NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition to cost US$80 + Motherboards ‘More than US$150 Each’

Nvidia’s nForce4 SLI (scalable link interface) Intel Edition chipset will be priced at about US$80 per unit, 60% higher than Intel’s most expensive chipsets from its 9xx series, motherboard makers indicated yesterday. First-tier motherboard makers may be able to receive a discounted unit price of US$65, but that would still be higher than Intel’s US$50 price for its 925XE chipset or its dual-core supporting 955X chipset, the makers pointed out.

..Despite the high price, motherboard makers express a high level of interest in Nvidia’s new chipset, the makers said. The nForce4 SLI Intel Edition will be aimed at the high-end of the market, which accounts for about 10% of the Intel market, according to Drew Henry, general manager of Nvidia’s media and communications processor (MCP) business, at the company’s press conference in Taiwan yesterday.

The new nForce4 for the Intel platform will be applied into mainstream motherboards within one year, Henry anticipates. Currently, the solution only targets high-end motherboards that will be priced at more than US$150 each, according to Henry.

..About thirteen motherboard makers including Asustek Computer, Albatron Technology, Gigabyte Technology, Foxconn Electronics (the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry), Abit Computer and Micro-Star International (MSI) are ready to ship new products supporting Nvidia’s SLI-compatible solutions for the Intel platform, Henry suggested.

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