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Nvidia nForce3 Ultra Motherboard Roundup
[Abstract]
IntroductionFollowing our Socket 939 roundup of VIA K8T800 Pro motherboards, we take a look now at NVIDIA's camp, more specifically the nForce3 Ultra chipset. The nForce 3 chipset as we now kno...
[Content] PCDigitalMobileGame
EPoX EP-9NDA3J (The Good)
EPoX is one of the manufacturers that still maintains a decent nForce3 product line-up for both Socket 754 and Socket 939. The EP-9NDA3J which we received happened to be the more basic version of two nForce3 Ultra based motherboards EPoX has to offer. The board sported a bare bone feature set, utilizing only the integrated features available on the chipset. It lacked FireWire support and additional storage facilities that can be found in the higher end EP-9NDA3+.
The box packaging included the basic accessories as below:-
1 x SATA data cable
1 x SATA power converter cable
1 x 80-conductor Ultra ATA data cable
1 x Floppy drive data cable
Serial port (COM) and Game/MIDI port bracket
I/O shield
Driver and application CD
Quick installation guide
Motherboard user's manual
The EPoX EP-9NDA3J motherboard. |
At first glance, the EP-9NDA3J was similarly designed as other EPoX products. In keeping things simple, the board attracted minimum fuss with a plain green PCB and little else that catches the eye. On closer inspection, the board had reserved spaces for additional ASICs. These were in-line with the FireWire and SATA controllers found on the EP-9NDA3+. In essence, the EP-9NDA3J could be turned into the EP-9NDA3+ by just including the extra FireWire and SATA components. Using the same design for both boards, EPoX keeps costs low and in turn should affect retail pricing as well, which is a good thing for consumers.
Reserved spots on the PCB allow for intergration of FireWire and SATA ASICs, converting the EP-9NDA3J to an EP-9NDA3+. |
Since the nForce3 Ultra includes an embedded Ethernet MAC, the EP-9NDA3J featured a VITESSE VSC8201RX PHY transceiver to enable Gigabit LAN functionality. Besides being the only chipset with built-in Gigabit Ethernet controller, the main highlight of an nForce3 Ultra motherboard is also NVIDIA's hardware based firewall capabilities.
The EP-9NDA3J uses a Vitesse VSC8201RX PHY transceiver as the physical layer for its onboard Gigabit LAN MAC. |
Audio-wise, Realtek's ALC850 provide AC'97 8-channel audio capabilities to the EP-9NDA3J. The CODEC may not provide the best audio quality or even the most optimum resource usage when running the latest applications and games, but it should suffice for rudimentary multimedia purposes. The EP-9NDA3J came with full analog surround jacks including a coaxial S/PDIF output port as well.
The Realtek ALC850 AC'97 CODEC provides the necessary audio capabilities for 8-channel surround sound. |
This is a decently filled rear panel by any comparison as the EP-9NDA3J provides most of the ports available to the board. Notice full analog audio plus a coaxial S/PDIF out. |
The EP-9NDA3J provides an additional bracket with a Serial (COM) port and a GAME/MIDI port. |
The following overclocking settings could be found in the BIOS:-
FSB Settings: 200MHz to 400MHz
AGP Frequency: 66MHz to 100MHz
RAM Frequency: DDR200, DDR266, DDR333, DDR400
CPU Voltage Settings: +0.025V to +0.250V (in 0.025V steps)
Memory Voltage Settings: 2.5V to 2.8V (in 0.10V steps)
Chipset Voltage Settings: 1.6V to 2.75V (in 0.05V steps)
AGP Voltage Settings: 1.5V to 1.8V (in 0.1V steps)
Multiplier Selection: Yes (unlocked CPUs only)
The EPoX EP-9NDA3J comes with a POST code LED providing system diagnostics information when necessary. |
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