790i Ultra SLI Motherboards Compared

By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Software and Accessories

As with the motherboard and BIOS, we’ve omitted the photos of the 790i Ultra SLI mystery motherboard accessory kit to honor its manufacturer’s request. But we’ll still show the list just in case the product is released. (We can always update this article with photos later if the board is re-announced.)

Even though the mystery board is targeted at extreme enthusiasts who typically prefer BIOS overclocking, it still includes a Windows overclocking utility. The first page shows key clock speeds, voltage and temperature levels, and fan speeds.

Alarm settings can be changed for each of the previously noted readings.

The third page allows you to change the CPU core and VTT, DRAM, Chipset, and PLL voltage, plus CPU FSB and PCI Express clocks. We didn’t have much luck with the software, but it’s likely still in the beta stage.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Documentation & SoftwareMotherboard Manual
Row 1 - Cell 0 Quick Installation Guide
Row 2 - Cell 0 Warranty Card
Row 3 - Cell 0 Case Badge Pack (Six Decals, One Sticker
Row 4 - Cell 0 Motherboard Driver CD
Row 5 - Cell 0 RAID driver floppy (Intel + Jmicron)
Row 6 - Cell 0 Branded Collector’s "Dog Tags"
Hardware10x Plastic Cable Ties
Row 8 - Cell 0 1x Optional Chipset Cooling Extension Sink
Row 9 - Cell 0 1x 50x15 mm Chipset Cooling Fan
Row 10 - Cell 0 1x 50 mm Fan Grille
Row 11 - Cell 0 1x Fan Installation Kit
Row 12 - Cell 0 1x 120x25 mm Blue LED System Fan
Row 13 - Cell 0 1x I/O Panel Shield
Row 14 - Cell 0 1x Chipset Cooler Replacement Seal
Row 15 - Cell 0 1x Chipset Cooler Replacement Hardware
Row 16 - Cell 0 1x Clear Plastic Bench Testing Tray
Row 17 - Cell 0 1x Standoff Kit for Bench Testing Tray
Row 18 - Cell 0 1x 3-Way SLI Bridge
Row 19 - Cell 0 1x 2-way SLI Bridge
Row 20 - Cell 0 6x SATA Data Cable
Row 21 - Cell 0 1x 80-conductor Ultra ATA cable, Round
Row 22 - Cell 0 1x Floppy Cable, Round
Row 23 - Cell 0 6x 4-pin to SATA power adapter
Row 24 - Cell 0 1x Port Breakout Plate (2x USB, 1x IEEE-1394)

If you weren’t impressed with the hardware, you’d certainly be impressed with the swag — if only we could show it to you!

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