to take advantage of the Über-fast, 4-Gigabytes-per-second bi-directional powerhouse of a graphics interface bus we call PCI-Express:
1. They could plug in one graphics card and use the full 16 lane bus you're talking about...
OR
2. They could plug in 2 NVIDIA 'SLI-Ready' graphics cards in SLI mode and "downshift" the 16 lanes into two separate 8 lane data paths - 8 lanes for each card.
The important thing to note here is that these motherboards had 16 lanes of bandwidth dedicated for graphics (250MB/s per lane providing a total of 4GB/s of bandwidth). This bandwidth could either be horded by one GPU or equally two GPUs.
On August 8th, 2005 NVIDIA launched a new MCP: NVIDIA nForce4 SLI X16. This monster of an MCP provides up to 40 (yes 40!) configurable PCI Express lanes. What this means for graphics is that you will now be able to buy a motherboard with two full bandwidth 16-lane slots (no more downshifting to x8/x8!). Therefore, in SLI mode, graphics card will have 4GB/s of dedicated bandwidth (not the 2GB/s the previous motherboards had).
So what does this mean and when can I get one?
First, let's get one thing straight: PCI Express is WAY faster than AGP. So an upgrade to nForce4 SLI is a great move regardless of which PCI Express lane configuration you choose - it's much faster than the antiquated AGP bus of yesteryear.
But I know you are all thinking right now, "how much faster will my SLI setup be if I have 32 lanes for SLI (16 for each card). While it has the potential to be faster, for most games today it probably won't offer a mind-blowing performance increase. The reason is most games today don't saturate the available bandwidth. This is where my 'friend with the question' and I agree: If we are going to throw down the big bills on a new motherboard, it better be ready not only for the games of today, but also for the games of tomorrow. A motherboard is a longer term investment. It better be future-proofed!
For others, perhaps those that are looking for their first upgrade from an AGP motherboard, or those that don't always need the Best of the Best, the current Dual x8 nForce4 SLI motherboards are probably your cup of tea. They are selling for as low as $95 on the net today!
Either way you can't go wrong - the choice is yours depending on your style…and of course the limit on your credit card!
So when can you get one of these full bandwidth dual X16 bad boys? Well you can either buy the Dell XPS 600 today or wait only a couple more weeks until the motherboards hit the shelves. Keep your eyes open my friend…they are coming your way very soon!
Best,
-MMM
NVIDIA makes no warranties with respect to the information provided through the "Ask Mad Mod Mike" column and in no event shall NVIDIA be responsible for any damages arising out of your use of such information. Mad Mod Mike image © 2005 NVIDIA Corporation.
You and I think alike my friend. I myself only build PCs using the best components and always make sure that they offer the best future-proofing. When the next generation games come out, I want to make sure my PC will still be able to hang, and then some.
When NVIDIA launched its first nForce4 SLI media and communications processor (MCP) for PCI-Express motherboards, end users had 2 ways to take advantage of the Über-fast, 4-Gigabytes-per-second bi-directional powerhouse of a graphics interface bus we call PCI-Express:
1. They could plug in one graphics card and use the full 16 lane bus you're talking about...
OR
2. They could plug in 2 NVIDIA 'SLI-Ready' graphics cards in SLI mode and "downshift" the 16 lanes into two separate 8 lane data paths - 8 lanes for each card.
The important thing to note here is that these motherboards had 16 lanes of bandwidth dedicated for graphics (250MB/s per lane providing a total of 4GB/s of bandwidth). This bandwidth could either be horded by one GPU or equally two GPUs.
On August 8th, 2005 NVIDIA launched a new MCP: NVIDIA nForce4 SLI X16. This monster of an MCP provides up to 40 (yes 40!) configurable PCI Express lanes. What this means for graphics is that you will now be able to buy a motherboard with two full bandwidth 16-lane slots (no more downshifting to x8/x8!). Therefore, in SLI mode, graphics card will have 4GB/s of dedicated bandwidth (not the 2GB/s the previous motherboards had).
So what does this mean and when can I get one?
First, let's get one thing straight: PCI Express is WAY faster than AGP. So an upgrade to nForce4 SLI is a great move regardless of which PCI Express lane configuration you choose - it's much faster than the antiquated AGP bus of yesteryear.
But I know you are all thinking right now, "how much faster will my SLI setup be if I have 32 lanes for SLI (16 for each card). While it has the potential to be faster, for most games today it probably won't offer a mind-blowing performance increase. The reason is most games today don't saturate the available bandwidth. This is where my 'friend with the question' and I agree: If we are going to throw down the big bills on a new motherboard, it better be ready not only for the games of today, but also for the games of tomorrow. A motherboard is a longer term investment. It better be future-proofed!
For others, perhaps those that are looking for their first upgrade from an AGP motherboard, or those that don't always need the Best of the Best, the current Dual x8 nForce4 SLI motherboards are probably your cup of tea. They are selling for as low as $95 on the net today!
Either way you can't go wrong - the choice is yours depending on your style…and of course the limit on your credit card!
So when can you get one of these full bandwidth dual X16 bad boys? Well you can either buy the Dell XPS 600 today or wait only a couple more weeks until the motherboards hit the shelves. Keep your eyes open my friend…they are coming your way very soon!
Best,
-MMM
NVIDIA makes no warranties with respect to the information provided through the "Ask Mad Mod Mike" column and in no event shall NVIDIA be responsible for any damages arising out of your use of such information. Mad Mod Mike image © 2005 NVIDIA Corporation.
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