NVIDIA 780i: Evolution Plus Triple SLI

Final Words

When we first saw the 780i chipset in late October it was clear that the new chipset was basically the same 680i two chip micro-architecture with an added nForce 200 chip to provide two x16 PCIe 2.0 compliant graphics slots. 680i already supports 1333FSB bus and DDR2-1200, so this wasn't new. However, there were several intriguing new features such as support for the new 45nm Penryn chips from Intel, 3-way SLI to boost gaming performance using three NVIDIA graphics cards, and the introduction of ESA to give enthusiasts the ability to custom control all the major components of their system. These interesting features provided a bit of justification for the upgrade to 780i.

Then NVIDIA delayed the 700i series for about six weeks as rumors flew that Penryn would not work properly with 780i, at least in the quad-core flavor. The talk was that NVIDIA was respinning the chipset to fix compatibility issues. NVIDIA now tells us that the issue was a change in the final release of Penryn that required a rework of some of the board circuitry. The chipsets themselves, both 780i and 680i, are said to be perfectly capable of supporting Penryn if used on a modified board. It now appears a complete fix cannot be made with just a BIOS update for 680i; it is possible a BIOS update will allow dual-core Wolfdale to work as it should, but not quad-core Yorkfield. We will leave the official word for this with NVIDIA and their board partners.

At any rate, somewhere along the way to the fix for Penryn, the new features of 780i became not so exclusive. First, NVIDIA now tells us that 680i can also support Penryn on a reworked motherboard if the manufacturer chooses to implement it. We also hear that most manufacturers are choosing to move to 780i for their Penryn support, although a few manufactures will release an updated 680i board that will fully support Penryn flavors. Last Thursday 3-way SLI launched (but not 780i), and we learned that 680i could also support 3-way SLI. This support is via two x16 slots and an x8 slot, and none of the slots are PCIe 2.0, but Triple SLI will still run on 680i. Strike down another feature we thought was exclusive to 780i. Finally, in the last few days we learned that ESA, NVIDIA's interesting new Enthusiast System Architecture control standard, would also work on the 680i chipset. At this point, we are left to ask what then is truly unique about 780i.

The answer appears to be three x16 PCIe slots instead of x16, x16, x8 with two of the slots (but not all three) being PCIe 2.0 compliant. This seems to be a tremendously small advantage, even for a chipset that is clearly more evolutionary than revolutionary. Our own tests confirm what NVIDIA has already told us, and that is that performance of the 780i under the same test conditions is the same as the 680i chipset. There is, however, one big advantage for 780i. You can be sure, with 780i, that your motherboard will support Penryn. While the 680i might support Wolfdale with a BIOS update, you will need a new board to run Yorkfield. If you are going to have to buy a new NVIDIA board, you might as well buy the 780i.

Again, we are taking a closer look at 3-way SLI on the 780i so look for our test results on whether the 3-Way performance with three x16 slots will make a difference for you later today. You will also see a review shortly that will examine the overclocking capabilities of the 780i. We are still excited about ESA, and we are hard at work on a review of an ESA system with a selection of current ESA certified components. We are interested to see what real impact the ability to control peripherals other than the motherboard will have on system performance.

To be blunt, there is almost nothing new about 780i. It now turns out 680i does all the same tricks except supporting three x16 PCIe slots (680i supports x16, x16, x8) with two being PCIe 2.0 compliant. However, you do get assurance with 780i that you are getting a new NVIDIA motherboard certified by Intel to support Penryn (Wolfdale and Yorkfield). You do not get that assurance when you purchase a current 680i chipset motherboard.

We like the new features from NVIDIA that we first saw in late October with 780i. The fact that virtually all of these new features also run on 680i just means that they are not exclusive, which is good news for current 680i owners. Whether 3-way SLI on three x16 PCIe slots, ESA control, or Penryn compatibility are features you want is something individuals will need to examine for how they fit their vision of a great computer system.