TwinBank Memory Architecture

TwinBank Memory Architecture

As more and more computer users run more complex 3D applications, the need for system memory bandwidth increases. Why? Well, a 3D application, such as Quake III, runs at high resolutions, high color depths, high frame rates, and high refresh rates—which overall means a stunning gaming experience, but one that requires valuable system memory bandwidth. Before the nForce^TM SPP/IGP and its TwinBank^TM Memory Architecture, high-performance processing with a CPU and an integrated GPU just wasn't possible—leaving PC manufacturers with one choice: deliver an inexpensive solution that provided only limited system performance and sub-par graphics.

What is TwinBank and Why is it Important?
The patent-pending TwinBank Memory Architecture, an innovative 128-bit memory controller supporting DDR-266MHz system memory technologies, was designed to achieve optimal system and graphics performance, and provide the highest memory bandwidth possible. Only with TwinBank, can you perform concurrent tasks without any performance degradation, including:

checking e-mail,
browsing the Web,
watching DVD movies,
and playing 3D-intensive games.

Unequivocally, TwinBank forms the performance foundation for NVIDIA's nForce Platform Processing Architecture, giving users the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously without having to worry about memory bandwidth or performance slowdowns.

The TwinBank Solution
Fully scalable, with support for a wide variety of memory configurations, TwinBank's dual-independent, cross-bar memory controller allows the CPU and the graphics and audio subsystems simultaneous access to the system's 4.2GB/sec. of memory bandwidth, guaranteeing continuous access for all applications, all the time. In fact, in tests TwinBank delivered up to 30% peak system memory bandwidth when compared to comparable dual-channel-based RDRAM chipsets. Unlike other systems utilizing a multiple arbitration process, TwinBank was designed around a single-step arbiter, reducing system latency and improving overall system performance even more.

The days of mediocre system performance are now over. With the NVIDIA nForce SPP/IGP and its revolutionary TwinBank Memory Architecture, exceptional system performance is available at all times. TwinBank allows PC users to simultaneously run multiple 2D and 3D applications without any loss in system performance, speed, or functionality.