XFX nForce 780i SLI

Overclocking

We overclocked with an Intel E6750 G0 set to a 6x multiplier and with a 1.625V Vcore, 1.5V FSB, 1.55V MCP, and 2.2V memory set in Sync to help maximise overclocking. We achieved 487.5MHz FSB ("1950MHz" in the BIOS) but it wasn't stable - loading the CPU with Orthos caused it to fail within a minute.

The GTLReference Lane voltage additions seem to do the trick though - adding a maximum of 150mV to each of the four lanes, but with just +20mV our system was stable for 10 minutes without any change in voltage or frequency elsewhere. A little more again (+45mV) seemed to do the trick. By balancing core voltage, frequency and GTLRef voltages you should be able to nose up an overclock gently or fine tune for some additional stability.

We dropped in a QX9650 for some quad core, Penryn overclocking and achieved a reasonably good 462MHz FSB. Ideally you'll want an unlocked CPU to get the extra legroom then - and that means paying through the nose for an extreme edition. Just gunning the CPU for MHz we got a high 4.3GHz by keeping the FSB around 400MHz and balancing it with additional CPU multiplier, however anything over 4.4GHz and it would crash as it POSTed.

It's not the best overclock in the world if you're aiming for super front side bus bandwidth and the overall CPU speed is entirely dependent on cooling and a good CPU - but the addition of GTLRef is certainly worth a look and adds definite value. There are some reports of over 5GHz overclocks for QX9650s on the reference design, albeit with watercooling and a heavy voltage and multiplier increment, but it still shows a capable board.

The thing that gets me is that the board isn't that clever. Most competing boards, for even a few years now, have had overclocking fail-safes put in so if a board fails to boot or it crashes it automatically resets itself. This one doesn't, or at least seems to fail most of the time - you have to always manually reset the CMOS, and with no rear I/O button (or even an onboard button) you have to resort to a fiddly little jumper.

Stability

The system works perfectly, even with a QX9650 Penryn quad core and Corsair Dominator 1066MHz memory set with EPP performance. We ran Prime95 torture tests on all cores, as well as 3DMark06 to stress the graphics sub system and a full day later it was still working perfectly fine.

Value

The XFX nForce 780i SLI current retails at around £155 in the UK, slightly less than when the nForce 680i SLI launched in late 2006. In comparison though, this price has dropped to around £135 for an XFX nForce 680i SLI right now. For no sort of performance elevation, is it really worth the extra £20 for an nForce 780i SLI?

Non-reference nForce 680i SLI boards like the very popular Asus Striker Extreme are retailing for around the same price as the reference nForce 780i SLI now, so there's not really any point to get that - especially when Asus has just launched the Striker Extreme II anyway.

If anything, the Penryn compatibility problem on the nForce 680i SLI boards is looking more and more convenient for Nvidia. Take that as you will, but it could have been a potential complete non-upgrade for anyone and now it's literally the only viable reason to get an nForce 780i SLI. That's especially true since 45nm Penryns are due to start arriving in the next month or so and should be around for anywhere up to 18 months (we'd suggest Spring IDF 2009) if Nehalem launch date rumours are to be believed.

The nForce 780i SLI is the ultimate system for SLI, however be knowledgeable of "gaming" alternatives like the Asus Striker Extreme II and the new Foxconn Quantum Force board featuring the same chipset and better options. Not to mention other popular brands like MSI and Gigabyte which offer their own specific features, designs and price ranges.

We've also yet to look at the nForce 750i SLI to see if the performance difference is really worth the inevitable price hike. There's no reason to upgrade to a 700-series if you're not using Penryn - if you've already invested in an Intel E6750 or Q6600, grab yourself a cheaper nForce 600-series board. You don’t need PCI-Express 2.0 if you’ve bought a GeForce 8800 GT(S); it makes no difference.

So, what about ESA? We've still yet to see any benefits to it and, unless you've got a whole system upgrade planned, it's not really worth the effort. The software (so far) may look good, but it feels excessive and perhaps needs a more seamless integration into the Windows environment.

A note of warning also - be very wary that there are more things to come this year: nForce 790i SLI will feature DDR3 and a few new parts so we’ve heard and there’s also Hybrid SLI chipsets to come later on. For enthusiasts, Hybrid SLI will be beneficial in saving power rather than the low-end alternative option, but you will need a new (yet to be released) graphics card and motherboard to take advantage of it. Plan your upgrade cycle of motherboards, CPUs, memory and graphics cards carefully; there should be some further announcements and details in the coming weeks. We'll keep you posted.

At the moment there's no real reason to buy the XFX nForce 780i SLI board. It's more power hungry for no performance difference. The northbridge heatsink gets as hot as on a 680i SLI, even though it's physically bigger. Also, unless you've got plenty of case airflow, you should really be using the additional fan - which only makes it a noiser board. If you're overclocking the board it goes without saying that the fan should be used - so regardless of that nice new Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme purchase, your system is still loud.

Final Thoughts

It may look better, but it also costs £20 more than an XFX nForce 680i SLI and we'd certainly be tempted to sit back and wait to see if the nForce 780i SLI suffers from the same significantly high number of board deaths that the nForce 680i SLI had - personally I'd choose a company with a good RMA service and warranty period, just to be safe. In that respect, XFX's two year warranty is clearly outshone by its American alternative, EVGA, which offers a fantastic and industry leading ten year warranty.

The nForce 780i SLI suffers from stuff that just hasn't been updated; no solid aluminium capacitors, no re-FABed chipsets on a cooler process, no updated BIOS flashing utilities, no overclocking safe guards and not even a CMOS button.

Even though the XFX nForce 780i SLI performs well, is stable and looks good, it just simply lacks in features I'd expect an enthusiast board to have. I can't help but want to look elsewhere to the Tier One manufacturers for a quiet solution that is better kitted out. If you've got a different opinion though, or if you just want to ask a question or two, then head to the forums and let us know.

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