NVIDIA nForce 680i Chipset Problems

[D_o_S]

Hard|OCP has published an article that discusses NVIDIA's nForce 680i chipset. While this chipset is known to most as the best clocking Intel chipset on the market, some have grown to hate it because of frequent BSODs and errors.

To be succinct, some nForce 680i motherboards have SATA issues. Data seems to get corrupted for no reason causing BSODs and corrupted hard drive errors. Obviously there is a reason, but the problem to the end user may seem very sporadic. The problems are severe enough that they can render a new system build useless. Talking to NVIDIA about this, we came up with the answers to a few questions, but no solutions.


Yes, NVIDIA is aware of the 680i issue and has been able to recreate it in their test labs.


Yes, NVIDIA is working to fix this.


Yes, NVIDIA states it is not a hardware issue, but rather a driver issue so we are all hoping for a fix.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[bornfree]

While S-ATA drives are all the rage in recent years, I've simply not seen the data reliability from them that I require. Yes I understand Nvidia claims their 680i chipset issue is a driver issue, but that doesn't change the fact that S-ATA drives have an unusually high data corruption track record. Fixing the 680i driver won't fix a questionable HD technology, that's for sure. It certainly is cheaper to manufacture S-ATA drives and that means increased profits for everyone in the food chain. That is why S-ATA has been pushed so much, not becuase it is a better HD technology.

 

[RickyG512]

it is better hard drive technology, its faster, ever tried running HD tach which is a HD benchmarking software

i wont be buying this 680i untill intel fix this problem

 

[KennyT772]

intel? it isnt intels problem. nvidia has a buggy driver with possibly bad chipsets. this is the LAST thing nvidia needs with ati's offerings coming out in the next few months...

by the way sata hard drives are the exact same as their pata counterparts minus the bus latency and with a different controller chip. most times you can find a direct link between a pata drive and sata drive with average speed and seek times but the latency is either the same or lower on the sata part.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Wow, out of the number of MBs I've had I have never had a SATA problem. The only problem SATA ever had was recognizing devices like CD-Rom and even then it either worked or wasn't recognized at all. Since then it's been fixed and no longer a problem. The 680i chipset from Nvidia is buggy plain and simple! I seriously don't believe it's a driver issue as some are not having problems. I believe this problem may lie in the controller itself. Some Asus boards use JMicron JMB363 controller...I am not sure what Nvidia uses. But whatever controller they are using it will require a chipset update.
Here's the proof

Apparently, the core-logic’s I/O controller has issues with Serial ATA and RAID (redundant array of independent disks) capabilities.

Again, I don't believe this to be a software problem but a hardware control chip problem.

I wonder if cooling the SB is the issue?

 

[WarEagleAU]

That ATI AMD merger is looking mighty sweet now. Just kidding, Im sure Nvidia will fix this problem.

-The Eagle

 

[newtekie1]

Sounds like this might be similar to what happened to the NForce 4s. Hopefully they get it straightened out so because the 680i boards are very nice besides this.

 

[Grings]

and the nforce 2's, seems they have this every time they release a new chipset, but it usually ends up being fixed in a driver/bios. hope its fixed soon, i was planning on getting 680i (waiting for more manufacturers to release boards at mo)

 

[tony929292]

this driver for my hdd are awful i going back to my nf4 board

 

[Ketxxx]

SATA drives have not got a higher data corruption track record, nor have I seen any evidence to support even a possibility. One thing is for sure though, the 680i chipset isnt very good, nVidia may say its not a hardware problem, but we are all well aware of how a driver manipulates hardware, so I wouldnt put it past nVidia to cover up a hardware problem with a "workaround"