DFI LanParty UT NF590 SLI-M2R/G

[PAGETITLE=Introduction] Since before the AM2 platform was launched in May, enthusiasts everywhere were anticipating DFI's LanParty board. Sadly, we had to wait a little while as they had some kinks to work out. It's finally here though, so we can all relax and see what it's all about! DFI made a huge splash early last year with their LanParty Ultra-D and SLI-DR motherboards. Both were craved due to the major overclocking potential that both boards supplied. This quickly led to special versions of the boards being released, like the Expert and the rare Venus. We took a look at one of ASUS' top boards a few weeks ago, the M2N32-SLI Deluxe. That board left me impressed, because it's well rounded for multiple uses. However, where it did lack was the overclocking arena, due to it's low overall voltage options. However, DFI is not worried about giving the user plenty of voltage and tweaking options to play with... as we will see in our look at the BIOS. If this board is anything to the AM2 platform as the Ultra-D was to the 939, we may just have a winner. DFI LanParty NF590 SLI-M2R/G Features Supports all AMD AM2 Processors. Equipped with NVIDIAs nForce 590MCP Chipset. Supports Dual Channel DDR2-533, DDR2-667 & DDR2-800. CMOS Reloaded. Extensive BIOS options catered to overclockers. Realtek ALC885 8-Channel On-Board Audio. 6 S-ATA supported by nForce Chipset & 2 S-ATA supported by SiI 3132. Quiet Chipset Cooling. This board is not packed with a slew of extra features like the M2N32-SLI Deluxe was, but that's a good thing. This board is catered directly to enthusiasts who would never use the extra features included like that board has. As far as AM2 boards go though, this one is packed to the brim with top rate components, such as NVIDIAs top SLI-capable chipset. For those new to the nForce 590MCP chipset, here are the main features that it offers. nForce 590 MCP Benefits Designed to offer a lot of overclocking headroom. Linkboost - Increases the bus speed of PCI-E slots when equipped with supported GPUs. FirstPacket - Optimized network technology that helps put priority to network gaming traffic. SLI-Ready Memory - Uses EPP enhanced modules if you require them. DualNet - Increased performance with the dual-gigabit ethernet ports that features TCP/IP offloading. Support for S-ATA RAID configurations, including RAID5. So, now that I have whet your appetite, let's take a look at the board and it's layout! [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Board Layout] It's not difficult to predict what LanParty boxes will look like... each new one is usually just a different color. No exception here! Though catered as an enthusiasts board, DFI has included a colorful manual explaining how to install the board, CPU and memory. Also included is a huge clear decal for your case. Good for showing your support to DFI at lan parties. There are not that many extras included with the board, but what you will require is supplied. There is a motherboard back plate, SLI bridge, audio card, manual, diskette for RAID drivers and the motherboard installation CD-Rom. In terms of connectors, we have 4 S-ATA, one IDE with two ends, a floppy connector and a S-ATA power converter for use with a 4-Pin Molex connector. Here it is, in all it's orange/yellow glory. At first look, the board looks quite similar to the old Ultra-D, but there are a few immediate differences. The first thing that caught my eye was the placement of the ram slots... I was not sure about this at first but they haven't caused me issues yet. Actually, cooling the ram has proved easier with this placement. Prior, I just shoved a 120mm fan in with all of the loose PSU cords and hoped it stayed put. Now, since it's directly in line with the PSU, I taped the fan onto the bottom of it to blow air straight at the modules. Ghetto, yes, but efficient. One complaint with the Ultra-D was the fact that the north bridge chipset heatsink was directly at the end of the PCI-E slot, and here is no difference. I can't say I am terribly impressed by this, but I can't see a reason it would be problematic either, unless for some reason the chipset was severely overheated. The CPU bracket is another part that I found odd. The notches are at the top and bottom rather than the left and right, so this will reflect how you will need to install your cooling. I found this was better in my case though, because the waterblock was easier to install and ended up leaving more room in that area. So, it didn't affect me, but it may for others. You might already be asking yourself, "Where in the heck are the S-ATA ports? I only see two." In the top picture, they are right below the chipset cooler... instead of being exposed like the other two, these are on the side of the board. The reason for this is clear... if you have a RAID setup, you will have a lot of cables sticking up, but this way they come out to the side and are easier to keep tidy. Overall I can't complain too much about the layout. Only thing I would have loved to see are more available fan power connectors closer to the chipset. There is only one in that vicinity, and it's right below the bottom PCI slot. I had to use a 3-Pin to 4-Pin fan converter in order to use the power cords directly from my PSU because I could not reach any of the available fan ports on the motherboard from where it was situated. Here is a closeup of the north bridge and south bridge, in all of it's coppery goodness! Also pictured is the BIOS battery and it's reset switch (red). The actual BIOS chip is found directly beside the battery. As you would expect, there is a slew of available connections at the bottom of the board, including the color coded ATX case connectors. One thing I am pleased to see are the two USB connections right here... and not further down the board. This makes it far easier to reach and maintain a clean bottom of the case. As we've come to expect with recent motherboards, there is also a Power/Reset button here for those who are working outside of a case. There are two numbered LED's that show debug codes, so if you are running into issues, the proper code will be displayed here for you to investigate. Here is the ITE IT8716F-S monitoring chip that is found on many nForce AM2 motherboards. An overview of the 2x PCI-E slots, 1x PCI-E 1x, 1x PCI-E 4x and 2 PCIs. There is also a com port connector and also a single fan connector. [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Board Layout Cont.] The side view shows off the odd S-ATA ports and also the floppy connector. The board uses a simple socket mount. In the below picture you can see the IDE connector, 24-Pin motherboard and also the 8-Pin motherboard. Here also are the two extra S-ATA ports and the Silicon Image chipset. The caps used around the board: The digital PWM and it's heatsink: In this picture, you can see the connector for the audio. That piece doesn't need to be installed if you have a separate sound card, or just don't need it. Finally, here is an opposite view of the last picture. Without the sound card installed, we have 6 USB, 1 Firewire and 2 LAN. In case you are in need of PS/2 mouse/keyboard ports, they are here also. I am impressed with the motherboard layout overall... no real complaints. DFI did a few things differently here, such as the sideways S-ATA ports, and I have come to prefer them. Depending on your setup, your opinions may vary. Time to take a hard look throughout the BIOS... [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Look at the BIOS] The BIOS used is an Award, so it will be immediately familiar to most. Nothing on the main screen differs from the Ultra-D, but beneath a few of the menus it's a different story. Under the first menu you will see all of the drives installed, including the date. I disabled the floppy drive since I don't have one, and also the error halts. Under the second menu you can set up the boot order, and whether or not you want to see the splash screen. You can do more drive configuring under the top submenu. Under the advanced chipset, you will likely not need to touch any of the countless options: Some fun to be had under the integrated peripherals. If you have a USB keyboard and expect it to work past POST, you will need to enable it here. I disabled a few more functions I didn't need. Power Management is straight forward for the most part, but I did not have to adjust anything. PnP/PCI Configuration: The PC Health screen gives plenty of info regarding voltages and temperatures. You can also configure whether or not you want your PC to turn off if a certain temperature is met. [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Look at the BIOS Cont.] Genie BIOS is where all the good stuff happens, and if you have had a previous DFI LanParty board, you know what to expect. Though, this time around the options are quite a bit different... some to reflect the AM2 platform specifically. You can set the HTT, multi and width. Cool'n'Quiet is also here if you are in need of it. The C51/MCP55 options have to do with the link between the CPU and chipset, but I have not seemed to get very far with it... yet. The PCI Device control allows you to disable lan ports, or the audio. Here you can also set up a RAID. Here is the most hardcore part of the BIOS, and by hardcore I mean you must play it safe. DFI has given ultimate control over voltages, and that's no exaggeration. While most motherboards offer Vcore increases of 0.0125v, this doubles the amount of flexibility by allowing increases of 0.00625v. The voltage control begins at 1.0v, and goes straight to 1.6v. This is impressive in itself, because many motherboards still don't allow 1.6v that easily, at least without the % modifier. If that was not enough, there is an option for the Special Add %... which ranges from 100.00% to 121.25% that you see in the picture. Choosing 1.6vcore and 121.25% would effectively give you an insane 1.94vcore. This is hardly safe unless you...

DFI LanParty UT NF590 SLI-M2R/G

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Rob Williams