MSI K9N SLI Platinum

Zitat

I am a big fan of High-Definition audio as an on-board solution, so I am pleased to see that MSI has used the Realtek ALC883 codec on the K9N SLI Platinum. Although it isn't the all bells and whistles Dolby Master Studio version, it still has useful audio tools like Dolby Live and Virtual Surround. Whilst I wouldn't use Gigabit Ethernet personally, and there are still few home routers able to buy with it on, more LAN parties are using Gigabit networking now so you can't sniff at having a couple of them to boot.

I'm also a big fan of the way MSI has made the K9N SLI Platinum look but there are annoying niggles with the layout. The cluster of power connectors between the CPU socket top PCI-Express x16 slot could cause problems if you are using a large aftermarket heatsink. Also, there are a line of capacitors that are very close to the CPU socket and could cause the same problems. Finally, the MCP heatsink also just irradiates heat into the graphics card heatsinks too, rather than removing heat away from the area via a heatpipe.

All in all, the K9N SLI Platinum is kitted out very well, considering it's around £100 from Dabs and $130 from Newegg plus delivery, you get a lot for your money. In comparison, the ECS KA3 MVP Extreme costs around the same price and comes with two full-bandwidth PCI-Express x16 slots. However, the SB600 southbridge only has four SATA 3Gbps ports and no support for RAID5 if an on-board solution is an attraction.

[...]MSI has created an exceptionally fast and robust nForce 570 SLI motherboard with a good price if you are looking to run the board at stock speeds. However, there are some layout issues related to the positioning of power sockets and the MCP heatsink that may sway your buying decision. Budding overclockers should look elsewhere.