EVGA nForce 680i SE Motherboard 122-CK-NF63-TR Review

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Technology is an ever changing landscape of advancements and new ideas being implemented all the time with new versions of products being released every time we turn our backs. I don’t know if it’s the technology companies or the game producers that are the ones to blame for the constant upgrading cycles we as a consumer have to put up with, but we do it because we basically have to if we want to have the latest and greatest hardware and play the newest games being released. I’ve recently upgraded from an NF650i based system to an NF680i based system, the board I have now is an EVGA nForce 680i SE SLI Version, specifically the 122-CK-NF63-TR model number. The SE in the title stands for ‘Special Edition’, though I’m not quite sure why it has that moniker attached to it. There are several versions of the EVGA 680i based motherboards and I picked the one that had the features I really wanted and needed, along with the fairly low price point for a board of this caliber. So continue on as I explore this board and run it through some tests, I can say that in my time with it I have found it to be an excellent and very stable board with no problems whatsoever…

 

EVGA nForce 680i SE Motherboard 122-CK-NF63-TR Review

Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio

 

 

Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

EVGA nForce 680i SE SLI 775 TR Version Motherboard 122-CK-NF63-TR

Part Number: 122-CK-NF63-TR

MSRP: $199.99 USD

Most EVGA video cards and motherboards have attained “Certified for Windows Vista.” These products have passed rigorous testing and take full advantage of Microsoft Windows Vista.

Specifications:

Performance

  • Based on NVIDIA nForce 680i SE SLI Chipset chipset
  • Supports Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, and Pentium processors
  • 1066/1333 Mhz Front Side Bus

  

Memory

  • 4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets
  • Dual Channel DDR2
  • Maximum of 8GB of DDR2 533/667/800/1200MHz SLI-Ready memory

  

Expansion Slot

2 x PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe Graphics expansion slot, 2 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI

2 x 32-bit PCI, support for PCI 2.1

  

Storage I/O

  • 1 x UltraDMA133
  • 6 x Serial ATA 300MB/sec with support for RAID 0, RAID1, RAID 0+1
  • 1 x Floppy disk drive connector

  

Integrated Peripherals

  • 7.1 Channel, Azalia (HDA)
  • 2 x 10/100/1000

Multi I/O

  • 1 x PS2 Keyboard
  • 1 x PS2 Mouse
  • 1 x Serial Ports
  • 10 x USB2.0 ports (6 external + 4 internal headers)
  • Audio connector (Line-in, Line-out, MIC)

  

Form Factor

  • ATX Form Factor
  • Length: 12.0in – 304.8mm
  • Width: 9.6in – 243.6mm

  

Features:

Key Features:

NVIDIA SLI Technology

Dramatically scales performance by allowing two graphics cards to be run in parallel. Only available on select PCI-Express models.

NVIDIA Native Gigabit Ethernet

The industrys fastest Gigabit Ethernet performance, eliminates network bottlenecks and improves overall system efficiency and performance.

Third PCI-Express Expansion Slot

Provides future support for 3 GPU applications

Other Features:

NVIDIA RAID

NVIDIA RAID technology implements standard RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 0+1 techniques to maximize storage assets. NVIDIA RAID technology additionally introduces many innovations that simplify and optimize the management of RAID features and disk resources.

NVIDIA StreamThru Data Transport System

NVIDIAs patent-pending isochronous data transport system, providing uninterrupted data streaming for superior networking and broadband communications. StreamThru assists in making streaming video and audio smoother and jitter-free.

Unified Driver Architecture (UDA)

Part of the NVIDIA Forceware unified software environment (USE). The NVIDIA UDA guarantees forward and backward compatibility with software drivers. Simplifies upgrading to a new NVIDIA product because all NVIDIA products work with the same driver software.

NVIDIA nTune Performance Application

Enables the easiest, safest, and highest performing overclocking available for NVIDIA nForce-based PCs. Performance wizards allow automatic tuning for the best performance or the quietest operation. Previously known as the NVIDIA System Utility.

USB 2.0

A standard plug and play interface providing easy-to-use connectivity for USB devices.

 

NVIDIA Firewall Technology

A high-performance, hardware-optimized firewall, NVIDIA Firewall protects your PC from intruders by filtering unauthorized traffic. Integrated into NVIDIA nForce3 and nForce2 MCPs with NVIDIA Gigabit Ethernet, it provides professional-grade traffic inspection capabilities, advanced management features–remote access, configuration, and monitoring–and is easy to use and setup via a user-friendly wizard.

NVIDIA nForce Networking

NVIDIA networking delivers the highest throughput for network transfers and lower CPU utilization. The manageable and stable NVIDIA networking solution results in better networking performance and a lower total cost of ownership.

NVIDIA ForceWare Unified Software Environment (USE)

Ensures the best out-of-box experience for every user by delivering industry-leading features for graphics, audio, video, communications, storage, and security; one driver for all products; and continual performance and feature updates over the life of the product.

Serial ATA