Nvidia 780i is not a new chipset -- Recycled with extra bits

[sushrukh]

" It turns out that the "new" Nvidia 780i chipset might not be all that it's cracked up to be and it looks like Nvidia has once again "recycled" and old chipset by adding a PCI Express controller to the mix.

This is something Nvidia has already done in the past and not an unfamiliar path for the company to take. The source is yet again Expreview and they've got a picture of the board without a heatsink on it and you can clearly see the two parts that makes up the 780i chipset.

So it turns out that the BR04 chipset we reported about earlier isn't the actual 780i chipset at all, but rather a PCI Express controller that adds additional lanes to the ones in the 680i to make three-way SLI possible with three x16 PCIe slots.

The BR04 chip is meant to have PCI Express 2.0 support and it might replace the PCI Express controller part entierly inside the 680i. Make what you want of it, but don't expect to gain any real benefits from the "new" 780i chipset, you'll have to wait for the next generation product from Nvidia before this happens."

http://www.expreview.com/img/review/780isli//DSC_32091.jpg

A full size picture is available here :- http://www.expreview.com/img/review/780isli//DSC_3209b.jpg


NForce SLI motherboard 780i Black PCB, and the overall style and layout before nForce SLI motherboard 680i similar, the biggest difference lies in the placement happened next BR04 chip Northbridge SPP chip.

http://www.expreview.com/img/review/780isli//DSC_3175.jpg

We can see the nForce SLI 780i is not new chip design group, it is just a + BR04 680i, 780i nForce SLI upgrade version only through BR04 chip to achieve the PCI Express 2.0 support.


Link :- http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3365&Itemid=37

[Acidtears33]

Look at that board layout.

If you use 3 double height cards you will lose ALL other expansion slots and the middle card will probably go nuclear and melt down the neighborhood.

[Scott]

Yup, I agree. You can fit 3 cards but if they where all the same they would be burning up.

I am really thinking of staying away from SLI for a while. The performance of a Overclocked 8800 GTX Ultra is pretty dang good. The true test will be can the Ultra play Crysis at 1920x1600 with all the candy turned on. If not time for another new highend card to come out.

I do think it is kind of silly to do SLI with highend cards if 1 highend card can do the job. I hate driver issues with SLI but it is turning out alot of that is Microsofts fault in Vista.

[timberwolf120]

You mean 2 midrange/semi-high end cards in SLI performing the same as 1 high end card?

It would be retarded if high end cards in SLI perform as well as 1 card. I would think it would be a driver issue then.

Shouldn't the current 680i motherboards be able to do this, but with the 3rd PCI-e slot running in x8 mode. These new boards are just adding a few extra features, that's all.

[darkorb]

ill tell you how sli runs :)

[PP Mguire]

Ahha nForce7 FTW. And no, i doubt youll find 2 8600s in SLI that will outperform an 8800 ultra.

[sushrukh]

http://www.fudzilla.com/images/stories/2007/October/General%20News/nvidia_780i.jpg

Look at the size of the Northbridge fan but it understandable because it has to cover & cool both the Northbridge & the BR04 chips.The Sata port placements are different too.Four ports near the ram slots & 2 near the single Pata channel & using of Solid caps only near the CPU & VRM area.

[PP Mguire]

Looks like an old Pentium 2 cooler was stuffed on it. If i could get away with that id totaly do that. But my card covers mine so im stuck with low profile.