NVIDIA nForce 650i Ultra Chipset Launch

Nvidia’s nForce 600-series now is available at top to bottom price points with the introduction of the 650i Ultra. At an estimated $99 street price (we’re guessing it will drift lower in time), Nvidia will now be able to move their technology into low-cost gaming systems, instead of losing this market share to Intel’s 965 series.

As lower-cost, mass-market products are always the big sellers, we would expect that it won’t take long for the 650i series to overtake the 680i series in sales. The introduction of the 650i Ultra also begins the squeeze on the 650i SLI out of Nvidia’s spotlight, as it’s now sandwiched in between the 650i Ultra and 650i LT SLI in terms of price and features.

If you wanted the performance and flexibility of an nForce 600-series board but didn’t want to pay through the nose for a 680i class board with SLI functionality which may or may not be used, you now have a viable option with the 650i Ultra. It’s a solid platform and an excellent performer. We have no qualms in recommending it. Admittedly, there are more exciting platforms out there, but it’s the workhorses like the NVIDIA 650i Ultra which end up being used in a wide varity of systems and installations.

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