Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[j3pflynn]

sgolds - Anand did a review using both the SLI and PCI-e versions of the Gigabyte boards(which will likely be the first available, from the looks of it, though the full Asus review(s) are coming soon):
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2285
Paul

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Our Take
Just when it looked like we'd all be waiting breathlessly for the lone Asus SLI board sometime in December, Gigabyte has delivered a very capable SLI board that will likely be available in the market at about the same time. Our experience with the K8NXP-SLI was extremely positive. The board was exceptionally smooth in performance and trouble-free in our benchmarking with both single and SLI nVidia video cards. We had no issues at all with memory and the BIOS adjustments were exemplary.

The best way to look at the Gigabyte K8NXP-SLI is to see it as the SLI version of the regular and great performing K8NXP-9. The board offers the same features, the same BIOS options, the same basic layout, the same performance with a single video card, and the same outstanding overclocking that you will find with the K8NXP-9. We were definitely impressed with the Gigabyte K8NXP-9 and the SLI version is just icing on the cake.

The only problem that you will have is trying to decide which flavor of the Gigabyte nForce4 you want, since the only real difference in the 9 and SLI is the SLI option. Whichever you choose, we think that you will be very pleased with the features, flexibility, and performance you will find. Gigabyte is definitely back in the Athlon 64 market with the K8NXP-9 and K8NXP-SLI. We won't know exactly where these boards stand in the nF4/SLI hierarchy until some dust settles. However, we are very impressed with what we see in both these Gigabyte boards right now. Both boards are faster than the nForce4 Reference board and both were a real pleasure to use. The overclocking capabilities of both versions will give any enthusiast a lot of pleasure. When you consider the possibilities with the SLI version, the math of potential gets very exciting. The only fly in the ointment is the disappointing DIMM voltage adjustments provided. However, even this may be patchable with something like the OCZ DDR Memory Booster to boost voltage ranges.

As we were finishing this review, we also learned that MSI will have both their nForce4 and nForce4 SLI boards available for review in the next week to 10 days. That will provide even more choices - and more competition - for your holiday dollars.

We can certainly recommend either Gigabyte nForce4 motherboard for your system. We don't foresee any surprises on the horizon and both these boards are very capable. One of these boards is going into our memory test bed in the near future. But we have the same problem that you will have - we just can't decide which one!

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