Are NForce3 Motherboards PCI/AGP Locked???

[SM-Bot]

We used the Shuttle AN50R nForce3 -150 based board to monitor the PCI input clock at different frequencies using a HewlettPackard HP54512B High Spee3d oscilloscope. Here is what we found:

At 200 MHz system clock, one PCI clock peak to peak interval equals exactly 30 ns, which corresponds to 33 MHz. At 222 MHz, the clock cycle time gets shorter, in fact, we measured 27.1 ns which corresponds to 36.9 MHz.

Our measurements clearly show that, also on the nForce3 chipset, the PCI bus frequency is directly derived from the system clock by means of a divider.

Source: Lost Circuits

[Geeky1]

Note to nVidia:

Congratulations! Not only have you managed to thoroughly f**k up your graphics cards, now you've apparently let the same <strike>idiots</strike> engineers loose on your newest chipset.

Tell me something; is this accidental, or are you guys trying to release more crappy products in less time than any other company in history?

//End Note

:rolleyes:

[SimGuy]

It's a first run chipset, and NVidia probably needs some experience with HyperTransport and the Athlon 64 platform requirements before they get a proper, overclocker-friendly, stable, hella fast chipset.

Hell, the NForce 3 only runs HyperTransport @ 600 MHz to begin with, 200 MHz below the proper 800 MHz rating that HT is supposed to have.

[Geeky1]

The Via and AMD 64-bit chipsets run the HT bus at 800MHz, IIRC.

[SimGuy]

VIA's runs @ 800 MHz HT, but does not have PCI/AGP locks.

The SiS 755, the highest performance A64 chipset currently available, offers 800 MHz HT with PCI/AGP locks.

[Geeky1]

The SiS 755... highest performance A64 chipset

Do you have any idea how disturbing that statement is? :D

[SimGuy]

Geeky1 had this to say
The SiS 755... highest performance A64 chipset

Do you have any idea how disturbing that statement is? :D

Believe me, I'm feel myself being degraded everytime I mention it :D

[Enverex]

SiS had the highest performing chipset a while back too when they first introduced their single NorthBridge/SouthBridge chip, so it's not the first time....

NS

[SimGuy]

For the longest time, the SiS 645DX & 648DX chipsets were the premiere DDR chipsets for the P4 Northwood's, both 400 MHz and 533 MHz systems (spring-summer 2002 actually), before the i845 with DDR support finally took hold.

What would take the world by storm? A high-performance A64 800/1000 MHz HT compatable core logic from ALI with locked AGP/PCI divisors offering better performance than the SiS 755.. :D

[drasnor]

SimGuy had this to say
What would take the world by storm? A high-performance A64 800/1000 MHz HT compatable core logic from ALI with locked AGP/PCI divisors offering better performance than the SiS 755.. :D
They'd have to call it Jafar. :vimp:

-drasnor :fold:

[Enverex]

drasnor had this to say
SimGuy had this to say
What would take the world by storm? A high-performance A64 800/1000 MHz HT compatable core logic from ALI with locked AGP/PCI divisors offering better performance than the SiS 755.. :D
They'd have to call it Jafar. :vimp:

-drasnor :fold:

Kree? :mullet:

NS

[Omega65]

That's why you never want 1st gen Mobo and chipsets. It takes a while to optimize chipset/motherboard designs and add in OCing features.

VIA's next gen A64 chipset is supposed to have 1ghz HT links.

[Thrax]

When it comes to chipsets, SiS has had several ringers in the last 3 years.

SIS735 for the Athlon, the SIS755 for the A64, and the 645DX/648DX chipsets for the Pentium4.

People continuously rag on SiS for a legacy they left behind in 2000.

[RWB]

I've been really happy with the SiS chipsets I have owned in the past... The only problems I had was that the motherboard I bought from newegg showed to be rev.2 when the board I got was rev.1. But those issues were minor.

I am back to Intel though now :P I'd buy an A64 or one of them if it wern't so damned expencive to switch.