EVGA LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
Evga
- 132-CK-NF78-A1
Searching for Videos..
Reviews
(4)
0
This review will be divided in three parts dealing with the chipset choice, the 780 itself and specifically with the EVGA mobo.
When choosing a chipset for your new mobo, you are confronted with basically two choices: Intel and nVidia.
Intel chipsets are very stable and highly overclockable. If you buy an Intel mobo, you will be pleased to find out that on top of their stability they have no chipset fans, what contributes to the overall low level of noise of your system.
The downside of the choice is that they do not support SLI, but Cross Fire instead. If you are a gamer, this is an issue because nVidia video cards are far ahead ATI's in terms of performance and power consumption.
nVidia mobos obviously support SLI, but have a serious thermal issue. Their chipsets get extremely hot and, perhaps because of that, are generally more limited when it comes to overclocking. My own personal claim about it: nVidia, PLEASE, INVEST IN NEWER DIES TO SOLVE IT!
This thermal issue, in turn, contributes
When choosing a chipset for your new mobo, you are confronted with basically two choices: Intel and nVidia.
Intel chipsets are very stable and highly overclockable. If you buy an Intel mobo, you will be pleased to find out that on top of their stability they have no chipset fans, what contributes to the overall low level of noise of your system.
The downside of the choice is that they do not support SLI, but Cross Fire instead. If you are a gamer, this is an issue because nVidia video cards are far ahead ATI's in terms of performance and power consumption.
nVidia mobos obviously support SLI, but have a serious thermal issue. Their chipsets get extremely hot and, perhaps because of that, are generally more limited when it comes to overclocking. My own personal claim about it: nVidia, PLEASE, INVEST IN NEWER DIES TO SOLVE IT!
This thermal issue, in turn, contributes
...
more
9 price(s)
0
The 780i has updated support for higher clocked RAM. The 680i supports 800MHz ram but has minimal compatibility with RAM that has a base speed above that. It does not support the newer PC9200 (1150MHz) RAM like the 780i. Although the PCIex 2.0 and the nForce 200 upgrades may seem minimal, the added support of higher speed RAM can be the factor that would sway someone to purchase a 780i as opposed to the 680i. I have included a list of known supported memory for this board below (exluding memory below 667MHz):
-----SLI READY MEMORY-----
*Above 1066 MHz(Above PC2 8500)*
Corsair TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF
Corsair TWIN2X2048-9136C5DF
Corsair TWIN2X2048-8888C4DF
*1066 MHz(PC2 8500)*
OCZ OCZ2N10662GK
OCZ OCZ2N10661G
Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5D
Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5
Kingston KHX8500D2K2/1G
OCZ OCZ2N1066SR2GK
OCZ OCZ2N1066SR1G
PNY D22GX85GMR
*900 MHz(PC2 7200)*
OCZ OCZ2N900SR2GK
OCZ OCZ2N900SR1G
OCZ OCZ2N9002GK
OCZ OCZ2N9001G
*800 MHz(PC2 6400)*
Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C3DF
-----SLI READY MEMORY-----
*Above 1066 MHz(Above PC2 8500)*
Corsair TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF
Corsair TWIN2X2048-9136C5DF
Corsair TWIN2X2048-8888C4DF
*1066 MHz(PC2 8500)*
OCZ OCZ2N10662GK
OCZ OCZ2N10661G
Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5D
Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5
Kingston KHX8500D2K2/1G
OCZ OCZ2N1066SR2GK
OCZ OCZ2N1066SR1G
PNY D22GX85GMR
*900 MHz(PC2 7200)*
OCZ OCZ2N900SR2GK
OCZ OCZ2N900SR1G
OCZ OCZ2N9002GK
OCZ OCZ2N9001G
*800 MHz(PC2 6400)*
Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C3DF
...
more
0
I really like this board. I will not go into specifics, but one thing that I would like to make certain:
Evga has SUPERB customer service!!!
I am totally tired of calling MS just to talk to someone in India that couldn't care less. Evga will help you out... trust me!! A better choice between XFX and PNY.
A good buy!!
Evga has SUPERB customer service!!!
I am totally tired of calling MS just to talk to someone in India that couldn't care less. Evga will help you out... trust me!! A better choice between XFX and PNY.
A good buy!!
0
If you wonder what the difference between 680i and 780i is, the answer is they are identical except nVidia added two more upgrades....
1. nForce 200 chip and
2. of course, 3-way SLI
The nForce 200 chip is essentially an additional chip to handle PCI Express 2.0. It doesn't really help the 3-way SLI function but does boost performance in SLI configuration.
In terms of 3-way SLI, to be honest, you really don't need three graphic cards. An OC 8800GTS 520mb can easily bring you over 10k 3DMark. And guess what? Even the record breaking group did not use 3-way SLI to pass 30k. Point is, don't get attempted to buy this card because of this feature. (P.S. They do use 780i as their MB.)
One last thing, 790i may realize in February. It is worth to wait the new technology instead of paying over $250 for minor refresh.
1. nForce 200 chip and
2. of course, 3-way SLI
The nForce 200 chip is essentially an additional chip to handle PCI Express 2.0. It doesn't really help the 3-way SLI function but does boost performance in SLI configuration.
In terms of 3-way SLI, to be honest, you really don't need three graphic cards. An OC 8800GTS 520mb can easily bring you over 10k 3DMark. And guess what? Even the record breaking group did not use 3-way SLI to pass 30k. Point is, don't get attempted to buy this card because of this feature. (P.S. They do use 780i as their MB.)
One last thing, 790i may realize in February. It is worth to wait the new technology instead of paying over $250 for minor refresh.
