790i Ultra SLI Motherboards Compared

By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Onboard Devices

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NorthbridgeNvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI SPP
SouthbridgeNvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI MCP
Voltage RegulatorEight Phases (Digital)
BIOS(redacted) (06/16/2008)
333.3 MHz (FSB1333)333.3 MHz (+0.0%)
Clock GeneratorNvidia
Connectors and InterfacesRow 6 - Cell 1
Onboard3x PCIe x16 (Transfer Modes: 2x 2.0, 1x 1.0)
Row 8 - Cell 0 2x PCIe x1
Row 9 - Cell 0 2x PCI 2.2
Row 10 - Cell 0 2x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector)
Row 11 - Cell 0 1x IEEE-1394 FireWire
Row 12 - Cell 0 1x Serial Port header
Row 13 - Cell 0 1x Floppy
Row 14 - Cell 0 1x Ultra ATA (2 drives)
Row 15 - Cell 0 6x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s
Row 16 - Cell 0 1x Front Panel Audio
Row 17 - Cell 0 1x CD-Audio In
Row 18 - Cell 0 1x Fan 4 pins (CPU)
Row 19 - Cell 0 3x Fan 3 pins (Chassis/Power)
Row 20 - Cell 0 1x Internal Power Button
Row 21 - Cell 0 1x Internal Reset Button
Row 22 - Cell 0 1x Internal CLR_CMOS Button
IO panel2x PS2 (keyboard + mouse )
Row 24 - Cell 0 2x RJ-45 Network
Row 25 - Cell 0 6x USB 2.0
Row 26 - Cell 0 2x External SATA
Row 27 - Cell 0 1x IEEE-1394 FireWire
Mass Storage ControllersRow 28 - Cell 1
nForce 790i MCP6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5, JBOD)
JMicron JMB362 PCIe2x External SATA 3.0 Gb/s (RAID 0, 1 JBOD)
NetworkRow 31 - Cell 1
2x Broadcom (model redacted) PCIe2x Gigabit LAN Connection
AudioRow 33 - Cell 1
Realtek ALC885 HD Audio Codec7.1 + 2 channel Multi-Streaming Output
FireWireRow 35 - Cell 1
Texas Instruments TSB43AB22A PCI2x IEEE-1394a (400 Mbit/s)

Today’s mystery motherboard has only a few more onboard features than a typical high-end product. Unlike Asus, though, the mystery brand’s designer doesn’t waste the Ultra ATA capability of a combination controller, instead choosing the tiny SATA-only JMicron JMB362 for its eSATA ports.

Rear panel ports include several classics plus eSATA. Two PS/2 ports support a keyboard and mouse, two digital audio outputs support optical and coaxial cables, and six analog audio jacks enable 7.1 audio out plus microphone and line input simultaneously. Six USB 2.0 and one IEEE-1394 FireWire port support modern peripherals, the eSATA ports support 3.0 gigabit transfers, and both network ports are tied to Gigabit Ethernet controllers.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
59 Comments Comment from the forums
  • trainreks
    FINNALY !!!! A Review on the 790i
    Reply
  • doxicity
    Mystery Motherboard = GA-N780Ultra-DQ6?
    Reply
  • Crashman
    This was ALL OF THE AVAILABLE 790i Ultra SLI MOTHERBOARDS: Other graphics brands with NVIDIA reference boards INCLUDING EVGA are selling the same unit as XFX, even with the same BIOS (except for the boot logo). XFX was the only one who cared to send one.
    Reply
  • giovanni86
    Thats what i was going to say!!! Thank god. Well i guess i made the right choice. XFX 790i, exactly what i am going to buy in the coming month. Just need to save for it XD.
    Reply
  • jaragon13
    Who would pay four hundred dollars,when you can just buy a P45 for 100-150 dollars which has roughly the same real world experience as an X48 or 790I?
    Nah,I'd rather buy better and more reliable parts-such as power supply,processor,GRAPHICS CARD,and maybe go buy a rifle :P
    Reply
  • kitsilencer
    $400 for a motherboard? What the hell is wrong with the X48 Express that people would rather consider buying a 790i? And it can't be because of SLI. Makes more sense to buy the X48 and Crossfire.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    jaragon13Who would pay four hundred dollars,when you can just buy a P45 for 100-150 dollars which has roughly the same real world experience as an X48 or 790I?Nah,I'd rather buy better and more reliable parts-such as power supply,processor,GRAPHICS CARD,and maybe go buy a rifle
    If you want SLI you're going to need an SLI motherboard. The article specifically stated that the reference design motherboard was almost as good in many ways as the winning board, but far cheaper.

    The site only has two awards, one is for top value and the other is for "best of the best". It's hard to award a $350 motherboard for top value, but it's not so difficult awarding the "best of the best" even if the price is outrageous
    Reply
  • Crashman
    kitsilencer$400 for a motherboard? What the hell is wrong with the X48 Express that people would rather consider buying a 790i? And it can't be because of SLI. Makes more sense to buy the X48 and Crossfire.
    It does! Well, sorta. If you want the absolute fastest rig on the planet, you're going to need at least two, possibly three, GTX280's. But if you can wait a few days or maybe a couple weeks, you might be surprised at how well a Crossfire set of HD4870X2's can perform using an X48 motherboard.
    Reply
  • jaragon13
    My point is that,even though you could theoritically have 3/4 GPU's all at once,you won't get nearly as much performance as you'd want.A simple 750I or P45 chipset will do nearly the same job.
    Reply
  • zer00000
    It is a foxconn board i bet.I just read a review elsewhere with same stuff except it had an x48 chipset."All manner of goodies are bundled with the Black Ops: a 120MM fan, a plastic dry ice cooling pot for the Northbridge, and a Plexiglas "benching table" for open-air use."
    Reply