MSI P6N SLI: The "Step Down" Model
For buyers who really want the P6N SLI Platinum but can't justify its middling price, MSI has a low-cost version based on the same circuit board. The P6N SLI promises most of the same major features, but without the fancy cooling kit or accessories.
Features Overview
Anyone looking for a detailed description of layout should refer to the previously described P6N SLI Platinum, as the standard P6N SLI uses the same board but with some minor component changes.
Most noticeable of cost reductions on the P6N SLI are the two passive aluminum coolers. MSI logo covers add style but hinder airflow, requiring at least a downdraft-style CPU cooler to reach adequate cooling levels. Other cost reductions include the use of electrolytic capacitors for everything except CPU power.
| MSI P6N SLI (Revision 1.0) | |
|---|---|
| Northbridge | NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI (C55 SPP) |
| Southbridge | nF430 (MCP51) |
| Voltage Regulator | Four Phases |
| BIOS | 2.1 (04/04/2007) |
| 266.7 MHz (FSB1066) | 266.7 MHz (+0.0%) |
| Connectors and Interfaces | |
| Onboard | 2x PCIe x16 (1x x16 or 2x x8 pathways)1x PCIe x13x PCI2x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector)1x IEEE-1394 FireWire1x Floppy2x Ultra ATA4x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s1x Serial Port Header1x Front Panel Audio1x CD Audio In1x Fan 4 pins (CPU)3x Fan 3 pins (System)1x Power LED |
| IO panel | 2x PS2 (keyboard + mouse)1x RJ-45 Network4x USB 2.01x IEEE-1394 FireWire1x Digital Audio Out (S/P-DIF optical)5x Analog Audio (7.1 Channel + Mic-In or Line-In) |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |
| MCP51 | 4x SATA 3.0Gb/s (RAID 0,1,5,10 capable)2x Ultra ATA-133 (4-drives) |
| Network | |
| NVIDIA Gigabit Network | 1x Realtek RTL8211BL PHY |
| Audio | |
| HDA (Azalia) Controller Interface | Realtek ALC888 7.1 Codec |
| FireWire | |
| VIA VT6308P | 2x IEEE-1394a (400 Mbit/s) |
The only controller missing from the P6N-SLI, as compared to the Platinum version, is eSATA. That makes this the cheapest board in the lineup to include IEEE-1394 FireWire
MSI further removes the digital coaxial output connector from the non-Platinum version, but remaining features are left in place.
