NVIDIA nForce4 SLI XE: Enthusiast Features on a Budget

ECS C19-A SLI: Features

ECS designed an extremely well laid out board with all major connections easily reached. The ECS layout provides very good clearance for cards and components while being simple to install in a mid-size ATX case. The board features a 4-phase voltage regulator power design that provided very good stability during general usage and overclocking.

The DIMM module slots' color coordination is correct for dual channel setup. The memory modules are slightly difficult to install with a full size video card placed in the first PCI Express x16 slot. The black floppy drive port connector is conveniently located on the edge of the board with the 24-pin ATC connector located between it and the number four DIMM slot. The secondary nForce4 IDE connector is located to the left of the floppy driver connector and is color-coded white. This location is ideal for most cases as the optical drives are generally located at the top of the case.

The black NVIDIA nForce4 SATA ports are conveniently located on the board's edge and below the MCP chipset. Unlike other recently reviewed boards, the SATA ports are not color-coded for primary and secondary operation, though that is a minor concern. We found the positioning of the SATA ports to be excellent when utilizing the PCI slots or the primary IDE port connector. The NVIDIA nForce4 SLI XE MCP chipset is passively cooled with a low rise heat sink that did not interfere with cards installed into the PCI slots.

The blue primary NVIDIA nForce4 IDE port connector is located on the left edge of the board and did not present any connection issues in our mid-size ATX case. The location of this connector is very good for most cases and those users still utilizing IDE hard drives. The chassis panel and fan header is located between the primary IDE connector and the nForce4 SATA ports. The BIOS chip is located directly above the chassis panel and fan header.

The yellow NVIDIA nForce4 USB connectors are located above the primary IDE connector and along the edge of the board. The battery and CMOS jumper block is located above the BIOS and to the left of the MCP chipset. The clear CMOS jumper block is a traditional jumper design and is easily accessed.

The board comes with (2) physical PCI Express x16 connectors, (2) PCI Express x1 connectors, and (3) PCI 2.3 compliant 32-bit connectors. The layout of this design offers an exceptional balance of expansion slots for a mainstream board.

The first PCI Express x1 connector is located to the right of the 4-pin 12V connector. This 4-pin 12V connector is required for dual graphic card or SLI operation. The location of this PCI Express x1 connector allows installation of most peripheral PCI Express cards and is not blocked by most video card designs.

The first physical x16 connector (orange) is located next, followed by the second PCI Express x1 connector. When utilizing a dual slot video card, this PCI Express x1 connector will be physically rendered useless. We did not have any issues utilizing this slot with video cards containing single slot cooling systems.

The second physical x16 connector (blue) is located next, followed by the three PCI 2.3 compliant 32-bit connectors. When utilizing a dual slot video card, the first PCI connector will be rendered physically useless. There were no issues utilizing this slot with video cards containing single slot cooling systems.

The Marvell 88E1115 Gigabit Ethernet LAN PHY is located in front of the first x16 connector. The Realtek ALC-883 HD audio codec is located in front of the number two PCI connector. The front panel audio header is color-coded purple and located at the edge of the board with the black analog audio input connector situated behind it.

Returning to the CPU socket area, we find ample room for alternative cooling solutions. We utilized the stock Intel heat sink, but we also verified that several aftermarket cooling systems such as the Thermaltake Big Typhoon and Zalman CNPS 9500 would fit in this area during our tests. However, due to the size of the SPP heat sink/fan, installation of larger air or water-cooling solutions could be problematic.

The NVIDIA nForce4 SLI XE SPP chipset is actively cooled with a large heat sink/fan unit that did not interfere with any installed peripherals. Our only concern is the lifespan of the fan and it does generate a slight whirling sound during operation.

ECS places the four-pin 12v auxiliary power connector at the top of the CPU socket area and near the SPP heat sink/fan. This 12-pin connector is located in a difficult position and can hamper airflow with cabling that crosses directly over the CPU heat sink/fan. During our testing with the Zalman CNPS 9500, we had to bend our 4-pin connector and run the cable over the heat sink fins in order to connect it. This is our lone issue with the general layout and usage of peripherals on this board.

The PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports are located to the far left on the i/o panel. The serial port (COM1) is located to the right of the PS/2 ports and below the parallel port. The S/PDIF optical out connector is located to the right of serial port and left of the S/PDIF coaxial out connector. The LAN (RJ-45) port and the first pair of USB 2.0 connectors are positioned next. The LAN (RJ-45) port has two LED indicators representing Activity and Speed of the connection. The second pair of USB 2.0 connectors are located to the left of the audio panel. The audio panel consists of 6 ports that can be configured for 2, 4, 6, and 8-channel audio connections.