Chipset: nForce3 250Gb Review :: NVIDIA System Utility and NVMixer

NVIDIA released new Forceware drivers recently for the nForce platforms with a new utility called NV System Utility. This utility allows for showing system information and easy overclocking of the motherboard. To see if your nForce platform motherboard supports this utility you need to check out NVIDIA's website. As the nForce3 250 Gb is a new platform, the boards supporting the utility aren't as yet listed on NVIDIA's site.

The first screen on the NVIDIA System Utility screen shows the FSB HyperTransport, and AGP bus speeds Also on this screen are sliders for the memory timings. To change the FSB speed you need to simply move the slider to the right. Once the slider is in a position that you're comfortable with hit the checkbox and the system utility will apply the overclock to the setting that you apply. I personally don't overclock my system so this isn't much use to me.

The second screen is the system information screen. This gives you information on the memory being used, the CPU being used, the motherboard information (Vendor, Version, Model), what version of the MCP (Media Control Processor) being used, the speed of the HyperTransport bus and FSB settings, and the version of the various components on the motherboard. This is pretty self-explanatory.

NV Mixer is NVIDIA's audio control wizard for motherboards that support nForce audio. While not up to the standard of Sound Storm (there are persistent rumors that Sound Storm will return either on a motherboard chipset or on a standalone sound card), this does offer support for up to 7.1 surround sound on the nForce3 250 Gb. The first screen is the main sound screen where you can set the volume for each output jack and check the speaker setup. The second screen is the speaker set up wizard. From here you can change the speaker settings from Headphones up to the 7.1 surround sound. The third screen is the equalizer wizard where you can set up a variety of presets. The fourth screen is the environment screen. From here you can change the environment from the default to an alley and the sound will be different. The last screen is the information screen which tells you about the audio on the motherboard you're using.

The built-in Firewall is controlled by the Network Access Manager. The first screen shows the Network Access Manager Setup Screen. From here you can setup your Ethernet,, setup your Firewall, view logs of your Firewall, Backup or Restore your Firewall Settings, view your Ethernet information, view your Firewall information, start the Firewall Wizard, and view a Help screen.

From the Firewall Wizards screen you can set up the firewall to allow you to host a server such as Quake or Half Life (Currently playing UT2004), use Secure Shell (SSH) to securely connect to a remote server, use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to assign IP addresses from a DHCP server or run a DHCP server from your own computer, and other useful functions like running a FTP server or a chat program like Mirc.