nForce2 Pros

Dolby Digital ICE

The Dolby Digital Interactive Content Encoder is the nForce2’s coup de grâce. When you want the best possible multi-channel performance for your PC, not even the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 or VideoLogic Sirocco Crossfire is going to satisfy you. You’ll want a dedicated Dolby Digital receiver and some real speakers.

For MP3s and DVD movies, it’s not a big deal: you can hook up your PC to your receiver using a single digital SPDIF cable. When it comes to games, however, you’re in trouble. The SPDIF out on all sound cards is limited to two modes:
      1) 2-channel PCM
      2) “Passthrough” mode in which the digital audio stream stored on the DVD is sent       as-is from the sound card

When you’re playing multichannel games, there’s usually no digital alternative. You’ll need to use the multi-channel analog input on your receiver. This is problematic for a number of reasons:
      1) You might want to use the multi-channel input with a Super Audio CD or DVD-Audio       player
      2) You’ll need to make more than three times as many connections, making it difficult if       you move your PC around
      3) The DACs on a high-end receiver are superior to those on a high-end soundcard

With the nForce MCP, your six channel data can be processed and encoded into a Dolby Digital Stream. This leaves your analog multi-channel input free for a SACD or DVD-A player, collapses everything to a simple single cable, and allows you to use the high-end DACs found on your high-end receiver. The latency for Dolby Digital Encoding is insignificant and we did not notice any synchronization issues.

Free Motherboard with Sound Card

This running joke might be tired by now, but you have to remember that we’re looking at an integrated-into-the-chipset sound, not a high-end upgrade. The nForce2 is already a gamer’s favorite for having support for dual Ethernet on-board, USB 2.0 and Firewire, and a dual channel DDR memory controller. Granted, those of you who want a Pentium4 based system are out of luck …