Southbridge: MCP And MCP-T
MCP is NVIDIA's acronym for Media and Communications Processor. The "T" version simply means "Turbo," which in this case does not translate to higher speeds, but to a more extensive range of functions.
Southbridge | Media and Communications Processor | Media and Communications Processor Turbo |
---|---|---|
Alias | MCP | MCP-T |
Image | Row 1 - Cell 1 | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
Hard Disk Controller | UltraATA/133 | UltraATA/133 |
USB Controller | 6 Ports USB 2.0/1.1 | 6 Ports USB 2.0/1.1 |
FireWire Controller | - | Conforms to IEEE 1394a |
Network Controller | Single:NVIDIA Media Access Controller (MAC) | Double:NVIDIA DualNet :NVIDIA & 3COM Media Access Controller (MAC) |
StreamThru | Yes | Yes |
Sound Controller | AC97 2.12, 4 or 6-channel20-Bit Out, 16-Bit InANR & CNR SupportSPDIF-out | AC97 2.1 & NVIDIA APU(Audio Processing Unit )Hardware DirectX8ProcessorDolby Digital 5.1 Encoder256 voices64 3D voices32 Bit Mixer2, 4 or 6-channel20-Bit Out, 16-Bit InANR & CNR supportSPDIF-Out |
Basically, the new MCP-T differs from the MCP in three aspects: the MCP-T offers an integrated FireWire controller and a second network controller, as well as NVIDIA's Audio Processing Unit (APU). And be careful to note that MCP has different meanings with the nForce and the nForce2. With the first nForce, the APU was included in the simple MCP, whereas with the nForce2, the MCP-T is required.