TheInvincibleMustard
Senior member
This will be updated on a continual basis. PM me with info if ya find some!
Last updated -- Mar 01, 2005, 11:00PM EST -- Added several more reviews found around the web. Monarch's inventory page of the SLI-D appears to have been taken down.
INFORMATION:
DFI Website
Direct Link to the Online Manual
DFI-Street Forum Thread (22+ pages)
XtremeSystems.org Thread (33+ pages) -- The first few posts include some memory testing on a pre-retail board from someone at OCZ. This thread also includes showing just how close video cards come to the chipset heatsink/fan ... 😱
02/09 BIOS
02/18 BIOS
Basically the differences between the three versions of DFI's nF4 s939 motherbards are in packaging (what comes in the box), the SLI vs Ultra chipset, and whether it has RAID through the Silicon Image 3114 chip or not. The three versions currently available are
SLI-DR
SLI-D
Ultra-D
all are under the LanParty name. The SLI-DR is the top-of-the-line, the SLI-D is in the middle, and the Ultra-D is the lower-end. All three motherboards use the same BIOS, have (almost) the same layout, and are manufactured on the same PCBs, so there is truly very little difference between the three. Especially given AnandTech's recent article showing that the Ultra and SLI chipsets are basically the exact same. Choose your board, therefore, based on price and packaging and whether you want SI3114 RAID.
IF YOU PLAN ON PURCHASING THE ULTRA-D AND MODDING IT TO SLI BE WARNED THAT THE ULTRA-D DOES NOT COME WITH THE SLI BRIDGE AND DFI WON'T SELL ONE TO YOU! -- UPDATE: Available (exclusively?) from PCCaseGear you can get an Ultra-D with the SLI bridge! (thanks ryant)
From the limited information available on websites around the world, there appears to be no difference in world-wide packaging for the various products (ie, an SLI-DR bought in Germany would have the same packaging as one bought in the US). This is not guaranteed, however, as I've found no official word one way or the other. It does appear, however, that the SLI-D is only available outside of the US/Canada. UPDATE: 02/26/2005 -- Monach will have the SLI-D in stock on March 2nd.
According to the SiliconImage website, the SI RAID chip on this board DOES support single-mode devices like DVD/RWs and the like (thanks DanW).
FrontX is the brand-name of a specialized breakout box designed to fit in an available front 5.25" drive bay. It provides modular support for various connections, allowing the end-users to customize their front panel connections. The one shipping with the SLI-DR comes with diagnostic LED's, S/PDIF-out, an IEEE1394 (Firewire) jack, and a SATA (?) port. More information about the FrontX product can be found at their website.
The "UV" in the instance of referring to the cabling and board slots does indeed mean "UltraViolet" in that these cables/slots will glow when exposed to ultraviolet light.
A brief overview of the Karajan audio technology can be found at Hardwarezone.com's CES 2005 Article. Karajan is DFI-proprietary technology that uses a special daughtercard to physically separate the audio I/O from other I/O, thereby helping to eliminate interference. The ones in the nF4 line use a Realtek ALC850 audio chip providing 7.1/8-channel and auto-jack sensing.
COMPATIBILITY ISSUES:
The XP-120 DOES work with this motherboard, and all four DIMM slots can be used (with a few caveats).
Link to XtremeSystems forum post showing pictures of XP-120 installed.
Link to XtremeSystems forum post explaining the requirements for it fitting correctly.
According to Zalman, for the 7000 there needs to be 39mm of clearance in a 55mm radius around the center of the HSF. For the 7700, this radius is extended to 68mm (7000 Compatibility Chart ... 7700 Compatibility Chart). Thus, we can postulate about the clearance issues. Note that if the XP-120 is installed, there is about 40mm of space between it and DIMM4. Since the XP-120 is 110mm long, this is just about where the Zalman would fit as well (110/2=55). Therefore, it would seem that both the 7000 and 7700 would be possible to fit in this board. However, both of them would block DIMM4 at the least, and probably DIMM3 as well for the 7700. You would be able to install memory into those slots before you mount the HSF, of course, but I seriously doubt you'd be able to get access to them after it is installed. However, I think the larger problem would be the presence of the video card in the PCIe slot. From this picture, which shows a 120mm fan installed on top of the XP-120, you can guess where the Zalman coolers would sit. The 7000 appears like it should fit (109mm diameter is smaller than the 120 of the fan) with no problems, but the 7700 is cutting it much closer (136mm diameter, so add 8mm (16/2=8) onto where that fan is sitting in the picture) ... it shouldn't be too much of a problem unless you're using some sort of abnormal cooling system on your video card.
In short -- I theorize that both the Zalman 7000 and 7700 will fit on this motherboard, with the downside of blocking access to at least one of the DIMM slots.
The only problems to this might be the caps to the front side of the mobo, but I have no information regarding those, so I cannot postulate on those.
UPDATE The 7700 WILL fit on this motherboard. Link (thanks fr333zin!)
There have been issues where people running only 20-pin power connection have had some problems, but DFI strongly suggests that you use the 24-pin connection for superior stability (and does NOT recommend using a 20-pin PSU (even with an adapter) if you plan on overclocking at all). Along those same lines, you should plug in all of the power connections on the motherboard (such as that 4-pin molex, etc.) ... they specifically provide better power when overclocking or using SLI, but it does not hurt to have them in all the time as it helps with system stability.
Thus far, almost any RAM of decent quality appears to work nicely with this motherboard. If you're having stability issues, you might wish to up the memory voltage within your motherboard's BIOS, as this has helped some, or play around with the various memory settings (such as TRAS, MaxAsync, etc.), including a divider to run the memory at a lower frequency. There have been numerous reports of problems with Kingston HyperX memory with this board! You have been thusly warned!
Obviously, if you're looking at overclocking then higher-speed lower-latency memory would be best. It does appear from various prerelease reports that the BH-5 modules work slightly better on overclocking than their TCCD counterparts, so that might be important to some.
A link to DFI's site and recommended memory (thanks mxracer).
You might also wish to try a BIOS upgrade, as the newer ones are supposed to fix some RAM stability issues.
Higher overclocks have been commented to be achieved with the RAM in DIMM slots 2 & 4 (Link)
-- From this image, the slots are 1-2-3-4, top-to-bottom, so the orange slots are the 2-4 slots.
All four SATA plugs ARE LOCKED for the purposes of overclocking.
It is implied in various places around the web, including the AT review, that this board does support AMD's Cool-n-Quiet feature, but this is not confirmed as of this time.
The Leadtek 6800GT in SLI mode WILL NOT work on this board, due to the height of the HSF on the Leadtek video cards -- they interfere with each other. Link (thanks fr333zin!)
There have been various reports of these boards arriving physically damaged. It is apparently not a shipping problem, as the outside box is in perfect condition, but rather related to the placement of the Karajan audio module within the retail packaging. More information can be found in Bonesdad's Post here on AT.
REVIEWS:
AnandTech "This is one motherboard that has just earned a spot in my personal setup and it will take something very special to displace this one. This board is a keeper"
TechSweden.org The review is in Swedish, using some of the same images found on the XtremeSystems threads (I believe one of the posters contributed/wrote the article). No graphs, but there are some nice pictures, especially of the BIOS.
GameSpot "High performance and exceptional tweaking options make this board one of the best AMD Athlon 64 Socket 939 motherboards for those looking for SLI." 8.7/10
HardOCP "DFI has a great product in the DFI nF4 SLI-DR, but it is not without a few very small shortcomings. Those minor issues however will not impact most users that will walk away happy knowing they just purchased a solid SLI motherboard with the most hardware perks and prizes you are likely to find in one box."
NeoSeeker "Fast, stable, great looks and phenomenal overclocking abilities are highlights of the LanParty UT nF4 Ultra-D. It is hard to highlight all the positives about an excellent product without sounding too gushy but the nF4 Ultra-D is just that good. Definitely a must have for anyone serious about overclocking." Editor's Choice
PC Perspective They include a fantastic set of (lots of) pictures, including jumper removal and SLI installation, as well as important to note they do not benchmark the mobo on SLI, but rather on an X800XT. "The amount of features, the great overclocking BIOS, an excellent physical layout and superb performance easily earned the DFI LanParty SLI-DR motherboard our Gold Award and puts it on the right track for our upcoming Editor's Choice selections!"
HEXUS.net A great head-to-head comparison between the SLI-D and the A8N-SLI. Also includes performance with a 6600GT. "To keep it brief, if you want solid nForce4 SLI performance, good features and pricing that won't break the bank, either board will do. However, if you want the utmost control over your system and the chance to tweak like you've never been able to tweak before, Oskar Wu created one hell of a DFI mainboard for you."
AnandTech SLI Roundup "The DFI nF4 SLI-DR is the board of choice for overclockers who wish to squeeze every last bit of performance from an Athlon 64 SLI system. The range of overclocking options and the overclocked performance are the best that we have seen. Based on the best performance that we have ever achieved with the Athlon 64, we are pleased to award the AnandTech Gold Editors Choice to the DFI SLI motherboard."
WHERE-TO-BUY: (NOTE: All Prices below are in USD, unless otherwise noted. Prices do NOT include any applicable shippping & handling, tax, VAT, etc., unless otherwise noted.)
Prices in bold mean the price has gone UP since this post was last updated. Prices in italics mean the price has gone DOWN since this post was last updated. Prices in normal text mean the price hasn't changed since this post was last updated.
NewEgg (California, United States ResellerRatings Link)
SLI-DR $239.00 Out of Stock
Ultra-D $144.00 IN STOCK
Zip-Zoom-Fly (California, United States RR)
SLI-DR $237.00 Out of Stock
Ultra-D $144.99 IN STOCK
Monarch Computers (Georgia, United States RR)
SLI-DR $219.00 Mar 01, 2005
SLI-D $189.00 Mar 02, 2005 <-- Seems to have been taken off the website ...
Ultra-D $149.00 IN STOCK
AMD Combo's with Ultra-D ex: $296.00 for 3000+, Ultra-D, FarCry DVD, 4 Mo. Napster, Half-Life 2 Silver IN STOCK
ComputerHQ (California, United States RR)
SLI-DR $219.00 Preorder
Ultra-D $161.00 Preorder
NCIX.com (Canada, RR)
SLI-DR 273.60CAD Preorder for March 2, 2005
Ultra-D 193.80CAD IN STOCK
A64 3000+ & Ultra-D Bundle 385.18CAD IN STOCK
All Your Base Online (Manitoba, Canada, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 264.99CAD "Backordered Forever"
Ultra-D 194.99CAD IN STOCK
Vibe Computers (Canada, RR)
SLI-DR 269.47CAD Back-Ordered
Ultra-D 193.71CAD Back-Ordered
OcUK (Staffordshire, United Kingdom RR)
Catalog Link
SLI-DR 127.50GBP Preorder
SLI-D 109.95GBP Preorder
Ultra-D 89.95GBP IN STOCK
(from what I know, they DO ship internationally)
ABUK (Cheshire, United Kingom, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 154.99GBP inc VAT Out of Stock
SLI-D 138.49GBP inc VAT IN STOCK
Ultra-D 112.99GBP inc VAT IN STOCK
(unknown if they ship internationally)
HPM-Computer (Germany, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 188,90EUR "Kurzfristig lieferbar"
SLI-D 172,70EUR "Kurzfristig lieferbar"
Ultra-D 137,90EUR "Sofort ab Lager lieferbar"
They do ship internationally, to a certain extent
Hardly Normals (Victora, Australia, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 409.00AUD PreOrder
SLI-D 375.00AUD IN STOCK
Ultra-D 299.00AUD IN STOCK
(they DO NOT ship overseas)
Mittoni (Victora, Australia, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 395.00AUD IN STOCK
SLI-D 380.00AUD IN STOCK
Ultra-D 295.00AUD IN STOCK
(they DO ship to the US)
PC Case Gear (Victoria, Australia, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 395.00AUD ???
SLI-D 380.00AUD ???
Ultra-D 306.00AUD ??? <-- INCLUDES the SLI bridge! (thanks ryant)
(they DO NOT ship internationally)
MrPower (Taiwan, RR n/a)
SLI-DR $240.45 Mar 04, 2005
Ultra-D $158.70 IN STOCK
(they DO ship internationally)
If you know of any more places that are currently selling these motherboards, or if there's another site with a review, please send me a PM so I can add them to the list! 😀
Last updated -- Mar 01, 2005, 11:00PM EST -- Added several more reviews found around the web. Monarch's inventory page of the SLI-D appears to have been taken down.
INFORMATION:
DFI Website
Direct Link to the Online Manual
DFI-Street Forum Thread (22+ pages)
XtremeSystems.org Thread (33+ pages) -- The first few posts include some memory testing on a pre-retail board from someone at OCZ. This thread also includes showing just how close video cards come to the chipset heatsink/fan ... 😱
02/09 BIOS
02/18 BIOS
Basically the differences between the three versions of DFI's nF4 s939 motherbards are in packaging (what comes in the box), the SLI vs Ultra chipset, and whether it has RAID through the Silicon Image 3114 chip or not. The three versions currently available are
SLI-DR
SLI-D
Ultra-D
all are under the LanParty name. The SLI-DR is the top-of-the-line, the SLI-D is in the middle, and the Ultra-D is the lower-end. All three motherboards use the same BIOS, have (almost) the same layout, and are manufactured on the same PCBs, so there is truly very little difference between the three. Especially given AnandTech's recent article showing that the Ultra and SLI chipsets are basically the exact same. Choose your board, therefore, based on price and packaging and whether you want SI3114 RAID.
IF YOU PLAN ON PURCHASING THE ULTRA-D AND MODDING IT TO SLI BE WARNED THAT THE ULTRA-D DOES NOT COME WITH THE SLI BRIDGE AND DFI WON'T SELL ONE TO YOU! -- UPDATE: Available (exclusively?) from PCCaseGear you can get an Ultra-D with the SLI bridge! (thanks ryant)
From the limited information available on websites around the world, there appears to be no difference in world-wide packaging for the various products (ie, an SLI-DR bought in Germany would have the same packaging as one bought in the US). This is not guaranteed, however, as I've found no official word one way or the other. It does appear, however, that the SLI-D is only available outside of the US/Canada. UPDATE: 02/26/2005 -- Monach will have the SLI-D in stock on March 2nd.
According to the SiliconImage website, the SI RAID chip on this board DOES support single-mode devices like DVD/RWs and the like (thanks DanW).
FrontX is the brand-name of a specialized breakout box designed to fit in an available front 5.25" drive bay. It provides modular support for various connections, allowing the end-users to customize their front panel connections. The one shipping with the SLI-DR comes with diagnostic LED's, S/PDIF-out, an IEEE1394 (Firewire) jack, and a SATA (?) port. More information about the FrontX product can be found at their website.
The "UV" in the instance of referring to the cabling and board slots does indeed mean "UltraViolet" in that these cables/slots will glow when exposed to ultraviolet light.
A brief overview of the Karajan audio technology can be found at Hardwarezone.com's CES 2005 Article. Karajan is DFI-proprietary technology that uses a special daughtercard to physically separate the audio I/O from other I/O, thereby helping to eliminate interference. The ones in the nF4 line use a Realtek ALC850 audio chip providing 7.1/8-channel and auto-jack sensing.
COMPATIBILITY ISSUES:
The XP-120 DOES work with this motherboard, and all four DIMM slots can be used (with a few caveats).
Link to XtremeSystems forum post showing pictures of XP-120 installed.
Link to XtremeSystems forum post explaining the requirements for it fitting correctly.
According to Zalman, for the 7000 there needs to be 39mm of clearance in a 55mm radius around the center of the HSF. For the 7700, this radius is extended to 68mm (7000 Compatibility Chart ... 7700 Compatibility Chart). Thus, we can postulate about the clearance issues. Note that if the XP-120 is installed, there is about 40mm of space between it and DIMM4. Since the XP-120 is 110mm long, this is just about where the Zalman would fit as well (110/2=55). Therefore, it would seem that both the 7000 and 7700 would be possible to fit in this board. However, both of them would block DIMM4 at the least, and probably DIMM3 as well for the 7700. You would be able to install memory into those slots before you mount the HSF, of course, but I seriously doubt you'd be able to get access to them after it is installed. However, I think the larger problem would be the presence of the video card in the PCIe slot. From this picture, which shows a 120mm fan installed on top of the XP-120, you can guess where the Zalman coolers would sit. The 7000 appears like it should fit (109mm diameter is smaller than the 120 of the fan) with no problems, but the 7700 is cutting it much closer (136mm diameter, so add 8mm (16/2=8) onto where that fan is sitting in the picture) ... it shouldn't be too much of a problem unless you're using some sort of abnormal cooling system on your video card.
In short -- I theorize that both the Zalman 7000 and 7700 will fit on this motherboard, with the downside of blocking access to at least one of the DIMM slots.
The only problems to this might be the caps to the front side of the mobo, but I have no information regarding those, so I cannot postulate on those.
UPDATE The 7700 WILL fit on this motherboard. Link (thanks fr333zin!)
There have been issues where people running only 20-pin power connection have had some problems, but DFI strongly suggests that you use the 24-pin connection for superior stability (and does NOT recommend using a 20-pin PSU (even with an adapter) if you plan on overclocking at all). Along those same lines, you should plug in all of the power connections on the motherboard (such as that 4-pin molex, etc.) ... they specifically provide better power when overclocking or using SLI, but it does not hurt to have them in all the time as it helps with system stability.
Thus far, almost any RAM of decent quality appears to work nicely with this motherboard. If you're having stability issues, you might wish to up the memory voltage within your motherboard's BIOS, as this has helped some, or play around with the various memory settings (such as TRAS, MaxAsync, etc.), including a divider to run the memory at a lower frequency. There have been numerous reports of problems with Kingston HyperX memory with this board! You have been thusly warned!
Obviously, if you're looking at overclocking then higher-speed lower-latency memory would be best. It does appear from various prerelease reports that the BH-5 modules work slightly better on overclocking than their TCCD counterparts, so that might be important to some.
A link to DFI's site and recommended memory (thanks mxracer).
You might also wish to try a BIOS upgrade, as the newer ones are supposed to fix some RAM stability issues.
Higher overclocks have been commented to be achieved with the RAM in DIMM slots 2 & 4 (Link)
-- From this image, the slots are 1-2-3-4, top-to-bottom, so the orange slots are the 2-4 slots.
All four SATA plugs ARE LOCKED for the purposes of overclocking.
It is implied in various places around the web, including the AT review, that this board does support AMD's Cool-n-Quiet feature, but this is not confirmed as of this time.
The Leadtek 6800GT in SLI mode WILL NOT work on this board, due to the height of the HSF on the Leadtek video cards -- they interfere with each other. Link (thanks fr333zin!)
There have been various reports of these boards arriving physically damaged. It is apparently not a shipping problem, as the outside box is in perfect condition, but rather related to the placement of the Karajan audio module within the retail packaging. More information can be found in Bonesdad's Post here on AT.
REVIEWS:
AnandTech "This is one motherboard that has just earned a spot in my personal setup and it will take something very special to displace this one. This board is a keeper"
TechSweden.org The review is in Swedish, using some of the same images found on the XtremeSystems threads (I believe one of the posters contributed/wrote the article). No graphs, but there are some nice pictures, especially of the BIOS.
GameSpot "High performance and exceptional tweaking options make this board one of the best AMD Athlon 64 Socket 939 motherboards for those looking for SLI." 8.7/10
HardOCP "DFI has a great product in the DFI nF4 SLI-DR, but it is not without a few very small shortcomings. Those minor issues however will not impact most users that will walk away happy knowing they just purchased a solid SLI motherboard with the most hardware perks and prizes you are likely to find in one box."
NeoSeeker "Fast, stable, great looks and phenomenal overclocking abilities are highlights of the LanParty UT nF4 Ultra-D. It is hard to highlight all the positives about an excellent product without sounding too gushy but the nF4 Ultra-D is just that good. Definitely a must have for anyone serious about overclocking." Editor's Choice
PC Perspective They include a fantastic set of (lots of) pictures, including jumper removal and SLI installation, as well as important to note they do not benchmark the mobo on SLI, but rather on an X800XT. "The amount of features, the great overclocking BIOS, an excellent physical layout and superb performance easily earned the DFI LanParty SLI-DR motherboard our Gold Award and puts it on the right track for our upcoming Editor's Choice selections!"
HEXUS.net A great head-to-head comparison between the SLI-D and the A8N-SLI. Also includes performance with a 6600GT. "To keep it brief, if you want solid nForce4 SLI performance, good features and pricing that won't break the bank, either board will do. However, if you want the utmost control over your system and the chance to tweak like you've never been able to tweak before, Oskar Wu created one hell of a DFI mainboard for you."
AnandTech SLI Roundup "The DFI nF4 SLI-DR is the board of choice for overclockers who wish to squeeze every last bit of performance from an Athlon 64 SLI system. The range of overclocking options and the overclocked performance are the best that we have seen. Based on the best performance that we have ever achieved with the Athlon 64, we are pleased to award the AnandTech Gold Editors Choice to the DFI SLI motherboard."
WHERE-TO-BUY: (NOTE: All Prices below are in USD, unless otherwise noted. Prices do NOT include any applicable shippping & handling, tax, VAT, etc., unless otherwise noted.)
Prices in bold mean the price has gone UP since this post was last updated. Prices in italics mean the price has gone DOWN since this post was last updated. Prices in normal text mean the price hasn't changed since this post was last updated.
NewEgg (California, United States ResellerRatings Link)
SLI-DR $239.00 Out of Stock
Ultra-D $144.00 IN STOCK
Zip-Zoom-Fly (California, United States RR)
SLI-DR $237.00 Out of Stock
Ultra-D $144.99 IN STOCK
Monarch Computers (Georgia, United States RR)
SLI-DR $219.00 Mar 01, 2005
SLI-D $189.00 Mar 02, 2005 <-- Seems to have been taken off the website ...
Ultra-D $149.00 IN STOCK
AMD Combo's with Ultra-D ex: $296.00 for 3000+, Ultra-D, FarCry DVD, 4 Mo. Napster, Half-Life 2 Silver IN STOCK
ComputerHQ (California, United States RR)
SLI-DR $219.00 Preorder
Ultra-D $161.00 Preorder
NCIX.com (Canada, RR)
SLI-DR 273.60CAD Preorder for March 2, 2005
Ultra-D 193.80CAD IN STOCK
A64 3000+ & Ultra-D Bundle 385.18CAD IN STOCK
All Your Base Online (Manitoba, Canada, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 264.99CAD "Backordered Forever"
Ultra-D 194.99CAD IN STOCK
Vibe Computers (Canada, RR)
SLI-DR 269.47CAD Back-Ordered
Ultra-D 193.71CAD Back-Ordered
OcUK (Staffordshire, United Kingdom RR)
Catalog Link
SLI-DR 127.50GBP Preorder
SLI-D 109.95GBP Preorder
Ultra-D 89.95GBP IN STOCK
(from what I know, they DO ship internationally)
ABUK (Cheshire, United Kingom, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 154.99GBP inc VAT Out of Stock
SLI-D 138.49GBP inc VAT IN STOCK
Ultra-D 112.99GBP inc VAT IN STOCK
(unknown if they ship internationally)
HPM-Computer (Germany, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 188,90EUR "Kurzfristig lieferbar"
SLI-D 172,70EUR "Kurzfristig lieferbar"
Ultra-D 137,90EUR "Sofort ab Lager lieferbar"
They do ship internationally, to a certain extent
Hardly Normals (Victora, Australia, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 409.00AUD PreOrder
SLI-D 375.00AUD IN STOCK
Ultra-D 299.00AUD IN STOCK
(they DO NOT ship overseas)
Mittoni (Victora, Australia, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 395.00AUD IN STOCK
SLI-D 380.00AUD IN STOCK
Ultra-D 295.00AUD IN STOCK
(they DO ship to the US)
PC Case Gear (Victoria, Australia, RR n/a)
SLI-DR 395.00AUD ???
SLI-D 380.00AUD ???
Ultra-D 306.00AUD ??? <-- INCLUDES the SLI bridge! (thanks ryant)
(they DO NOT ship internationally)
MrPower (Taiwan, RR n/a)
SLI-DR $240.45 Mar 04, 2005
Ultra-D $158.70 IN STOCK
(they DO ship internationally)
If you know of any more places that are currently selling these motherboards, or if there's another site with a review, please send me a PM so I can add them to the list! 😀
