Conclusion

NVIDIA’s nForce3 250 chipset is shaping up to be an incredibly flexible platform. nForce3 250Gb provides native Gigabit Ethernet networking, the first on an AMD platform, and brings with it the first native Firewall solution. With security becoming an increasing concern as security flaws continue to be exploited, this feature should come as a welcome addition to the typical home user as well as corporations.

NVIDIA has incorporated an enhanced HyperTransport interface into nForce3 250, addressing one of the nForce3 150’s chief complaints, and now has dual built-in Serial ATA controllers. This should please gamers and enthusiasts as well as A/V gurus, and motherboard manufacturers won’t have to rely on external solutions for Serial ATA support.

nForce3 250 and nForce3 250Gb are pin-compatible with nForce3 150 (688 pins total), so motherboard manufacturers can drop it right into their existing solutions. This eases development and manufacturing costs for motherboard manufacturers, in fact Chaintech has already announced their nForce3 250 board, the Zenith ZNF3-250. nForce3 250 is in full production now, with the first motherboards expected to hit retail this month.

Unlike previous nForce launches where NVIDIA limited itself to five or six board partners, NVIDIA lists 19 motherboard partners onboard for nForce3 250, with more likely on the way. Some of the launch partners we inquired with however mentioned that they will be waiting on Socket 939 before they introduce an nForce3 250 part.

Unfortunately, the Soundstorm audio found on nForce2 didn’t migrate over to nForce3 250, but NVIDIA is hard at work on a new discrete audio solution. We’re still holding out hopes that this technology somehow finds its way to nForce3. Remember that NVIDIA initially had no plans for an nForce product without integrated graphics, but less than a year after the chipset was introduced they released nForce 415D – a solution without integrated graphics. However, even if this doesn't occur manufacturers could still potentially integrate an external NVIDIA audio solution into their existing designs.

nForce3 250’s performance isn’t revolutionary. We found that it performed on par if not slightly better than VIA K8T800. When you pair this with the additional features nForce3 250 offers, it definitely puts NVIDIA in a better position to compete against SiS and VIA than they had with nForce3 150. We can only wonder what might have been if NVIDIA had been able to deliver nForce3 250 in the last half of 2003 as originally intended however.

Overall the nForce3 250 platform has a lot of good things going for it, but we’ll reserve final judgment until we have retail motherboards in our hands. We’ve been told that things will get really exciting for nForce3 250 once Socket 939 hits, but unfortunately that’s one story we can’t share with you until those processors are introduced later this year. We've also been told that all of the technologies found in nForce3 250Gb will soon find their way into NVIDIA's K7 line.

In the meantime nForce3 250 offers an excellent feature set and solid performance. If you were tempted by nForce3 150, you’ll love nForce3 250. And if the audio is a concern, Chaintech’s board offers VIA’s well regarded Envy24 7.1 audio. How’s that for irony!