 | |
| CPU supported | Athlon |
|---|---|
| Socket supported | Socket A |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Release date(s) | July 2002 |
| Predecessor | nForce |
| Successor | nForce3 |
The Nvidia nForce2 chipset was released by Nvidia in July 2002 as a refresh to the original nForce product offering. The nForce2 chipset was a platform for motherboards supporting AMD's Socket A CPUs along with DDR SDRAM.[1] There were multiple variations of the chipset including one with an integrated GeForce4 MX graphics processor (IGP), and one without.
The nForce2 chipset offers two different southbridges: the MCP and the MCP-T. These two variations primarily differ in audio and Ethernet integration. The MCP-T is equipped with two 100 Mbit Ethernet NICs (nV and 3Com 3C905) and the NVAPU (SoundStorm), providing hardware accelerated 3D audio and real-time 5.1-channel Dolby Digital encoding. In contrast, the MCP features one 100 Mbit NIC and an AC'97 audio controller. In both MCP units, an external codec chip, such as the Realtek ALC650, handles audio duties. However, with the MCP-T, the codec chip also performs DAC duties. Unfortunately, the use of an external codec and noisy motherboard circuitry (EMI/RFI) compromises audio quality, even on MCP-T equipped boards. Consequently, the nForce audio solutions never achieved high fidelity unless utilizing the S/PDIF output (TOSLINK or coaxial).
One notable aspect of the nForce2 chipset is its advanced memory controller. It introduced a dual-channel memory interface to the mainstream market, effectively doubling theoretical bandwidth. This enhancement was crucial for the nForce2 IGP, featuring GeForce4 MX-class integrated graphics, to provide competitive performance within budget solutions. Ensuring ample bandwidth for the IGP without diverting resources from the rest of the system was essential. Given that the Athlon XP's front-side bus was limited to 400 MHz, only dual-channel DDR-200 or single-channel DDR-400 memory bandwidth was supported. Consequently, one memory channel was dedicated to the CPU, while the other primarily served the GPU. In dual-channel configurations of the nForce2 without IGP, the Athlon XP exhibited marginal gains, typically around 5%, in memory bandwidth-intensive applications.
In addition to various fixes and refinements compared to the original nForce, the nForce2 featured a fixed PCI/AGP clock. This stability ensured that PCI and AGP frequencies remained constant when adjusting the FSB. Consequently, the nForce2 platform gained a reputation for facilitating easy overclocking of AMD processors. It became a popular choice within the overclocking community for several years. Notably, the chipset delivered optimal performance when operating with synchronized FSB and memory frequencies; asynchronous operation resulted in significant performance degradation.
In 2003, Nvidia released a refreshed nForce2, called "nForce2 Ultra 400". The nForce2 Ultra 400[2] and nForce2 400 represented official support for a 200 MHz FSB and PC-3200 DDR SDRAM, whereas the older nForce2 had only supported a maximum of 166 MHz FSB. Ultra 400 offered dual-channel support, while the plain 400 was single-channel PC-3200-capable. Both performed very similarly because neither had the IGP and again Athlon XP did not benefit significantly from the added bandwidth because the Athlon XP's bus was only capable of bandwidth matching a single channel of PC-3200. The new chipset again was partnered with several different southbridges, including one with (MCP-T) and one without (MCP) SoundStorm and dual Ethernet NICs. In 2004 three new southbridges were introduced: MCP-S integrated Serial ATA, MCP-RAID had additional RAID-functions and MCP-Gb featured Gigabit Ethernet. These newer southbridges did not integrate the SoundStorm unit nor the dual-Ethernet capabilities of the MCP-T.
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Main article: SoundStorm |
The SoundStorm audio system[3] was one of the first consumer computer audio products to offer real time Dolby Digital 5.1 encoding. This meant that one could play games or music and output them as a 5.1 stream digitally to an external decoding speaker system. This solves a common problem with most digital sound solutions of having to hook up both digital and analog connections at the same time so you can have surround sound in both games (using the analog connections) and movies (using the digital connection). Only recently has Dolby Digital live allowed competitors such as Creative's x-fi line up to offer real time DD 5.1 encoding.
Some see the passing of SoundStorm as a classic example of the bottom dollar approach to building computers sweeping the PC industry, with component quality being gradually eroded, in favor of pricing considerations. SoundStorm was good competition for Creative Labs during its time, but did suffer from driver issues and performance problems. Many computer owners also had their own discrete audio solutions, such as the popular Creative Audigy series, the VIA Envy24, or various Turtle Beach boards, among other high end solutions offering superior analog quality. This made the NVAPU/SoundStorm a niche product in a market where keeping board costs low is essential to sales volume.
SoundStorm/NVAPU's existence was a direct result of Xbox development, with the APU being directly related to the technology used in Microsoft's console, (which incorporated Sensaura's HRTF 3D audio technology). As the technology aged and consumers and OEMs showed a lack of interest in purchasing the more expensive but higher quality chipsets, Nvidia did not see reason to justify further R&D expenditures.