Abit NI8 SLI

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From a gaming and workstation performance standpoint, the NI8 SLI is an excellent example of great engineering from the ABIT team. Their efforts in the Fatality line and efforts from the past have culminated in a nice first effort for the Intel enthusiast. Business performance was a mixed bag in our test results, but this was more likely a reflection of slightly different test methods than a reflection of true performance differences. Still, at the very least, Business Performance of the Abit NI8 SLI is still acceptable when coupled with the P4 D840EE.

The big disappointment for this editor was the board's inability to overclock the FSB with stability beyond 220 MHz. Though the board is a clear winner as far as being able to overclock the memory independently, the inability to scale FSB inhibits the NI8 SLI from being able to increase system bandwidth to levels that we know that our test CPU can reach.

The layout of the board leaves something to be desired in regards to the Silicon Image controlled SATA 5+6 ports along with the bottom-mounted floppy connector. From a component standpoint, the inclusion of excellent capacitors and electrical components are exactly what you expect from a premium board that cost nearly $200, and they provided rock stable operation over the course of testing and evaluation. What you may not expect in a $200 board is the missing IEEE1394 ports. There is not a single Firewire port on the board. Abit must have decided gamers don't own or use digital video equipment.

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The big disappointment for this editor was the board's inability to overclock the FSB with stability beyond 220 MHz