EPOX Computer EP-9NPA+

Name: EPOX Computer EP-9NPA+
Rating: 3.50
Author: Jon L. Jacobi

Jon L. Jacobi

PC World

14/05/05

Expert Rating

3.50 / 5

Pros

Clean layout, broad range of overclocking settings

Cons

No rear-panel FireWire

Bottom Line

EPoX's nForce4 Ultra board performs well and has the basic features you need for a mainstream or high-end system.

Would you buy this?

Yes 0
No 1

Price
$ 207.00 (AUD)

The EP-9NPA+ Ultra is the prototypical nForce4 Ultra board, implementing exactly what the chip set offers-which is quite a lot--but nothing more.

Compared to other Athlon 64 motherboards we have tested, the board's performance was middle-of-the-road, in both WorldBench 5 and our gaming tests. You can optimise for more speed via its broad range of overclocking settings (in the PC setup program) and the speed and voltage settings (using the included NTune app).

The EP-9NPA+ Ultra features a very clean layout, with three unobstructed PCIe x1 slots and no interference between components. While we would have liked a rear-panel FireWire port, the board came with two FireWire headers--a set of pins that allows you to connect to a port built into your case or a rear port that fits on an included slot cover.

The EPoX board's Magic Flash Internet BIOS utility worked well, and the pre-production user guide we received was concise and informative.