NVIDIA nForce 590 MCP

INTRODUCTION

A few years ago I solidly subscribed to the then adorned premise that separate was better when it came to computer hardware components. Integration was for software related applications only. I’d like to go into some detail about how I had a completely “religious experience” that entirely changed my way of thinking, but that would be complete and utter BS! In truth, up until recently I was a self adorned Intel zealot that saw the capital “I” in the sun’s core everyday upon awakening.

It wasn’t until I learned to read…No! Not the “See Spot run” stuff you learn in the first grade, well make that pre-school today. In reality it was a cold, blustery winter’s day about one year ago and I was off from my job and went to read my latest Intel propaganda only to find there was nothing new and exciting about it. So, off to the Web to find out why my then “American Idol” had not updated my cache of solid reading material. In truth, there was nothing new and exciting to read about, so like many before me I turned to the “dark side” to be able to see the light.

My next move was to begin reading an AMD forum. My interest was immediately peaked reading about the new and exciting changes that were taking place. These changes had been predicated by the entry of the "GPU Giant" NVIDIA some months prior to this enlightenment into the mainstream motherboard arena. While not directly manufacturing the motherboard NVIDIA was producing the media and communications processors (MCP) for them which included many exciting new features.

For me the next several months were pivotal and I digested enormous amounts of technology related information. Suffice it to say that I learned in short order that integration certainly applied to hardware and from what I could see NVIDIA was leading the way. Am I still an Intel zealot? Absolutely not! Then, an AMD zealot? Nope! I’ve evolved into a rarity, a true middle of the road Computer Enthusiast that sincerely appreciates what both manufacturers bring to the table.

Today I’ll be writing what one might call a prelude of things to come. The cool thing about it is that those "things to come" will be introduced today, namely the NVIDIA nForce®500 series of MCP that brings a huge amount of new and radically different technology to the table. This release is timed impeccably to coordinate with that of AMD's new socket AM2 line of processors.

The NVIDIA nForce® 500 family of MCPs support dual-core AMD® Socket AM2 processors and are available in four different versions:

• NVIDIA nForce® 590 SLI MCP for hard-core, do it yourselfer (DIY) enthusiasts
• NVIDIA nForce® 570 SLI MCP for the performance, dual GPU segment
• NVIDIA nForce® 570 Ultra MCP for the single GPU performance segment
• NVIDIA nForce® 550 MCP for the mainstream segment

Today’s article will center in on the nForce® 590 “Enthusiast” line of that product. The scope of this article will set the stage for many product-specific reviews using this technology in the very near future.

nForce® 590 Chips