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Rapid Virtualization Indexing (RVI) is a hardware virtualization feature that can potentially give significant performance improvement. Intel's equivalent is Extended Page Tables. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_Virtualization_Indexing for more details.

My question is: Does RVI require motherboard or chipset support? If yes, what desktop chipsets support it? I've ordered a Phenom II CPU (which supports RVI) but I haven't bought the motherboard. I'll install XenServer or VMware ESXi (which both support RVI) on the new computer.

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Since the MMU is included on the CPU die, I guess that MoBos / chipsets don't even need to know about nested page tables.

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+1, correct. RVI and other NPT schemes only require CPU, Northbridge (integrated to CPU for AMD procs), and OS (hypervisor) support. – Chris S Apr 28 '10 at 2:13
@Chris: From what you've said, I guess Intel's EPT would require the northbridge chipset to cooperate, right? – netvope Apr 28 '10 at 4:18
The MB must be Intel VT-d compatible (VT 2nd Gen); I'm not sure what the difference is from VT-x (VT 1st Gen). Some boards might be compatible via updates; check with your MB manufacturer. – Chris S Apr 28 '10 at 12:58
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