July 2006 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

AMD Motherboard: Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe

Current Cost: $208
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

The switch to Socket AM2 also requires an updated motherboard platform, but we're not moving too far away with the ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe. This motherboard is based on the new NVIDIA 590 SLI chipset, which essentially transitions an updated and improved nForce4 SLI platform to the AM2 socket. This is the high-end chipset in the NVIDIA line, and includes support for all the latest technologies, including SATA 3.0 Gb/sec./NCQ, PCI Express, Gigabit LAN, and dual-channel DDR2, along with NVIDIA features such as LinkBoost, MediaShield, and DualNet. Obviously, the most impressive feature is the chipset's ability to utilize two PCI Express-based video cards in SLI format, giving high-end gamers an easy upgrade to faster performance.

The ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe is a serious performance motherboard with all the features our High-end Guide demands. It supports all AM2 Athlon 64 (X2/FX) and Sempron-based processors, and offers 4 DIMM sockets capable of up to dual-channel DDR800 speeds. The board features dual PCI Express x16 slots for single or SLI graphics, 1 x PCIe x4, 1 x PCIe x1, and 2 x PCI expansion slots. ASUS also includes a full host of storage options, including six native SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports, two SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports through the onboard Silicon Image controller (including one back port for SATA On-the-Go), and a single PATA connector. Networking is taken care of through NVIDIA's Dual Gigabit LAN, the ADI 1988B supplies 8-channel high definition audio, and ASUS even includes WLAN through a USB wireless module that supports IEEE802.11b/g.

The ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe also includes a wicked advanced thermal design, consisting of three core features. The most visible is the fanless, heat pipe thermal cooling, which includes a chipset heatsink linked to several heat pipes and heat fins/sinks for maximum thermal protection without the noise of a cooling fan. The motherboard also supports an 8-phase power design, which not only protects the CPU and power module from potential damage, but also generates less heat than conventional power designs. ASUS has also implemented their Stack Cool 2 cooling solution, which transfers heat from critical components to the other side of the PCB.

There are also a ton of ASUS-specific features such as AI Gear (adjust system profiles on the fly), AI Nap (low power mode, while still downloading or running applications), Precision Tweaker (enhanced overclocking), AI Clock Skew (automatically skews the memory clock signal timing, improving memory overclocking) and AI NOS (Non-delay Overclocking System), just to name a few.

Intel Motherboard: ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe

Current Cost: $200
Months on list: 3
Price Change: +$1

Although we did upgrade the Intel processor, the socket, DDR2 memory, and overall requirements remain the same, so there is no reason to move to a new motherboard. NVIDIA has announced an nForce 590 SLI solution for Intel systems, but so far, we cannot locate any products on the retail market. Therefore, we're sticking with the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI, which is one of the highest performing, feature rich, and enthusiast-proven platforms for Pentium 4/D processors. The features speak for themselves, and include support for single or dual PCI Express video cards, dual-channel DDR2, PCIe peripheral support, up to a 1066MHz FSB, dual core processor compatibility, SATA 3.0 Gb/sec./NCQ, and Intel EM64T, among others.

ASUS motherboards are a real favorite of the high-end gaming crowd, and this is mostly due to the company's design philosophy of combining high performance with exceptional quality. The ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe utilizes the nForce4 SLI X16 chipset, and offers dual PCIe x16 slots, an improvement compared to nForce4 SLI boards that include only dual x8 PCI Express slots. ASUS also includes 2 x PCI Express x16, 2 x PCI Express x1, 1 x PCI Express x4, and 2 x PCI expansion slots.

This motherboard also includes a fanless thermal heat pipe design, featuring an 8-phase power design, Stack Cool 2, and two-slot thermal design for enhanced cooling between dual PCI Express video cards. The remaining feature list is standard for high-end nForce4 chipsets, and includes SATA 3.0 Gb/sec./NCQ, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel audio, and a host of peripheral ports. We're also lucky that the P5N32-SLI Deluxe is hovering around the $200 mark, as not only does it provide an exceptional value, but the price tag is also a much easier fit in our budget.