There are 4 parts to this
review, please use the pulldown below to browse sections or simply hit "Next"
at the bottom of each section to continue
Introduction
Just a little over a year ago, enthusiasts around the world were anticipating
the release of Nforce boards featuring an alternative chipset solution offering
by nVidia. The original nforce chipset performed well, but fell below performance
expectation set by Via's KT266A chipset. With the release of the KT333, nForce
could no longer be considered a top contender.
Nvidia is not one to let their competitors get the best of them. No individual
in their right mind would ever expect nVidia to lie down, roll over on their
backs and throw in the towel. They are use to being the best of the best. With
this said, has brought a new chipset to the market, the Nforce 2. It offers
everything Via offers and much more including support for AMD's new 333 MHz
processor line.
Leadtek is well known for their top of the line based video cards. It is perfectly
logical Leadtek would follow suite and join up and manufacturer nVidia based
main boards. Being fairly new to the main board industry The staff of Athlon
XP thought it would interesting to take a look to see what they have to offer
with their newest product the WinFast K7NCR18D- Pro. This main board is based
on nForce2- ST chipset suite.
Technology Briefing
Before we talk specifics of Leadtek's latest main board offerings. I thought
it would be appropriate to briefly discuss Nforce2-ST technology so you know
exactly what it has to offer. You may have notice above I titled the nForce
-ST a suite. That is because it really consists of 2 different unique processors,
nForce2 SSP + and nForce2 MCP-T. Just what are they and what do they do? Let's
take a closer look.
 nForce2
SPP - System Platform Processor
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SPP is nVidia's latest offering for system performance. This "north bridge"
chipset has been designed from scratch and is pure which means there is no graphic
integration on the K7NCR18D- Pro. There are several unique improvements to put
it over the edge of its competitor's offerings. Most importantly, the SPP offers
support for AMD's 333 MHz processor, and now features two separate memory controllers
to slash memory latency in half by allowing each controller to be accessed simultaneously.
No other chipsets currently offer this technology. The bandwidth of the 128-bit
memory controllers also have been upgraded from 4.2 GB/s to 6.4 GB/s. Lastly,
the total amount of system memory supported has doubled, now supporting a total
of 3 GB at 333 or 400 MHz
nForce2
MCP-T- Media Processor
Nvidia's focuses on ultimate multimedia experience This chipset has not been
altered all that much from the orginal nForce "south bridge" chipset
design. It offers all the same features including Dolby Digital AC-3 along with
up to 256 different voices. In addition, the chipset supports ATA 133, up to
six USB 2.0 channels, three Firewire/1394 channels and supports for two network
interface cards.
| Packaging and Contents |
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WinFast K7NCR18D-Pro socket A motherboard |
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USB 2.0 connection bracket (not included with test package) |
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IEEE1394a Firewire Riser card |
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SoundStorm Audio Digital output module |
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1 Ultra ATA 133 IDE cable |
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1Floppy connecting cable |
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User's manual |
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WinFast software pack CD (Driver disk, Unlead Cool 3D,Video Studio6) |
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