Today we bring you our first look at the new Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset, and without messing around, we have put it head to head with the nForce 780i SLI, which it will ultimately replace. The nForce 790i Ultra SLI is a more refined chipset, but can it possibly squeeze any more performance out of the already lightning fast Core 2 platform?
Not so long ago Nvidia finally released an updated version of their original nForce 680i SLI chipset. Actually the nForce 780i SLI chipset was more of a hybrid, combining the 680i north bridge with an nForce 200 chip to deliver PCI Express 2.0 and Triple-SLI support. The nForce 780i SLI chipset was quickly shaping up to be a half arsed product from Nvidia, as it inherited all of the problems with the 680i; such as the extreme operating temperatures.
Really the only worthwhile feature that the nForce 780i SLI chipset provided users with was support for 45nm Penryn processors, which for some reason, existing 680i motherboards were unable to provide. Although the 780i was available around Christmas time, it was not until early 2008 that they started to show up in more serious numbers. However both consumers and manufacturers approached the nForce 780i SLI chipset with caution, as it was clearly no more than a quick bandaid.
Everyone knew that the second quarter of 2008 would see the release of the nForce 790i, which would offer native PCI Express 2.0 support. Furthermore the nForce 790i Ultra SLI would also bring DDR3 support, which is a first for Nvidia. Given that motherboard manufacturers do expect DDR3 prices to fall in the third quarter of 2008, now would be an ideal time for Nvidia to begin supporting the technology.
While it does seem like Nvidia has left nForce 780i SLI owners high and dry with an already obsolete product, is it really all that bad? After all, while the 780i was no faster than the 680i chipset, and it failed to deliver on any new “practical” features, it was hardly a lemon. We found that the ASUS P5N-T Deluxe featuring the nForce 780i SLI chipset was able to deliver very similar performance to that of the yet to be released Intel X48 motherboards.
Therefore, we have decided to compare the new Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset head to head with the nForce 780i SLI, to see just how much of a ride Nvidia has taken 780i owners for, if at all! Since these are gaming orientated chipsets we will be focusing primarily on gaming performance, while we will also be comparing SLI performance as well.
