Nvidia will next month announce not one but four versions of its upcoming CK8-04 chipset, according to an anonymous Russian source cited by a French web site.

The site, x86 Secret, claims (http://www.x86-secret.com/?option=newsd&nid=783) the next-generation AMD64-oriented chipset line will ship in both standard and Ultra versions, the latter providing Serial ATA II support. A Pro version will be pitched specifically at servers. All three chipsets will offer PCI Express support.

So too will the so-called SLI release, which presumably provides either two PCI Express x16 buses for two SLI-enabled graphics cards, or allows the integrated graphics engine to co-operate with an external card, again utilising Nvidia's SLI technology.

A piece over at AnandTech appears to confirm the regular, Ultra and SLI versions of the chipset, which may or may not be called nForce 4. It claims (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2175) the vanilla version essentially adds PCI Express and 7.1 high-definition audio to the nForce 3 250Gb. Expect Gigabit Ethernet and a hardware firewall too.

In addition to SATA II, the Ultra version offers broader network processing features, along with the firewall - presumably the same kind of functionality already offered (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/11/nvidia_nforce_update/) by the nForce 2 Ultra 400Gb.

Nvidia has already admitted (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/28/nvidia_sempron_939/) that "next-generation nForce MCPs" will not only support Socket 939 Athlon 64s, but provide PCI Express support too. ®

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Nvidia confirms Socket 939 Semprons on way (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/28/nvidia_sempron_939/)
Nvidia roadmap said to tout AGP at high-end well into 2005 (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/07/nvidia_roadmap/)
Nvidia migrates Quadro line to PCI Express (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/29/nvidia_pci_express_quadro/)
Nvidia touts media access tool for 'living room' notebooks (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/02/nvidia_livingroom_notebooks/)
Nvidia rejigs nForce 3 for AMD's Socket 939 (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/02/nvidia_nforce_939/)
Nvidia brings hardware firewall to Athlon XP rigs (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/11/nvidia_nforce_update/)