Conclusion
The worst thing about running group tests is the difficulty we have in choosing winners when the competition performs so closely. In this group test, however, I think we have a clear winner with the DFI LANParty NF4 SLI-DR. Performance was consistently near the top of the charts and the overclocking potential of this board is simply peerless. The bundle with the DFI board is also the strongest on show, though bare in mind the price may be too high for some buyers.
These are the best prices available in the UK at time of writing. The DFI is clearly more expensive than its contemporaries, though for ?30 from www.chillblast.com I still feel it offers enough in its vast box to offer excellent value.
Choosing a runner up was far more difficult, with the Abit, the Asus and the Gigabyte all offering compelling reasons to buy. With its passive cooler and extra space between the PEG slots, the Asus will appeal to many. The Abit offers almost as good overclocking as the DFI, and has unique and useful capabilities thanks to the included uGuru Panel. The Gigabyte offers unrivalled value, with a feature packed, very quick SLI board for less than ?2. Nevertheless, one had to be chosen, and I felt the Abit offered just enough to pip the other two contenders to our second award. Despite being slightly light on features, the Fatal1ty is one of the fastest motherboards you can buy anywhere.Roundup Winner: DFI LANParty NF4-SLI DR
Click for an explanation of our awards.
Runner Up: Abit AN8 Fatal1ty SLI
Click for an explanation of our awards.
Special thanks have to go out to the people who allowed this group test to happen. Thanks to Abit, Asus, DFI, Gigabyte, MSI, More2 and Chillblast.com. Thanks also to Vojta Camek for proof reading 23 pages of text on a Saturday afternoon!
nForce4 Ultra Mobo Roundup (2005-07-07)