NVIDIA’s next dual x16 SLI is two chips

Over the course of the show, we’ve seen several motherboards based on the MCP55 chipset. We understand that this is the chip behind NVIDIA’s nForce 500-series of chipset solutions. The killer is that motherboard makers are using a C51 SPP and the MCP55 ‘South Bridge’ in their dual X16 SLI motherboards for Socket AM2. There are single chip dual X8 solutions available from most makers that just use the MCP55 chip.

Details of the chipset are not confirmed yet and NVIDIA is unlikely to speak about this before Socket AM2 is launched. However, every board that we’ve seen based on the chipset has had six SATA II ports and a single IDE port. This appears to be a decision made by NVIDIA, as SATA optical drives are becoming more readily available and affordable.

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