790i Ultra SLI Motherboards Compared
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.
Documentation & Software | Motherboard 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" |
Hardware | 10x 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!
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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?Reply
Nah,I'd rather buy better and more reliable parts-such as power supply,processor,GRAPHICS CARD,and maybe go buy a rifle :P -
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 rifleReply
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 -
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.Reply
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. -
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