790i Ultra SLI Motherboards Compared

Onboard Devices

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NorthbridgeNvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI SPP
SouthbridgeNvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI MCP
Voltage RegulatorSix Phases
BIOSP06 (06/25/2008)
333.3 MHz (FSB-1333)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
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 Ultra ATA (2 drives)
Row 14 - Cell 0 7x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s
Row 15 - Cell 0 1x Front Panel Audio
Row 16 - Cell 0 1x Internal Power Button
Row 17 - Cell 0 1x Internal Reset Button
Row 18 - Cell 0 1x Fan 4 pins (CPU/Chassis)
Row 19 - Cell 0 4x Fan 3 pins (Chassis/Chipset)
IO panel2x PS2 (keyboard + mouse )
Row 21 - Cell 0 2x Digital Audio Out (S/P-DIF optical + coaxial)
Row 22 - Cell 0 1x External SATA
Row 23 - Cell 0 1x IEEE-1394 FireWire
Row 24 - Cell 0 6x USB 2.0
Row 25 - Cell 0 6x Analog Audio Jack (7.1 ch. out, Mic+Line In)
Row 26 - Cell 0 2x RJ-45 Network
Mass Storage ControllersRow 27 - Cell 1
nForce 790i MCP6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5, JBOD)
JMicron JMB362 PCI-E1x eSATA + 1x SATA 3.0 Gb/s
NetworkRow 30 - Cell 1
2x Broadcom B5071A2KFBG PCI-E2x Gigabit LAN Connection
AudioRow 32 - Cell 1
Realtek ALC888S7.1 + 2 channel Multi-Streaming Output
FireWireRow 34 - Cell 1
Texas Instruments TSB43AB22A PCI2x IEEE-1394a (400 Mbit/s)

An otherwise typical high-end device list stands out only because the XFX nForce 790i Ultra has seven SATA ports and one eSATA port, rather than the expected 6+2 combination.

Rear panel connections include two PS/2 ports, coaxial and optical digital audio outputs, a single eSATA port, an IEEE-1394 FireWire port, six USB 2.0 ports, six analog audio jacks, and two Gigabit Ethernet ports.

The XFX nForce 790i Ultra is the second motherboard in today’s comparison to use the tiny JMicron JMB362 2-port SATA controller for eSATA. Below it is the oddly-placed internal connection to the same controller.

Defying conventional wisdom, the XFX nForce 790i Ultra uses solid capacitors for its Realtek ALC888S audio controller, and electrolytic capacitors in most other areas. The electrolytic capacitors are Samxon brand, a name that has earned a great deal of respect compared to other non-Japanese brands.

The XFX nForce 790i Ultra’s TSB43AB22A IEEE-1394 FireWire controller is hidden beneath a PCI Express x16 slot latch. In front of it, an old-fashioned socket-mounted BIOS ROM is easily replaced in the event of a bad flash.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
  • 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