SLI Platinum NVIDIA ATX Motherboard Review
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Written To Better Inform Our Visitors Regarding These Deals: • MSI P6N SLI Platinum nForce 650i Deal [COUPONS] • SLI Platinum NVIDIA nForce ATX Motherboard [INSTANT SAVINGS] • P7N SLI Platinum NVIDIA nForce ATX Motherboard [MAIL IN REBATES] |
When it comes to purchasing a brand new motherboard, there are a ton of options out there. If you’re not familiar with the market, it can be a little difficult to figure out which one is right for you. When a motherboard goes out, you’ve got two options. Replace it, or get a new computer. With some motherboards, it may actually be cheaper to get a new computer.
The SLI Platinum NVIDIA nForce ATX Motherboard is actually priced quite well, coming in at around $130, if you take advantage of rebates. Even without the rebates, you can still find one for less than $200. This is a pretty reasonable price for a motherboard, but is this model worth the money? Let’s find out!
The motherboard comes with everything you’ll need to get up and running. You’ll need to make sure first that your computer is compatible with this motherboard, especially if you have already made other alterations to your system. Most PC users should not have a problem getting this model to work in their system.
At first look, it’s obvious that the company put a lot of thought into this model and some common issues are addressed. For example, they used a copper heatsink which should help cut down on interior overheating issues. This is probably the worst problem that affects motherboards, particularly if they are in a laptop, or a system that is prone to overheating.
They also utilized heat pipes on the board itself to help distribute the heat more evenly. We were very happy with this feature and glad to see that they included it. With the installation of this motherboard, if you’ve have overheating issues in the past, they should be resolved.
The unit includes connections for a PS/2 mouse and keyboard, as well as two USB ports, an Ethernet port, a 1394 port (which was very nice to see), a port for Optical SPDIF, and your standard audio/headphone/mic ports. The best feature at first look was the BIOS reset button, also located on this back panel. For those of us that have frequent issues with freeze-ups and other common problems, this feature is a lifesaver.
The motherboard includes three PCI slots, which was also nice to see. Many manufacturers limit you to two, so if you plan on expanding your system in the future, this would be a very good purchase. The ports are PCIe2.0 compatible and there is plenty of space there even for larger cards.
All the cables you need for installation are included, and they are numerous. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of them before you begin the installation process. The box also includes a connector bracket and kit, as well as the drivers you’ll need to complete installation. The user guide was particularly well written and helpful, which was also very nice to see.
If you have never installed a motherboard in the past, it is best to have someone experienced that can assist you with this. It’s not the most complicated installation, but you will be messing around with the interior of your computer, and this is never recommended if you don’t know what you are doing.
For pros, installation is a snap and doesn’t take more than an hour, if you’ve got all of your tools and everything ready to go. Compared to other motherboards this installation was fairly easy and straightforward. We appreciated the clear cut instructions that were included with the unit and these should be able to walk most people through the entire process.
Once the motherboard was installed, we were able to fire up the computer and get started without any issues. That’s all we really ask when it comes to adding new components, and we were pleasantly surprised that everything worked as it should. We give the model high points for this.
This motherboard will be compatible with Intel Core Duo Quad, Pentium 4, D and XE processors, as well as Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Duo processors. We were happy to see that so many were supported, since more people will be able to take advantage of this great motherboard. Unless you’ve got a very old system, you should not have any problem with this motherboard.
It will support 533/667/800 MHz of memory, and with 4 x 240 pin sockets, it can be upgraded to 8 gigs of memory total. This was reasonable and offers most users plenty of room for enhancement. Unless you are a serious gaming junkie, this should have more than enough memory expansion capabilities. Most users don’t need much more than 2 gigs, so this motherboard should be more than sufficient.
The included warranty covers three years of parts and labor. This was generous and should be more than sufficient for most users. Microstar International covers the warranty and you can get additional support at their website. Overall, we found the warranty to be more than fair and the support options were plentiful – that’s all we really ask.
We thought this was a great motherboard that had just the right mix of features and more than enough capability for future expansion. No one likes to spend money on a motherboard, only to have to replace it when they want to further customize their system down the road. We were very pleased with all of the included cables and the installation guide, since this is an area that many manufacturers fall down on. Out of all of the motherboards we’ve tested, this one had the best user guide and extra features.
The wide variety of supported chips will make it easy for just about anyone to add this motherboard to their system, another important point. When compared to similar units, this motherboard was the clear winner. Combine all of this with a great warranty and a terrific support system and you have definitely got a clear winner on your hands.
The SLI Platinum NVIDIA nForce ATX Motherboard is actually priced quite well, coming in at around $130, if you take advantage of rebates. Even without the rebates, you can still find one for less than $200. This is a pretty reasonable price for a motherboard, but is this model worth the money? Let’s find out!
In the Box
The motherboard comes with everything you’ll need to get up and running. You’ll need to make sure first that your computer is compatible with this motherboard, especially if you have already made other alterations to your system. Most PC users should not have a problem getting this model to work in their system.
At first look, it’s obvious that the company put a lot of thought into this model and some common issues are addressed. For example, they used a copper heatsink which should help cut down on interior overheating issues. This is probably the worst problem that affects motherboards, particularly if they are in a laptop, or a system that is prone to overheating.
They also utilized heat pipes on the board itself to help distribute the heat more evenly. We were very happy with this feature and glad to see that they included it. With the installation of this motherboard, if you’ve have overheating issues in the past, they should be resolved.
The unit includes connections for a PS/2 mouse and keyboard, as well as two USB ports, an Ethernet port, a 1394 port (which was very nice to see), a port for Optical SPDIF, and your standard audio/headphone/mic ports. The best feature at first look was the BIOS reset button, also located on this back panel. For those of us that have frequent issues with freeze-ups and other common problems, this feature is a lifesaver.
The motherboard includes three PCI slots, which was also nice to see. Many manufacturers limit you to two, so if you plan on expanding your system in the future, this would be a very good purchase. The ports are PCIe2.0 compatible and there is plenty of space there even for larger cards.
All the cables you need for installation are included, and they are numerous. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of them before you begin the installation process. The box also includes a connector bracket and kit, as well as the drivers you’ll need to complete installation. The user guide was particularly well written and helpful, which was also very nice to see.
Installation
If you have never installed a motherboard in the past, it is best to have someone experienced that can assist you with this. It’s not the most complicated installation, but you will be messing around with the interior of your computer, and this is never recommended if you don’t know what you are doing.
For pros, installation is a snap and doesn’t take more than an hour, if you’ve got all of your tools and everything ready to go. Compared to other motherboards this installation was fairly easy and straightforward. We appreciated the clear cut instructions that were included with the unit and these should be able to walk most people through the entire process.
Once the motherboard was installed, we were able to fire up the computer and get started without any issues. That’s all we really ask when it comes to adding new components, and we were pleasantly surprised that everything worked as it should. We give the model high points for this.
Features
This motherboard will be compatible with Intel Core Duo Quad, Pentium 4, D and XE processors, as well as Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Duo processors. We were happy to see that so many were supported, since more people will be able to take advantage of this great motherboard. Unless you’ve got a very old system, you should not have any problem with this motherboard.
It will support 533/667/800 MHz of memory, and with 4 x 240 pin sockets, it can be upgraded to 8 gigs of memory total. This was reasonable and offers most users plenty of room for enhancement. Unless you are a serious gaming junkie, this should have more than enough memory expansion capabilities. Most users don’t need much more than 2 gigs, so this motherboard should be more than sufficient.
Support
The included warranty covers three years of parts and labor. This was generous and should be more than sufficient for most users. Microstar International covers the warranty and you can get additional support at their website. Overall, we found the warranty to be more than fair and the support options were plentiful – that’s all we really ask.
Overall Opinion
We thought this was a great motherboard that had just the right mix of features and more than enough capability for future expansion. No one likes to spend money on a motherboard, only to have to replace it when they want to further customize their system down the road. We were very pleased with all of the included cables and the installation guide, since this is an area that many manufacturers fall down on. Out of all of the motherboards we’ve tested, this one had the best user guide and extra features.
The wide variety of supported chips will make it easy for just about anyone to add this motherboard to their system, another important point. When compared to similar units, this motherboard was the clear winner. Combine all of this with a great warranty and a terrific support system and you have definitely got a clear winner on your hands.
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