A couple of the nicer utilities available with any motherboard chipset are NVIDIA's NV Monitor and nTune. They only work completely on NVIDIA chipsets, and not all manufacturers have implemented all the hooks necessary to support the software utility. However, when it is available and working properly it provides a lot of info about your system and a fair amount of system control. When the NVIDIA 680i was our cooling test motherboard we used NV Monitor to measure CPU temperature, in a large part because we found the utility easy to use and it provided very repeatable results.

nTune also works on any motherboard to control NVIDIA video cards, which it can do automatically or manually. However, on an NVIDIA chipset like the 680i nTune has many additional capabilities. As we saw in the 680i launch, nTune 5.05 had ambitions to become the control center for overclocking your motherboard and video card. Of course, this only worked at launch if your motherboard had an NVIDIA 680i chipset, you used an NVIDIA 8800 video card, and the manufacturer fully implemented the nTune hooks. NVIDIA has expanded nTune with new hardware introductions, but many computer enthusiasts - the primary target of the utility - still seem to either ignore or at best feel ambivalent towards the tool.

One thing was very clear in that introduction, however. NVIDIA had a great interest in providing enthusiasts with all the overclocking tools they could to set NVIDIA apart as being the company for enthusiasts. With each new chipset, the enthusiast tools seem to get a bit more ambitious.


Today, with the coming introduction of the NVIDIA 780i chipset, NVIDIA is looking to make serious changes to what is possible with enthusiast systems by launching a new technology platform. The name of the new standard is ESA - Enthusiast System Architecture. Its goal is to provide information and control to enthusiasts not just for NVIDIA motherboards and video cards, but to provide that information and control for many other components in an ESA-enabled system.

ESA monitoring and control will extend to processors, motherboards, video cards, cooling hardware, and power supplies. This is not necessarily everything ESA can monitor and control, but it is a starting point. In theory, any component could implement ESA and potentially be controlled by ESA.

ESA hardware and the software to monitor/manage it will not be available for a few weeks, but NVIDIA has chosen today to allow editors to start talking about the ESA specification. This means a closer look at what ESA really is, how it works, who has signed on to provide ESA components, and how this will all work in providing the enthusiast unprecedented control of their computer system.


What is ESA?

In its simplest terms, ESA is a new industry standard developed for real-time monitoring and control of PC power supplies, chassis, and cooling systems. The goal, of course, is to enable manufacturers and enthusiasts to build higher performance PCs than has been possible before. However, ESA is not just about the highest benchmark score. This new component control will enable companies and/or users to build the quietest PC possible, or to set up ever more complicated control paradigms that allow the computer to function at its best regardless of the operating environment.

Of course, NVIDIA is not completely altruistic and they obviously want to sell more chipsets, video cards, and future components because of ESA. However, NVIDIA was very wise to make ESA an open standard. This means it is free to use for anyone who wants to implement the standard. This does not mean that AMD or Intel will jump on the ESA bandwagon tomorrow, but it does mean that any manufacturer who wishes can implement ESA. If ESA is a huge success, we could eventually see even competitors to NVIDIA support it.

That still doesn't explain exactly what ESA is or how it works, so let's delve a little deeper and look at where we are today and what ESA brings to the table.

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Today components communicate with the motherboard and software via standards like SMBus, EPP, PCIe, Serial ATA, and HyperTransport. The communication, however, normally has little to do with system monitoring and variable control. ESA is a separate communication standard that will work in conjunction with these protocols to provide the monitoring and control information to other components and/or software.

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This can include information for a power supply like voltage monitoring and control, temperature control, and current monitoring. A chassis could report and control temperatures in the case and manage interior lights. Coolers could monitor temperatures - including water temperature and water levels for liquid cooling - fan RPMs, and airflow. This is just the tip of the iceberg since ESA can manage and control anything the manufacturer chooses to implement.

Control is not limited to just these components. ESA is starting here but if it can go anywhere enthusiasts and component manufacturers want it to go. With an open standard, there could be many custom modules in Linux, for example, written by computer enthusiasts to provide a wide range of adjustments for ESA components. Yes, ESA is initially a Windows application - provided by NVIDIA - but as you will see on the next page, the actual protocol is OS independent. This is very important for the future of ESA, as it will eventually allow ESA to operate with any platform.


How ESA Works

ESA will not use a new control bus, but will instead communicate over a standard USB interface. ESA sits on top of the existing USB specification and all that's really necessary is software to listen for and potentially adjust any ESA-enabled devices. Other software is already sitting on top of USB, so ESA is fortunately not breaking any new ground in how it works. The standards already exist and NVIDIA has already submitted ESA to the USB-if HID subcommittee for discussion.

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As you can see, ESA is both a hardware and a software interface. Components that report ESA data and allow control must be ESA compliant. Software that reports and controls ESA components can exist either as a standard application running on top of an OS, as part of the BIOS, or it can load before an OS - or any combination of these approaches. For those familiar with USB it is OS independent, operating before the OS loads, and thus ESA can eventually be OS independent.


Software ties ESA together. As you can see in the upcoming utility that will be introduced with the 780i chipset, ESA compliant power supplies, cases, water coolers, and many other component classes can be monitored and controlled by the NVIDIA software. However, any hardware or software vendor - or a talented enthusiast - could write ESA software as ESA is an open standard. As the impetus for ESA, NVIDIA certainly has the lead in supporting ESA at this time, but if the standard is widely adopted you will see ESA components and hardware appearing from many directions.

ESA Certification

To provide consistency in ESA compliance, current ESA supporters have set up ESA certification by an independent test lab. Allion is a leading IT testing organization and is the testing lab for ESA. Allion will evaluate devices for compliance with the ESA standard and cross device compatibility.

At the very minimum, a device seeking ESA certification will have to implement the monitoring capabilities of the ESA standard - though not every type of device will need to monitor the same options, so for example one PSU may only elect to report certain voltage outputs. As an enthusiast tool, of course, every company developing ESA compliant components is also encouraged to provide control functions for the hardware. We see such things as power supplies that allow users to tweak voltage outputs and control PS fan speeds (and therefore noise) through software.


Components - like motherboards, power supplies, cases, and cooling devices - that meet ESA compliance and compatibility standards can use the ESA logo in their advertising and packaging. This will make it easier for computer enthusiasts to find components that will work with their ESA system.


Who Is Supporting ESA?

The list of ESA supporters will always be in development, but the list of companies who have agreed to support the new ESA standard is already impressive.


The fact that both HP and Dell - the top two PC makers in the world - have already signed on for support of ESA will certainly go a long way to ensure its success. Supporters also include top enthusiast PC makers like Falcon Northwest and Alienware. Tier One motherboard manufacturers ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI are also ESA supporters, as well as a wide cross section of power supply manufacturers and cooler companies.

This level of industry support bodes well for the future of ESA as a standard for the computer enthusiast. Time will tell if the standard becomes even more widely adopted. If it does, you will see the supporter list grow exponentially.

Industry Comments

"The industry-standard device communication protocol provided with ESA enables a rich set of tools for tuning PC hardware performance. These tools offer PC enthusiasts more flexible and granular control over primary system support components. For example, the ESA standard communication method is used in Dell's unique LightFX architecture, and will help accelerate development of deeply immersive ambient lighting in PC games."
- Kevin Kettler, PhD (CTO), DELL

"ESA is a communication protocol that ties together all the key aspects of a system. But more significant to HP is the fact that we can potentially use ESA enabled technology to create a unique and immediately noticeable experience benefit to our customers."
- Rahul Sood, CTO HP Global Gaming Business, HP

"Falcon Northwest has been bullish on the ESA concept from the start. Tying together information and control from disparate PC components has never been possible until ESA. We're looking forward to building ESA-enabled systems that will give our tech-savvy clientèle a new level of feedback and tweaking for Falcon PCs."
- Kelt Reeves, Falcon Northwest

"In addition to the awesome capabilities provided to hardware enthusiasts, ESA also offers system builders an efficient mechanism for debugging the hardware inside systems. In the past, this has been an arduous and almost Herculean-task. ESA is proving to be instrumental in helping us reduce overall support costs."
- Wallace Santos, Maingear


ESA Problem Solving

The only limitation to the capabilities of ESA is the imagination of manufacturers, software engineers, and enthusiasts. Perhaps the best way to understand what ESA can potentially do for systems is to look at some current system problems, and how they could be solved using ESA components and tools.


PROBLEM: Airflow in the case is uneven and this affects stability and overclocking capabilities

Causes:

• Insufficient ventilation
• Air blockage in the system
• Poor chassis fan positions/speeds

ESA Solution:

• Distributed thermal sensors (with 3D position information)
• Instrumented fans that communicate speed and location

Builders and users can identify and control airflow issues in ESA cases equipped with multiple fans, each controlled individually by ESA.


PROBLEM: Poor cooling performance also affects overclocking

Causes: Water Cooling Effectiveness depends on

• Flow rate
• Water temperature
• Good thermal connection between blocks and devices

ESA Solution:

• Monitored water temperature and flow rates
• Controlled fans and pumps

ESA allows identification and correction of water cooling issues before system stability becomes a problem.

We would be remiss if we didn't point out a problem that ESA cannot solve: dust and pet hair buildup. However, ESA could tell us our fans are losing efficiency, and we may now look forward to pop-ups telling us we have clogged fans that need cleaning. Obviously, monitoring and control of cooling components can only go so far, but better monitoring at the very least should allow for easier troubleshooting and correction of certain types of problems.


Final Words

One of the frustrations of technology launches, as opposed to actual hardware and software launches, is that no matter what you write it ends up sounding something like a commercial for the product. That is why all the writers at AnandTech much prefer the hard reality of testing a product at launch, where we can make comparisons.

Today is the technology launch of ESA, with hardware officially launching shortly. However, ESA is a new standard, driven by hardware and software, more than it is a static product. As such, it is much easier to look at ESA for the potential it could bring to a market with no real standards in system monitoring and control. ESA will try to be that new standard, and we certainly welcome NVIDIA's earnest attempt to bring some standardization and additional tools to enthusiasts and system builders. The result could be the best performing systems we have ever seen - or the quietest systems or the most self-regulating systems. Certainly, the potential is there.

How fast ESA develops into a truly effective set of system tools depends on how widely adopted the standard becomes, and how fast component manufacturers embrace the standard. NVIDIA already has laid some excellent groundwork for the ESA standard as evidenced by the large number of important industry manufacturers who have already signed on to use ESA. The company is confident that ESA will emerge as a building block for Smart PCs - confident enough that they shared their vision of the future of ESA.


This year's ESA launch will see the initial launch of ESA components, with a heavy slant toward devices communicating monitoring information to the software interface. In 2008, NVIDIA believes we will begin to see ESA+PC Control and the development of ESA scripting languages. This could enable some very large steps toward system control and tuning, as utilities that address this segment have been decidedly lacking up until now. Finally, in 2009 NVIDIA expects to see Intelligent Agents and ESA utilities that work before loading of the OS. Removing ESA from the constraints of OS software will certainly speed development of the Smart PC as ESA evolves.

It is often difficult in the PC industry for one company to develop and champion a new PC standard. The business is competitive, and manufacturers are often distrustful of each other's motives. We are very happy NVIDIA decided ESA should be an open standard available to all, that certification for ESA is in the hands of an independent testing laboratory, and that NVIDIA has quickly built an impressive list of well-known launch partners for ESA components. All of these developments point toward a real effort to establish a new standard that will benefit computer enthusiasts and their suppliers; we can even see the potential for ESA support to trickle down into non-enthusiast market segments over time, provided it gains enough traction.

Looking ahead, it is our plan to take a closer look at an ESA system with as many ESA certified components as there are available to see how they work together. There will also be an eye toward how they might work together in the future. When we actually touch and see ESA working with a large array of off-the-shelf components we can be more confident of where ESA may go. The demonstrations at NVIDIA only scratched the surface, and while they looked interesting we want to see more.

ESA may be the winner for the new system standard for monitoring and control, or it may languish in the market place. You and manufacturers will decide if ESA is a winner. We think the idea is a good one, and if not ESA it will likely be something very similar that will take system control to the next level.