Nvidia introduces new nForce2 Platform

Nvidia today introduced the nForce2 Ultra 400 and NVIDIA nForce2 400, both of which are optimized for the new AMD Athlon XP processor 3200+.

“With today’s introduction of our new AMD Athlon XP processor 3200+ and NVIDIA’s nForce2 Ultra 400 platform processors, AMD and NVIDIA are providing gamers and PC enthusiasts leading performance, cutting-edge features, and driver stability for even the most demanding desktop applications,” said Tim Wright, AMD’s director of desktop business segment, Microprocessor Business Unit. “With the product introductions, AMD and NVIDIA also offer system builders advanced technologies to design innovative new PCs that provide superior features and performance with mainstream pricing.”

NVIDIA provided AMD with hundreds of NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 reference motherboards for quality assurance and compatibility testing, and optimized the internal architecture to ensure NVIDIA nForce2 platform processors remain the undisputed performance champ in the AMD desktop PC market. Combined with the blazing fast NVIDIA® GeForceâ„¢ FX 5900 graphics processing unit (GPU) that was introduced yesterday, NVIDIA nForce2 technology is transforming the ordinary desktop PC into the ultimate gaming platform, perfect for experiencing the hottest PC games of the year, including Doom3, S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Oblivion Lost, Tron 2.0 and more, all of which are on display at this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, CA.
 
NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 is the only core-logic solution available for AMD Athlon XP processor-based PCs to incorporate support for the AMD advanced 400MHz frontside bus, DDR400 memory modules and a performance-boosting, dual channel memory subsystem.  NVIDIA nForce2 400 brings the power and performance of NVIDIA nForce2 technology into the mainstream market, and provides system builders and OEMs with an option to configure product offerings with more conventional features and functionality.

“In less than a year, sales of NVIDIA nForce2 platform processors have grown significantly month to month,” said Drew Henry, senior director of platform business at NVIDIA. “In addition to NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400, which continues to be the performance leader, NVIDIA nForce2 400 now extends our NVIDIA nForce2 brand and technology into the price-sensitive mainstream PC market, and positions NVIDIA as the preeminent provider of core-logic solutions for the entire AMD processor-based, desktop PC market.”

All NVIDIA nForce platform processors take advantage of the NVIDIA Unified Driver Architecture (UDA)—NVIDIA’s “one driver for all platforms” design philosophy, which greatly simplifies IT deployment and enhances low-cost product life cycle management for commercial customers. NVIDIA UDA makes migration to new NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400- and NVIDIA nForce2 400-based motherboards and systems remarkably easy by allowing a single “gold disk” of system-level drivers that is backward and forward compatible with all nForce-based products.

Motherboards featuring the NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 and NVIDIA nForce2 400 platform processors are available today from a variety of leading channel distributors, retail outlets and motherboard manufacturers, including: ABIT Computer Corp., Albatron Technology, AOpen, ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Biostar Microtech Int’l Corp., Chaintech Computer Co. Ltd., DFI, EPoX International Inc., FIC, Giga-Bte Technology, Jetway Information Co. Ltd., Leadtek, MiTAC, MSI, QDI/Legend, Shuttle Computer Group, Inc. and Soltek Computer Inc.