Hardware First Look: Nvidia nForce 780i SLI

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/12/17/first_look_nvidia_nforce_780i_sli/1

We know some of you have been waiting quite a while for an update to the massively popular nForce 680i SLI chipset - and now it's here: the Nvidia nForce 780i SLI. We pull 780i apart to let you know what that extra hundred gets you.

 

great review... again !

the gigabyte boards rock. i used to think the same about the colour scheme but since buying the DS2R, i have to say its a work of art

 

I'd hoped fanless motherboards were a thing of the past.

 

Hmm uninspiring. I know that its its early days, but it looks like you should get an Intel board (P35) unless you REALLY need SLI.

 

my conclusion: avoid nvidia chipsets if you live somewhere you can buy a p35 board and dont fall for the marketing hype called sli....

 

I used to like them but now I've gone the other way, there's so much better on offer - it doesn't feel like you're buying an enthusiast product

 

fantastic read and will be looking forward for more.

yeah, we also had plenty of odd things happening with NV chipsets. latest one in the lab has some power control issues. may be an assembly QC thingy at plants in china. who know...

 

Sorry I didn't read the entire article (I am at work, I will read later!) so if this was mentioned in the article I am sorry.

When are they going up for sale?

What about 790i mobos?

 

After three SLI boards, I'm taking a pass this time around. Too much heat for not enough performance. I'm just going the single large GPU route in the future personally.

I do like the color-scheme for the XFX version though, aside from the memory slots and other bits on the PCB. If it were all lime-green on black PCB, it'd be a beaut.

 

Considering many 680i users avoid nTune like the plague due to cases of it corrupting the BIOS and otherwise messing things up, one has to wonder if they got the basics right with the new nTune first, before slapping a new GUI on it and integrating ESA.

I think I'll give the 7x0i series a miss, my 680i will easily tide me over until Nehalem, that is if it doesn't fry itself again... and I'll be steering clear of the false economy that is Upgrade-path SLI.

 

Liking the new Black I/O port covers for motherboards.

 

I assumed they would be available today/tomorrow as Nvidia "doesn't do paper launches" which is why I had a go in the uTune/ESA page. There seem to be a few listed but they are only Asus boards - the P6N-T for £158 and and Striker II for £200ish.

790i - sometime next year, I've no details yet.

 

Where Rich?

 

basicly the same old ****...

 

Just a few random sites - nowhere big or where you'd usually buy yet. I just asked NV and a few mobo manuf. about shipping and no one seems to know, strangely :|

XFX - Scan will stock by end of the week! (check Thursday)

Edit: According to the Tech Report, the 780i uses 7W more power than 680i SLI: http://techreport.com/articles.x/13790/11

and MSI has info on its 700-series boards too: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=143964

 

How can they possibly call this an enthusiast board without DDR3 support?

Nvidia is just milking old technology and calling it enthusiast. Welcome to the world of no competition.

 

These look like a reasonable stop gap for those waiting for a totally new nVidia board with DDR3 and SLI combo. DDR3 is still very expensive compared to similarly performing DDR2 and these new boards allow for the new Intel CPUs.

For 99% of people SLI is a bit of a gimmick but I had SLI with two 7900GTs and it was excellent on a 20" widescreen monitor. Two SLI 8800GTs is a good step up from an 8800 Ultra and two SLI 8800GTXs will be a step up from that. SLI functions in most games now and can give people with a little money to burn a welcome boost in gfx performance (though I freely accept your point that the performance is x1.5 for double the cost, there is no single card alternative).

 

Because nobody wants DDR3.

 

if we could buy 4 GB DDR3 for sub 150£ i would certainly want it

 

Just got an email from EVGA as follows:


EVGA is proud to announce the 680i Motherboard Upgrade Promotion.
EVGA is offering a special (1) one time upgrade promotional program to all of its (122-CK-NF68-XX)* registered customers.
This program is for a limited time and will run for 60 days.
(122-CK-NF68-XX)* customers will be able to upgrade to the 780i (132-CK-NF78-XX) motherboard for a one time fee of $89.99 USD or €79.99.

What do you get for the $89.99 (€79.99)?
• New EVGA 780i Motherboard (132-CK-NF78-XX)
• 3 Way SLI Bridge ($20 USD €14 Value)
• Free Ground Shipping** ($10 USD €7 Value)
• PCI-E 2.0 Slots
• 3 x16 PCI-E Slots
• ESA Certified Platform
• New Upgrade Warranty (–A1 Limited Lifetime / -T1 2 Year Limited Warranty)

All products must be registered (http://www.evga.com/myEVGA/)
You will need to send in your EVGA 680i Motherboard once you have been approved for this promotion.
Please visit our website at: http://www.evga.com/680iupgrade/ and then log in to see this upgrade offer.

Thank you, EVGA Marketing.

==============================


So they're essentially offering a new time-limited step-up to the 780i with new conditions for those of us who have the 680i.
If the offer ran longer than 60 days I'd hold out and wait to see if the retail 780i is as unstable and unreliable as the 680i, but as it stands I'd rather not risk trading up my 680i to a 780i when there's a risk that it'd just plain suck.
And as I mentioned earlier in this very thread, the 680i should tide me over 'til Nehalem.