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There is no doubt that a mainboard is coming with a lot of extra stuff than the usual cable or two to placate the end user when the box is double the usual size. Opening up the main box is like taking apart a Russian nesting doll - inside is a collection of additional boxes housing the various components and extras.

DFI has done their homework in choosing the items included in the full blown LanParty kit - UV reactive cable sleeves, front panel connectors with the FrontX kit, a PC transport kit and of course stickers. Rumor has it that stickers add a few extra megahertz to any overclock when applied correctly to the outside of the case. When applied on a car or bike it adds more horsepower. Kidding aside, it is a nice touch and I'm sure that there will be a few cases that will be sporting the sticker at the next LAN I attend.

FrontX is a cool concept - it sits in a 5.25" drive bay and allows for various types of connections to be moved to the front of the case. The bay is modular so that it can be customized so it should prove useful for the person who has found the ultimate case as far as construction goes but may be missing a firewire port or whatever. The choice of connectors in the LanParty package is a bit strange though and I think I would have picked a different set of components if it were up to me. Included is a SATA connector, an optical out connection, a 4-pin firewire connector and a LED diagnostic panel. The LED diagnostic panel on the front is a great idea. If for whatever reason the board does not boot up, there is no need to tear open the case to diagnose the board. The other three choices I'm less sure about. The SATA connector is a good idea since it is hot swappable but there is no way to power it with the included components. Optical out on the front is always a peeve of mine especially when the bay cover is stealthed. My perspective (as I have voiced many times in SFF reviews) is that when someone uses optical out, it is not an one shot deal but likely to be a connector that is somewhat permanent which makes little sense to put it up front. Firewire is a good choice is to include as a front panel connector but make it the 6-pin connector. Two of the firewire devices I use are the iPod and a DV camcorder both of which are 6-pin. I'm not too sure of the popularity of 4-pin devices. I do understand that there is already a 6-pin connector on the back but I still think that an additional 6-pin connector is more useful than a 4.

The PC Transport strap is a cool thing especially for people who do frequent LAN parties with a tower. Someone here at the office has used it to drag a system home on public transit before. It works!

Like the plastic components on the board, and the sheathing the included cables are all UV reactive so those with a blacklight inside the case should be in for a treat.

The Board Layout

Aesthetically the nF4 SLI-DR board looks real great. The color scheme is loud but is not overdone. Two orange DIMM slots complement the heavy use of yellow plastics for the rest of the connectors. Both contrast very well with the black PCB and makes for a sharp looking board. Although color scheme is highly subjective this is one that definitely ranks near the top of my list.

The board layout on the nF4 is very well thought out for the most part. The DIMM slots are aligned at the top of the board like the MSI K8N Neo board we took a look at last year. This is an important move for this board in particular with the ability to pump a lot of voltage into the DIMMs. Since there is generally more airflow in this area of the case from both the ATX exhaust and hopefully fans near the CPU cavity, it should allay some memory cooling concerns for those who push the limit a bit harder.

The CPU socket is located right dab in the middle of the board as opposed to being closer to the top edge of the board. This is another good design decision especially when monster coolers like this Zalman unit are used. One of the concerns that have been brought up to us after the review is the difficulty of mounting that particular unit on certain motherboards not because of a lack of space around the CPU cavity but because of the design of a lot cases nowadays that have the powersupply very close to the edge of the motherboard. Because of the width of the Zalman, CPU sockets near the edge of the board may be incompatible even though Zalman tries very hard to avoid any problems with capacitors around the socket area with an aggressive tapering design. With the socket so close to the center of the board however, DFI has also eliminated the problem even though this problem does not necessarily fall into the domain of board makers.

Both of the basic power cables, the ATX connector and the 12V P4 rail are located right beside each other on the right side of the board. We like this a lot as it helps with cable cleanliness unlike designs that have them on opposite side of the boards. Note that the ATX connector is a 24-pin and not a 20 pin design. We've heard various accounts of instability with people running 20->24pin connector converters so it may be a good idea to drop down the extra cash for a new PSU.

There are two additional power connectors on the nF4 however - a molex and a floppy connector to provide additional power to the board. The DFI documentation states that both of these are optional but will help system stability when running a SLI setup. When we were doing some reading, there were claims that the molex is actually for the memory when running at 3Vs +. While the molex connector does not sit near the main ATX connector is close to the IDE and FDD connectors so that those cables can probably be bound together. The floppy connector is in a more awkward place as it sits underneath the processor socket.

There are a total of five fan headers spread around the board and this should be ample room for throwing on additional cooling. Diagnostic LEDs reside in the lower left corner of the board. As mentioned before, the LEDs can be pushed to the front with the FrontX kit.

Because enthusiasts like their fans, DFI has included not one but five fan headers scattered around the board. LED diagnostic readouts are available in the corner of the board. While they do their job adequately, I've really grown to like the numbered readout found on the Soltek FGR and EpoX boards. One awesome feature is the built in power button and reset switches located by the front panel connectors. For the tinkerer it sure beats shorting out the front panel leads. The DR versions of the nF4 boards also come with an extra four SATA ports courtesy of a Sil3114 controller. The markings and chip position are outlined on the board but none of the connectors are present on the Ultra-D revision.

The MCP fan unit is also of note. DFI specifically mentioned this in their PR material. The fan is neither a sleeve or ball bearing fan like most but is a maglev fan. DFI makes several claims about this fan

• it lasts longer due to the lack of the ball bearing / sleeve mechanism so there is no mechanical wear and tear
• it is quieter as there is no friction like a ball bearing fan
• it is more efficient at moving air
• it is a lot more expensive than a regular fan

The longevity issue is something of note. Too often do manufacturers put junk fans on motherboards that break within months and make a huge racket. It would be interesting to visit this issue again a few months down the road and see how well it has held up. For those that are looking for aftermarket MCP coolers, note that the back of the graphics card will always hang on top of the MCP so the profile must be quite low.