BIOS musings
NVIDIA isn't pulling any punches. The nForce 570 Intel Edition chipset is aimed at the performance sector, replete with SLI compatibility and a host of features. Enthusiasts, though, always want the finest possible control over BIOS settings, so let's see how the reference nForce 590 SLI Intel Edition board fares in this regard.
Specific to the nForce 590 SLI chipset, be it Intel- or AMD-based, is the opportunity to use EPP memory that, if fast enough, can be configured in a few easy steps to run at greater-than DDR2-800 levels. The motherboard will automatically change latencies, speeds, and voltages to suit, depending upon which charachteristic you choose. For example, if you select CPU OC 0%, whereby the processor clock speed is left relatively unchanged, PC1066 EPP memory will run at 900MHz+, giving a slight bandwidth boost.
It's interesting to note how NVIDIA offers DRAM speeds. Our testing highlighted that between 30-71 settings can be altered, and the number depends upon the processor's FSB at that time. The BIOS offers speeds of up to 1400MHz, although NVIDIA is open enough to state that supporting <1000MHz speeds pose technical difficulties right now.
There's a whole range of voltages to choose from, befitting an enthusiast board. We've listed them in a table for your perusal.
| Feature | Adjustments possible |
|---|---|
| FSB Clock | 100 - 500MHz (1MHz increments) |
| CPU FID | 6x - 60x. FID (x1 increments) |
| PCI-E (x16 slot 1) Clock | 100-148.4375MHz (1.5625MHz increments) |
| PCI-E (x16 slot 2) Clock | 100-130MHz (1MHz increments) |
| Memory | 400-1400MHz, with speed determining number of options* |
| CPU Core voltage | 0.50000-1.80000V 0.50000-1.6V in 0.00625V increments 1.60000-1.8V in 0.01250V increments |
| CPU VTT voltage | 1.30-1.50V in 0.1V increments |
| Memory VDIMM | 1.875V - 2.50V in 0.025V increments |
| HyperTransport Voltage | 1.30V - 1.60V in 0.05V increments |
| NB Voltage | 1.40V - 1.55V in 0.025V increments |
| SB Voltage | 1.525V - 1.75V in 0.025V increments |
Frequency selection isn't too shabby either.
Decent voltage/frequency selection is augmented with proper reporting.
We expected a feature-rich BIOS that was geared towards the enthusiast. NVIDIA's not disappointed.