November 2005 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

Intel Motherboard: ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe

Current Cost: $210
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

The NVIDIA nForce4 SLI is currently the highest performing and most flexible chipset on the market for Pentium-based processors, so it's no wonder that we use it in both this guide and our Extreme Buyer's Guide. The NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset has been popular among AMD enthusiasts for quite some time whereas an Intel edition of this chipset came to market afterward. In addition to support for dual PCI Express video cards, the nForce4 SLI also features a dual-channel DDR2 interface, PCI Express graphics and peripheral support, a 1066MHz FSB, dual core processor compatibility, SATA2, and EM64T, among other options.

A favorite among enthusiasts, ASUS' commitment to performance and quality make them one of the best in the industry. The newly released P5N32-SLI Deluxe is no exception, and it is one of the most feature-rich Intel boards on the market. This board is among the first that offers dual x16 PCI Express slots, a nice improvement over previous nForce4 SLI boards that only featured dual x8 PCI Express slots. The board also features a new fanless design, proving to be a much quieter board than its predecessor ever was. The nForce4 SLI for Intel also has support for SATA2, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel audio, not to mention all the peripheral ports you could ever need. The deluxe version of this board is available for about $210, a little more expensive than the P5ND2-SLI we used last month, but the added features and performance are well worth the extra price.

AMD Motherboard: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert

Current Cost: $199
Months on list: NEW
Price Change: N/A

The NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset is one of the most powerful and feature rich chipsets currently available for enthusiast systems. In fact, we like it so much that we recommend it on both the AMD and Intel ends of the spectrum. The nForce4 SLI chipset has support for the latest and greatest technologies including SATA2/NCQ, PCI Express, Gigabit LAN, dual-channel DDR, NVIDIA Firewall, and Socket 939 processors, but the single most impressive feature is certainly the chipset's ability to run two PCI Express-based video cards in tandem. This month we are also upgrading to a slightly more powerful AMD nForce4 SLI-based motherboard, the DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert.

The DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert offers increased stability, overclockability and compatibility among different RAM modules. The board also features a redesigned layout, 4-phase power for the CPU, and improved memory voltage section. However, unlike the Intel board, the DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR does not offer dual x16 PCI Express slots, instead it sticks with dual x8 slots, a curious but not deal-breaking omission. Aside from that, this board has many of the same features as its predecessor the LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR. In addition to all the usual amenities, the board also includes dual Gigabit Ethernet, dual-channel DDR, 8-channel audio, and SATA2, not to mention a wide range of peripheral ports.

The DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert is our favorite AMD NVIDIA nForce4 SLI-based motherboard, and support for dual PCI Express video cards, greatly improved overclockability, and an excellent component layout are just a few of the reasons why we like it so much. Even though our budget does not allow two PCI Express cards in SLI configuration, the extra slot means that there is a quick and easy upgrade path should the need arise. Priced at $199, this is not the most economical motherboard we have ever included in this guide, but it is certainly one of the best.