NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI; two is better than one

Logan Booker gives NVIDIA's new AMD AM2 platform the once over.

UPDATE 23/5/06: We've changed some of the images for your viewing pleasure.

Say hello to 'SLI certification' - our new buzzword for the rest of 2006.

You've already seen it, maybe for the first time, in NVIDIA and Corsair's joint effort to create 'SLI Memory'; RAM that out of the box contains in its SPD chip the tightest timings and highest voltages that it can support, so overclocking novices and masters alike can get more from their boxes without touching a single BIOS setting.



And SLI is NVIDIA's big push right now. Forget dual-card graphics cards, SLI is soon to become a different beast entirely.

'SLI is the first platform product that we're doing as a company and it's turned out quite well for us,' said Drew Henry, general manager for MCP (Media Communications Processor) Business for NVIDIA. The nForce 500 series is the chipset NVIDIA will be using to debut this new platform and certification system. Currently only available for AMD's AM2 socket, NVIDIA plans to roll out Intel support in the future.

So, what components can you expect to see certified? Basically anything that has a direct impact on system performance - and a few indirect things. These include CPU coolers, power supplies, motherboards, memory and video cards.

Having a completely certified system does more than lend piece of mind. It also opens up the doors for a number of performance-increasing options unique to the SLI platform.

LinkBoost

'One of the very first key things about the nForce 590 family is the focus on delivering the best overall full system performance,' said Henry.

'This is the first time we've not only embraced the concept of overclocking an enthusiast's box, but anytime there's an interface between certain NVIDIA GPUs and NVIDIA MCPs, when those two devices detect each other the system will go into a higher spec.'



The 'higher spec' Henry refers to is a feature officially called LinkBoost. Formerly just a trademark on NVIDIA's website, LinkBoost ups the PCI Express bus and the HyperTransport link between the SPP (System Platform Processor) and MCP in the nForce 500 series chipset by 25% - the HT link from the processor to the bus remains unchanged. This equates to 10Gb/s of bandwidth between these components, up from 8Gb/s. Normally reserved for the more nimble of overclockers, all the average user will need is SLI certified components and the extra speed is theirs.

According to NVIDIA, it has seen notable performance increases thanks to the extra speed. The exact hardware you'll need to get LinkBoost running is a motherboard with the 590 SLI, 570 SLI or 570 Ultra nForce chipset and a supported GeForce card (7900 GTX or better).

SLI certification is NVIDIA's guarantee that the system will run stable with the higher bus speeds.