NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra: Biostar's Performance Surprise

Biostar Tforce4 U 775: Features

Biostar designed a very well laid out board with all major connections easily reached. The board is lacking most clearance issues and was simple to install in a mid-size ATX case. Although the board features a 3-phase voltage regulator power design, it provided very good stability and allowed a decent level of overclocking. However, considering the power requirements of the current Intel processor lineup, we would like to have seen a 4-phase or 5-phase design considering this board is targeted to the gamer and computer enthusiast.

The DIMM module slots' color coordination is correct for dual channel setup. The memory modules are slightly difficult to install with a full size video card placed in the first PCI Express x16 slot. The floppy drive port connector is conveniently located on the edge of the board. The CPU fan header is located above the first DIMM slot and will require proper placement of the heat sink assembly due to the distance from the CPU socket.

The NVIDIA nForce4 IDE port connectors are located to the right of the battery and did not present any connection issues in our mid-size ATX case. The system fan header is located between the battery and nForce4 SATA ports. The NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Intel Edition MCP chipset is passively cooled with a low rise heat sink that did not interfere with cards installed into the PCI slots.

The NVIDIA nForce4 SATA ports are conveniently located below the MCP chipset and to the left of the IDE connectors. The SATA ports feature the new clamp and latch design. Unlike other recently reviewed boards, the SATA ports are not color-coded for primary and secondary operation. We found the positioning of the SATA ports to be excellent when utilizing the PCI slots or IDE port connectors.

The NVIDIA nForce4 USB connectors, S/PDIF out connector, and chassis panel are located to the left of the MCP chipset along the edge of the board. The BIOS chip is located below the fourth PCI slot. The clear CMOS jumper block is a traditional jumper design located below the number one SATA port connector. The location of this jumper required the removal of the SATA drive cable during repeated usage.

The board comes with (1) physical PCI Express x16 connector, (2) PCI Express x1 connectors, and (4) PCI 2.2 connectors. The layout of this design offers an exceptional balance of expansion slots for a mainstream board.

The physical x16 connector is located next to the 24-pin ATX power connector. The (2) PCI Express x1 connectors are located next, followed by the (4) PCI slots.

We did not have any issues installing our EVGA 7800GTX 512MB or ATI X1900XTX video cards in the x16 PCI Express slot. This configuration will physically render the first PCI Express x1 slot useless. We did not have any issues utilizing this slot with video cards containing single slot cooling systems.

Returning to the CPU socket area, we find ample room for alternative cooling solutions. We utilized the stock Intel heatsink, but also verified that several aftermarket cooling systems such as the Thermaltake Big Typhoon would fit in this area during our tests. However, due to the large SPP heatsink/fan, the installation of large air or water-cooling solutions could be problematic.

The NVIDIA nForce4 SPP chipset is actively cooled with a large heat sink/fan unit that did not interfere with any installed peripherals. In fact, this unit kept the normally hot SPP chipset cool enough that additional chipset voltage was not a factor in our overclocking tests. Our only concern is the lifespan of the fan as it typically runs at 5500rpm and does generate a slight whirling sound during operation.

Biostar places the four-pin 12v auxiliary power connector at the top of the CPU socket area, but out of the way of aftermarket cooling solutions. The 24-pin ATX power connector is located above the SPP chipset and next to the x16 PCI Express connector. This 24-pin connector is located in a difficult position and can hamper airflow with cabling that crosses over the SPP heatsink/fan or directly over the CPU heatsink/fan.

The rear panel contains the standard PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports, parallel port, serial port, LAN port, and 4 USB ports. The LAN (RJ-45) port has two LED indicators representing Activity and Speed of the connection. The audio panel consists of 6 ports that can be configured for 2, 4, 6, and 8-channel audio connections.