NVIDIA's nForce 500-series chipset

MediaShield

NVIDIA offers all the RAID options you could require - 0, 1, 0+1 and 5. NVIDIA's implementation of RAID 5 is cutting-edge. If you have three discs in RAID 5 configuration, you can configure a fourth as a spare (whilst still using it). The fourth can be added to the array, on the fly, should one disc fail.

In the event of failure, then, there will be virtually no interruption to your work - you can simply pull out the dead drive and continue to use the other three in RAID 5. Should you wish to go back to four discs, you can plug in another and it will configure itself back into the RAID array. The SATA RAID array can handle up to 6 SATA 300MB/sec drives with Native Command Queuing. There is one IDE controller, allowing for two devices to be connected.

High Definition Audio

Although SoundStorm does not make a return, the popular Intel-developed codec is in place here. Azalia audio has become the standard for high-quality integrated audio, and although ATI has had it on its boards for some time, NVIDIA is now standardising on it across its range. Expect to see, then, boards with all manner of digital ins and outs as standard across the nForce 500 range.

Firewall

Those who had issues with the NVIDIA hardware firewall will be relieved to see that it has gone from nForce 5. NVIDIA says that this is because it previously understood that the hardware would be able to work with the Microsoft Windows Firewall in XP and Vista, but that has turned out not to be the case. Consequently, given the built-in Windows Firewall, NVIDIA has dropped its own from nForce 5.

The reference design

NVIDIA has worked with Foxconn to come up with a reference design for nForce 590 SLI motherboards. This goes as far as to implement a reference BIOS with all the tweakable options exposed. NVIDIA is recommending this board as a great implementation of the 590 SLI chipset. Included is a UV reactive fan on the SPP, a segment readout for troubleshooting and power and reset switches on the board itself. The BIOS includes all the LinkBoost, SLI Memory and tweaking options that could possibly imagined. We'll be looking at this, in conjunction with boards from all the usual suspects, very soon.