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The Board

The K8NNXP and the K8NSNXP are nearly identical as far as the layout goes. The main changes are the addition of 2 SATA ports placed kind of awkwardly between the AGP slot and the CPU socket.

Ya dig? Well I dont. That is a weird spot for the SATA connectors

There are small layout changes near the PCI slots also highlighted in the pictures below. As always, usability on the Gigabyte boards takes precedence over everything else. Everything is labeled; from the SATA ports to the front panel connectors to the PCI slot number.

If we had to recommend a board brand for an up and coming enthusiast who may be a little green around the gills, this would be the board for that. Everything is also color coded; the IDE cable connectors are the same on the motherboard as with the included cables. The attention to detail regarding ease of use there is second to none. That said, the color scheme may not appeal to everyone. Personally, the coloring scheme on the Gigabyte boards are a bit on the gaudy side for my tastes. I really appreciate things like the colored front panel connectors but enthusiasts probably do not need different coloring for the DIMM slots to help them differentiate between that and the AGP slot so it is over kill to an extent.

The memory slots are positioned that they can still be accessed without removing the AGP card, even with longer cards such as the 5950.

The rear I/O has not gone through many changes. Notice the two LAN ports; top one is 10/100 bottom is GbE. Basic audio connectors are on the I/O panel but unlike some its competitors, the rest of the I/O including SPDIF and Optical out are located on a PCI bracket.

That said, the coloring and labeling scheme does have its upside- a more attractive board in terms of coloring that I worked on earlier today did not have labels nor were the front panel connectors color coded. Add to the fact there were multiple front panel type connector sets on the motherboard itself made for a mess. The old adage, "when it rains, it pours" applied to this board also as our internet access was down and the manual was playing hide and seek. This is one of those days where I tend to overlook the loud colors and remember why functionality over aesthetics is usually a good thing.

The Accessories

The usual suspects that made an appearance with the K8NNXP also show up here. A couple minor changes include the colored and branded IDE cables and the inclusion of more SATA power connectors. Like the K8NNXP, the K8NSNXP includes a PCI bracket for external SATA devices. Kind of a nice touch if you have a use for such a device.

Something that would really suck is if you could walk by a prostitute and get a nice case of the clap because you weren't wearing your rubbers. Unfortunately, the way that things are on the internet nowadays is analogous to getting a STD without having to be naughty. Computers can get the equivalent of a burning pee stream without clicking on email attachments or the like. A nice touch that Gigabyte adds is the inclusion of Norton Antivirus. Updates are available for six months so hopefully the readers who end up with this board will not be one of those people that are probing my computer at home because they should be protected.