DFI LP UT 680i SLI-T2R/G nears completion

[s e t h]

here is the most recent picture for the upcoming SLI LanParty
please note that even as of today the NB cooler design is not final i get the impression we are going to see a seriously advanced solution on this mobo's NB as stock...:cool:

oh and ETA is April currently and pricing i feel will be better than a lot of the other 680i mobo's :D

http://www.flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/LP-UT-NF-680i-LT-SLI-T2R.jpg

[dinos22]

is that for real?

look at the area around the CPU socket :eek: :slobber: :slobber: :slobber: :slobber:

[Solarfall]

is that for real?

look at the area around the CPU socket :eek: :slobber: :slobber: :slobber: :slobber:

Exactly WTH :eek: , i really hope that they chance that NB cooler its so damn ugly

[s e t h]

dinos22 - that's what digital pwm can do for cleanliness

Solarfall - i understand that the proposed cooler is a tall heatpiped number with an active cooler.
OSKAR has understood for months that the 680i chipset needs geat cooling to perform at its best.

[dinos22]

dinos22 - that's what digital pwm can do for cleanliness

Solarfall - i understand that the proposed cooler is a tall heatpiped number with an active cooler.
OSKAR has understood for months that the 680i chipset needs geat cooling to perform at its best.

hopefully Oscar can fix the appalling SuperPI performance :(

[s e t h]

phelan1777 - DFI has a new in-house forum up and running...http://csd.dficlub.org/forum/index.php

[.:\dGh/:.]

OMG WTF is the nb cooler???

I think that it will be replaced for a new one.. I hope get high fsb... 'couse DFi is not know by his Intel mobos.

[FabricioGS]

Dude I just can't stop looking at it!

:woot:


I love DFI :toast:

[Knight]

Exactly WTH :eek: , i really hope that they chance that NB cooler its so damn ugly

I hope the same. :(

[Aldy402]

hopefully this board is good, its kinda late for a 680i board
and they have a lot of competition but i guess that only benefits us
I miss the yellow color scheme though, not too fond of orange

I loved my SLI-DR back in the AMD days
lets just hope DFI isnt one of those companies that only has "5 minutes of fame"

[Gambit_2K]

Wow not only one but two chipset fans to replace with something better and quiter :stick:

[Pyr0]

Wow not only one but two chipset fans to replace with something better and quiter :stick:

at least they aren't all joined by heatpipes :woot:

[hawtrawkr]

at least they aren't all joined by heatpipes :woot:

took the words out of my mouth. the heatpipes are starting to get annoying.

[s e t h]

i have the RD600 with same digital pwm...the vdroop in this design is very low...so low its next to 0 ;)

the real question is can OSKAR and his team get this mobo to clock quad-core fsb like the infinity 965, asus p5b and the new rev EVGA 680i
and since DFI have a board that does clock quad cores perfectly there is good hope this one will too.

[[XC] gomeler]

The socket alone makes this a phase/LN2 dream board. I will agree that the NB looks ugly as hell but might as well throw a waterloop on it considering how hot the 680i chipsets have been getting in the past.

[AlphaHeX]

3 days ago I was informed by DFI Europe that they've just received the sample of that board. They don't have information yet when more mobos will be delivered. I've just asked them if is the final version of the board and if mobo from the picture which flytek has attached is the same as their sample :)

[s e t h]

the sample should be the same as this...but i know a new cooler is being tested
and when i was given this pic the non-finallity of the NB cooler was stressed pointedly

[hawtrawkr]

The socket alone makes this a phase/LN2 dream board.

it does look nice and open just wish we could get some of the thumbnail pics sans heatsink to get a good look at it.

[MikeMK]

Wow... thats lookin seriously nice... I love the fact they have no figgin heatpipes snaking all over the place... makes it much easier to cool without having to worry about PWM cooling like on my IN9...

Im gonna see what this is like when it comes out, but it may well tempt me back to DFI ;)

[s e t h]

i think the clear socket area will look very similar to my RD600 below.
if i actually had the 680i mobo there would be a lot better pics :p:

[.:\dGh/:.]

But whats the main differente between pipes and not pipes?

[Bootsy]

ETA of April ... what year?

[kiwi]

Too late :/

Looking cebit photos at p35 + ddr3 I'm not encouraged to buy this, god knows when this LP and infinity hit stores.

[J-Mag]

The thing that really bums me out is the NB clip secure method. The NB cooler better not be irritating under high thermal load because it will be a PITA to replace with a water block.

[.:\dGh/:.]

Too late :/

Looking cebit photos at p35 + ddr3 I'm not encouraged to buy this, god knows when this LP and infinity hit stores.

DDR3 will have some time around the market to get great latency and frequency. Currently is just DDR2 with high frequency. if you buy p35 + ddr3 that's a waste of money!

[dinos22]

DDR3 will have some time around the market to get great latency and frequency. Currently is just DDR2 with high frequency. if you buy p35 + ddr3 that's a waste of money!

well if you actually talk to someone who knows a little more about DDR3 than the average Joe ;) you would not be saying that AT ALL

[Markmk]

This board looks good. I was sooo close to buying the RD600 before opting for the Abit IN9. DFI are usually late to the market with their flavour of the latest chipset. If the past few boards are anything to go by then this board should kick ass

[syne_24]

Hmm a little late to the party but I guess better late than never! I think a fan for the pwm cooling would be great. As the pwm can get quite hot once overclock, this was the same issue with Abit's 680i. Also I hope the bios dont disappoint, we need more voltage on nb/vdimm! Looking good so far tho...

[Heidfirst]

hmm, LP-UT-NF-680i-LT-SLI-T2R

Does this mean that it's using the cheaper/cutdown 680i LT rather than the full 680i chipset?

[ineedaname]

This board looks great but I don't get why they don't just use solid caps instead.

[vladimir]

Does anyone know which slots are for the SLI setup?

I can't imagine that DFI would set the 1st and 3rd slots for 16x slots like the other 680 mobos have been.

[Sumanji]

LP-UT-NF-680i-LT-SLI-T2R

Good spot... better not be, or I'll be pissed :mad:

[Omastar]

I'm wondering why DFI has yet to integrate solid state capacitors, since they are mainly an enthusiast-oriented manufacturer. Yay, more electrolytic caps!

[bt_medic04]

sweetness! heres to hoping for beyond 500+mhz fsb's :toast:

[fhpchris]

Dfi, Stop Using Hooks Please!

[virtualrain]

It doesn't look like they've changed much (except the MCH heat sink) since the original Dec. preview... (pics from VR-Zone (http://http://www.vr-zone.com/index.php?i=4349&s=2))

http://resources.vr-zone.com/Shamino/dfird600/6.jpg

http://resources.vr-zone.com/Shamino/dfird600/7.jpg

http://resources.vr-zone.com/Shamino/dfird600/8.jpg

http://resources.vr-zone.com/Shamino/dfird600/9.jpg

http://resources.vr-zone.com/Shamino/dfird600/10.jpg

http://resources.vr-zone.com/Shamino/dfird600/11.jpg

Although I'm sure they've fixed some of the trace mods as shown in that last pic and hopefully fine-tuned the GTL controls even further.

[Richdog]

I see no reason to get reeally excited about DFI products any more... the last great board they made was the SLI-DR... all others since have been poor, not of the best build quality, buggy imo.

Give me a Gigabyte any day of the week now.

[theteamaqua]

well it could very well be the only retail board that has good quad core overclocking for 680i chipsets ... yes the EVGA 680i A1 revision is not availible instore yet

[Sumanji]

Give me a Gigabyte any day of the week now.

Heretic! :p:

[Wiggy McShades]

It doesn't look like they've changed much (except the MCH heat sink) since the original Dec. preview... (pics from VR-Zone (http://http://www.vr-zone.com/index.php?i=4349&s=2))


Although I'm sure they've fixed some of the trace mods as shown in that last pic and hopefully fine-tuned the GTL controls even further.



fan headers are in a different place and the orientation of the inducers around the north bridge are different.

[lionel57000]

is there any serious place to pre order one ?

[Kin Hell]

I see no reason to get reeally excited about DFI products any more... the last great board they made was the SLI-DR... all others since have been poor, not of the best build quality, buggy imo.

Give me a Gigabyte any day of the week now.

I'll gladly second your first statement but hesitate at endorsing your second! ;)

& @ Sumanji


Heretic! :p:

Good Word! :D

[oqvist]

I don´t trust DFI anymore after having two dfi experts dying on me.

First survived a year the second I hvae had for a month and already the nvidia SATA ports is dead :(

[AlphaHeX]

Flytek, please change the topic to DFI LT UT 680i SLI-T2R/G as current one is confusing. It is not LT version of the mobo just pure 680i :)

[cyberspyder]

WTF is with the PCI-E X16 slots? Most of the high end videocards are dual slots, and you can run them in all three slots!!! Also, the board looks a little..bare if you get what I'm saying. Compared to previous DFI boards, this one has a lot less 'things'.

Brendan

[nealh]

I see no reason to get reeally excited about DFI products any more... the last great board they made was the SLI-DR... all others since have been poor, not of the best build quality, buggy imo.

Give me a Gigabyte any day of the week now.

I agree..my RD600 died after changing to sync mode..bios corrupted and bit the dust

the new one will not run ram at same speeds they were memtest86 and P95 stable

seems to run hotter as well.....

Really sad..I love my DFI SLI-DR

[Sumanji]

Mr. Wu used to only have to deal with one platform and one chipset... maybe he's just spread a bit too thinly these days :(

[nealh]

Mr. Wu used to only have to deal with one platform and one chipset... maybe he's just spread a bit too thinly these days :(

very good point...but RD600 last official bios was 12/22...3 mo ago

[Ten]

I hope this will be a good m-b i used a RD600 to i sold it last week after i got my second board because the first just died.

[MikeMK]

I really hope that heatsink they have on the PWM's does a good job. One of the biggest headaches I have had on my IN9 is keeping the temps on the digiPWM undercontrol. Ideally they would include some kind of removable fan arrangement to stick on the top of it should you need msome extra cooling in there.

[Solarfall]

I really hope that heatsink they have on the PWM's does a good job. One of the biggest headaches I have had on my IN9 is keeping the temps on the digiPWM undercontrol. Ideally they would include some kind of removable fan arrangement to stick on the top of it should you need msome extra cooling in there.

have to agree with you on this. removable fan whould be really great feature.

[AlphaHeX]

Indeed the board on the picture which flytek had posted is a work in progress :) According to DFI Europe the final version can be slightly different :)

[GNU]

If the 680i shipment reaches europe, I throw away my "not yet sick RD600" and will buy the 680i for a new hope :D

[scarface]

ETA of April ... what year?
That's what i'm sayin'

[AlphaHeX]

The board will be available in April this year 2007 :)

[FragTek]

Being a former phase + RD600 user I can personally vouch for the awesomeness of not having to "dodge" anything around the socket, so awesome!! Glad they are keeping it clean for the nV edition board.

[G.Foyle]

On the VR-Zone pic, do I see C55, not C55XE?

ANd about the heatpipes... on normal coolers hetapipes connect a source of heat (CPU) to some cold element (fins). On ASUS 680i boards (3 of them) they connect a source of heat (NB) to another source of heat (mosfets). They are USELESS and make the board more expensive.

[memory]

can't wait to get my hands on it=)

[AlphaHeX]

The description of our favorite mobo is available on Czech DFI webpage for at least 1 month :) There is no picture of course :)

http://www.dfi.cz/produkty.detail.php?tabulka=hw0mb&id_hw0mb=796

[Jodiuh]

I'm happy to see this OC friendly chipset get the DFI treatment. The only niggle I have actually lies w/ RAID performance of the 680i. I don't suppose there'd be any change from board maker to maker, eh?

[virtualrain]

According to this thread, the RAID problems seem to be isolated to eVGA boards... http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=128803&highlight=raid+bunged

[Sumanji]

I think he means actual performance... i.e. RAID speed on nF680i MCP sucks versus ICH7R and ICH8R.

[AlphaHeX]

I shouldn't be asking flytek to change a topic as DFI 680 mobo is really based on 680LT chipset :( I've got confirmation from DFI that it is true :) Team from polish web portal (pclab.pl) have a discussion with DFI at Cebit as they had that board but behind the scene :) To remind all of us 680LT is a light version of 680i (3rd PCI-E slot is missing, 8 USB vs. 10, 1 network card insteed of 2 and memory controller is supporting up to DDR2-800 not DDR2-1200 as on 680i. Below is the most recent picture of the board from Cebit, as you can see there is a 3rd PCI-E slot ! I'm wondering what memory controller was used, I hope it will support DDR2-1200. It looks like oskar is cooking something amazing for us :)

DFI representative from Europe told me that they will be releasing Inf P965-S first and then couple of weeks later NF680LT. I hope that couple of weeks is equal to end of April :) He have also commented why 680LT chipset was used -> "We have chosen to use the nF680LT board since overall performance is better and still supports SLI and Physics operation."

[Jedi2155]

very good point...but RD600 last official bios was 12/22...3 mo ago

Thats better than my video driver.....

Last nVidia XP driver... 11/02....I miss my ATI driver updates.

I wanted to wait for this...but 5 months was just too long a wait :(.

[s e t h]

RD600 has new official bios as of last week

[EnJoY]

I shouldn't be asking flytek to change a topic as DFI 680 mobo is really based on 680LT chipset :( I've got confirmation from DFI that it is true :) Team from polish web portal (pclab.pl) have a discussion with DFI at Cebit as they had that board but behind the scene :) To remind all of us 680LT is a light version of 680i (3rd PCI-E slot is missing, 8 USB vs. 10, 1 network card insteed of 2 and memory controller is supporting up to DDR2-800 not DDR2-1200 as on 680i. Below is the most recent picture of the board from Cebit, as you can see there is a 3rd PCI-E slot ! I'm wondering what memory controller was used, I hope it will support DDR2-1200. It looks like oskar is cooking something amazing for us :)

DFI representative from Europe told me that they will be releasing Inf P965-S first and then couple of weeks later NF680LT. I hope that couple of weeks is equal to end of April :) He have also commented why 680LT chipset was used -> "We have chosen to use the nF680LT board since overall performance is better and still supports SLI and Physics operation."

I believe they've also been able to bypass the RAID/SATA controller issues by using this chipset, and they only affected 680i chipsets. I wonder what sort of binning they had to do to ensure 500FSB on every chipset like Oscar wanted? Unless he let that dream die long ago when he couldn't even get the majority of 680i chipsets to do it.

[GNU]

That's nothing news! More informations about this.

[Sumanji]

I don't understand how that can be the LT chipset; there are three PEG slots plus another x4 slot, 10 USB ports (I assume there are 6 on the back plate as per Ultra-D), and 2 GbE ports (again as per Ultra-D).

How does that work?!

[Sgt_Strider]

I can't wait until this board is released. I hope that if they did end up using the 680LI chipset, the boards will be cheaper.

[AlphaHeX]

That is the whole secret Sumanji :) I'm sure that Oscar made excelent board :) What is concerning USB, 3rd PCI-E speed and dual lan we can't confirm it as there is no information about the final specification of that board yet :(

[Bulldog14]

Gents:

A few things need to be straightened out here.

1: The NB cooling solution you have seen in the pics is not the final one.
The board displayed is not a full production model.
2: Yes this board has the LT variant of the 680 chipset, but should not
be seen as "inferior" to the 680i. The thing to keep in mind is that
pretty well every 680i/lt board on the market is an Nvidia reference
board. Lack of physics slot on 680 LT NV reference designs tends to
get people thinking that physics is not possible at all with the LT. This
is incorrect. This board has been designed by the man himself (Oskar)
and as such is free from many of the "limitations" placed on the
reference designs. You didn't actually think that Oskar and his team
would be happy tweaking a reference board did you? ;)

DFI Support Europe

[erwinz]

this board or the DFI Infinity 965P mm... ??? :D

[Bulldog14]

The Lan Party 680 board of course.

[AlphaHeX]

Bulldog, you are absolutely correct with your summary :)

[Sumanji]

That is the whole secret Sumanji :)

I'm a bit apprehensive now... why didn't they just use the full 680i SLI chipset? The only way I can see them equalling full 680i feature set is if they combined 680i LT northbridge with the nF590 (instead of 570) southbridge. But then surely nVidia will get angry at them for trying to use a cheap chipset and making it "moddable" to unlock new features (just like nVidia got angry when people were modding Ultra-D boards to SLI-D).

And then there is the potential that 680i LT silicon is inferior to 680i SLI, so whatever Oskar does we might end up with pooey boards :(

Sorry to cast FUD, but this doesn't seem good to me...

Suman

[vintage_guitar]

I don't care what NB cooler they put on, as long as it isnt a pipe forcing me to replace the MOSFET as well.. I will be replacing it anyways as 680i draws more power than a conroe.

[sofarfrome]

I don't care what NB cooler they put on, as long as it isnt a pipe forcing me to replace the MOSFET as well.


AMEN to that.

[virtualrain]

I'm a bit apprehensive now... why didn't they just use the full 680i SLI chipset? The only way I can see them equalling full 680i feature set is if they combined 680i LT northbridge with the nF590 (instead of 570) southbridge. But then surely nVidia will get angry at them for trying to use a cheap chipset and making it "moddable" to unlock new features (just like nVidia got angry when people were modding Ultra-D boards to SLI-D).

And then there is the potential that 680i LT silicon is inferior to 680i SLI, so whatever Oskar does we might end up with pooey boards :(

Sorry to cast FUD, but this doesn't seem good to me...

Suman

I agree... this is starting to smell bad.

[Tony]

The LT version is the latest spin, this should mean with the O wu working magic every board should be a high FSB clocker.

Remember Oskar delayed due to the 680i yields being poor at 500+fsb

[virtualrain]

I'm sure this will help, but how are they going to implement a 3rd PEG slot? The 680i also offers dual NIC's which are a great idea for extreme home networking.

I guess they can either use the NF590 south bridge to retain this full functionality, or if they use the butchered LT southbridge, the 3rd PEG slot can be at most x4.

[virtualrain]

He have also commented why 680LT chipset was used -> "We have chosen to use the nF680LT board since overall performance is better and still supports SLI and Physics operation."

That's incorrect AFAIK... the LT does not support a 3rd PEG slot... therefore no Physics. It does have another 4 lanes of PCI-e, so I guess they could use that on a x16 connector. Certainly not ideal.

[erwinz]

mm.. we just have to wait and see.. :)

hope thay can deliver.. :) it will be pros for us..

a little wait..

[Jodiuh]

I believe they've also been able to bypass the RAID/SATA controller issues by using this chipset, and they only affected 680i chipsets.

I skipped each and every review of this chipset because I figured the RAID would suck... Does anyone remember the best article for RAID perf on the lt?

[Mekrel]

That's incorrect AFAIK... the LT does not support a 3rd PEG slot... therefore no Physics. It does have another 4 lanes of PCI-e, so I guess they could use that on a x16 connector. Certainly not ideal.

680 chipset will be out dated so much by the time either ATi or nVidia have any working GPU physics on the market.

[virtualrain]

680 chipset will be out dated so much by the time either ATi or nVidia have any working GPU physics on the market.

Yeah, but few people are actually going to use it for that. I'm planning to use it for my Areca RAID controller.

[Sumanji]

I'm planning to use it for my Areca RAID controller.

Ditto.

[MichelinGuy]

I think DFI is way too late, the P35 chipset from intel is coming out soon with future 45nm Peryn support and DDR3.

[J-Mag]

I think DFI is way too late, the P35 chipset from intel is coming out soon with future 45nm support and DDR3.

Exactly what I was thinking... By the time DFI gets their board out we will have new CPU options, but not just Peryn. Barcelona is also a possibility.

[safan80]

Yeah, but few people are actually going to use it for that. I'm planning to use it for my Areca RAID controller.

I'm already there you'll love it.

[GNU]

I want the mobo if it's better than my hateful RD600. :mad:

[s e t h]

helllOOOOoooo! :cool:

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/HSNF680i.jpg

[GMX]

The Lan Party 680 board of course.

Why exactly? Fill me in :)

[erwinz]

helllOOOOoooo! :cool:

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/HSNF680i.jpg

very nice.. :)

[vintage_guitar]

helllOOOOoooo! :cool:



Nice!!! no need to buy a 20-30$ replacement right of the bat!

[Johnny Bravo]

oh now that IS impressive!

[STaRGaZeR]

Intel mounting hooks... this board sucks.

RD600 was a fiasco, we´ll see this...

[Sumanji]

Sweet :D looks relatively easily to stick a 40mm low-noise fan on there too! Mounting hooks for the lose, but I think I can live with them if the stock cooler is nice!

[Knight]

Will it be painted copper?

[GMX]

Nice!!! no need to buy a 20-30$ replacement right of the bat!

Yea because its already included in the retail price.

[Raja@ASUS]

best pre-supplied onboard solution I have seen yet. Should work i(in theory) quite well with a fan attached, Oskar has obviously put some thought into this..



flytek I am guessing you are seth from over at the club? Just wondering if you are one and the same, you know me as raja from the dfi site...

[nealh]

helllOOOOoooo! :cool:

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/HSNF680i.jpg

why not just make it a bit more like the HR-05 with a good base for mounting and do away with the bottom part

[lionel57000]

is there any place to pre order some ?

[ooeric]

yawn. by the time it gets out. i think we will see like a new 7xx chipset. etc etc.
and quad cores will drop to dual core prices.

yawn.

[Sumanji]

Will Penryn be LGA775? If so, I wonder if current chipsets will/can support it... either way I assume nForce 7 series will be DDR3, PCI-E 2.0, etc.

Suman

[Evil-Fruits|R4z]

Listed on the DFI website http://www.dfi.com.tw/Product/xx_product_spec_details_r_us.jsp?PRODUCT_ID=5277&CATEGORY_TYPE=MB&SITE=US


Chipset

NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI MCP

Northbridge: NVIDIA 680i LT SLI
Southbridge: NVIDIA MCP55P

MCP55P = 570Sli or 590Sli??

R4z

[mouawad]

it bring absolutely nothing new to the table, DFI can't keep dropping the ball with delays under performance and expect ppl to gobble up their boards.

754/939 glory can only last in the memory for so long, DFI heading for a fast downward spiral???

i think perhaps.

[virtualrain]

MCP55P = 570Sli or 590Sli??

R4z

Yeah, I'm not sure what the MCP55P is... I only find it in reference to AM2 boards when I google it. Can someone clarify?

It's still not clear how they appear to be offering full 680i functionality with the LT chipset.

[2000army]

Listed on the DFI website http://www.dfi.com.tw/Product/xx_product_spec_details_r_us.jsp?PRODUCT_ID=5277&CATEGORY_TYPE=MB&SITE=US



MCP55P = 570Sli or 590Sli??

R4z

I want to say 570sli

This was taken from http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/asus-p5n32e-sli/

with specs in regard to Asus P5N32E-SLI Plus / looks like same SB



CPU LGA775 socket for Intel® Core™2 Extreme/Core™2 Duo/Pentium® Extreme/Pentium® D/Pentium® 4/Celeron® D Processors
Intel® Quad-core CPU Ready
Compatible with Intel® 06/05B/05A processors
* Refer to www.asus.com for Intel CPU support list
Chipset NVIDIA® Dual X16 SLI
(C55+MCP55P; a.k.a. nForce®650i SLI & nForce®570 SLI)
ASUS HybridUp Technology
* Support SLI-Ready Memory Technology

[erwinz]

any benches??? I'm torn between DFI Infinity 965P and this beauty.. :D

[Spanki]

Yeah, I'm not sure what the MCP55P is... I only find it in reference to AM2 boards when I google it. Can someone clarify?

It's still not clear how they appear to be offering full 680i functionality with the LT chipset.

Actually, if you look at the nVidia posted specs (http://www.nvidia.com/page/nforce_600i_tech_specs.html) for the 680i LT chipset, the only difference listed is the "SLI-Ready Memory (MHz) with EPP" speed. All other specs are identical.

Of course this leaves nVidia without enough defining characteristics between the chipsets, so the 'LT' reference motherboard they produce has some additional limitations (one NIC, no x8 slot, etc) to help get the costs down to wedge the board into a niche between the 680i and 650i - a reasonable thing to do, IMO.

But that leads us back to the issue of non-reference 680i LT chipset based boards from other manufacturers... they (presumably) get the LT chipset at a reduced cost from nVidia, but the actual chipset is likely (speculation on my part) just the un-binned 680i chips. This means that the 3rd party board maker can basically drop the chipset into a 680i board, with full 680i functionality - except for some upper end 'rated' memory support.

Of course they still need to tell consumers that this is a 'LT' chipset (pretending it's not would get them into legal trouble). So the real question becomes - how well will this (and future) boards perform and at what price-point.

[virtualrain]

Actually, if you look at the nVidia posted specs (http://www.nvidia.com/page/nforce_600i_tech_specs.html) for the 680i LT chipset, the only difference listed is the "SLI-Ready Memory (MHz) with EPP" speed. All other specs are identical.

Of course this leaves nVidia without enough defining characteristics between the chipsets, so the 'LT' reference motherboard they produce has some additional limitations (one NIC, no x8 slot, etc) to help get the costs down to wedge the board into a niche between the 680i and 650i - a reasonable thing to do, IMO.

But that leads us back to the issue of non-reference 680i LT chipset based boards from other manufacturers... they (presumably) get the LT chipset at a reduced cost from nVidia, but the actual chipset is likely (speculation on my part) just the un-binned 680i chips. This means that the 3rd party board maker can basically drop the chipset into a 680i board, with full 680i functionality - except for some upper end 'rated' memory support.

Of course they still need to tell consumers that this is a 'LT' chipset (pretending it's not would get them into legal trouble). So the real question becomes - how well will this (and future) boards perform and at what price-point.

Hmmm... Excellent observation. You are correct, nVidia's literature (see below) shows that the only real difference in the chipsets is actually the PEG Linkboost, the EPP support for 1200MHz, (and perhaps a couple of USB ports - not clear)...

http://members.shaw.ca/virtualrain/nforce.png

What nVidia does is actually further cripple their reference motherboards to create more differentiation... it's not the chipset that's crippled so much as their reference LT motherboard!

As you say, DFI, can choose to do a full 680LT implementation if they choose... which appears to be the case here.

As for the overclockability of the LT... If you read the thread on the DFI Club forum, you would know that Oskar (their chief engineer?) stated early in the new year that he was not impressed with the consistency of OC on the 680i and Tony pointed out that the LT is actually newer silicon so perhaps nVidia has actually tweaked the LT's overclockability and/or it's consistency from chip to chip.

Anyway, I think this DFI board has significant promise.

[2000army]

whats the better southbridge? 570 or 590? In regards to raid performance?

[AlphaHeX]

Please find the link to the manual :)

http://us.dfi.com.tw/Support/Download/manual_download_us.jsp?PRODUCT_ID=5277&CATEGORY_TYPE=LP UT&SITE=US

[erwinz]

ahh... DFI.. the waiting again is what kills consumers.. hehehehe :D

i'll wait.. :D i'm in A64 again.. :)

[Kin Hell]

ahh... DFI.. the waiting again is what kills consumers.. hehehehe :D

i'll wait.. :D i'm in A64 again.. :)

So bud, after giving RD600 such a BIG expanse of time to materialise, whatchya reckoning on ......for this one to show?

Maybe we could do some PayPal Betting!? :D

Anyone wanna start a Bookies Slip!? ....depends on the odds for me tbh! :cool:

*edit*
Having just checked DFI Site for Downloads on this board, no Bios or Drivers but there is a "Manual"...... :confused:

[sofarfrome]

Intel mounting hooks... this board sucks.

RD600 was a fiasco, we´ll see this...


I agree the intel mounting loops are not the best but they seem to work well with the right hardware and the manufactures of the NB cooling solutions should provide alternative mounting hardware to the spring clips. The TT Exteme Spirit ll comes to mind. Very solid mounting system for intel loops. I was having problems with my Swiftech NB waterblock keeping firm contact with the chip. I used these "hooks" instead of the sroing clips and problems are gone.

[s e t h]

best pre-supplied onboard solution I have seen yet. Should work i(in theory) quite well with a fan attached, Oskar has obviously put some thought into this..



flytek I am guessing you are seth from over at the club? Just wondering if you are one and the same, you know me as raja from the dfi site...
yes thats me...soz for the late response

[Kin Hell]

Tbh, after using a DD NB block on an RD600, the clips provided are a poor solution, but probably the best one can do with hooks utilised by the Chipset manufacturer. It's almost like a Chicken Egg thing.......
Either way, hooks are poor to Anchor a block with Tygon R3603 tubing...there is just too much "flimsy-ness" to it all for my liking! My now redundant MCW30 wire attatchment just sucks! :slapass:

[Raja@ASUS]

Obviously 4 thru hole mounts would be best, the four hook type mount works well with my danger den 975 chipset block, I find it quite sturdy, in comparison to the 2 clip method.

With this 980 chipset trace routing is quite paramount to it's overall performance, I guess the hook mount system allowed a little more engineering room to play with.

regards
Raja

[MonkSP]

memory controller is supporting up to DDR2-800 not DDR2-1200 as on 680i.

So this is final right?

[GAR]

This has 3 pci-e slots, i dont understand why they dont call it a plain old 680i

[Raja@ASUS]

Nvidia has labeled the chipset as LT, so that's where the name comes from. Oskar has managed to unlock all features of the LT to actually make it a straight 680i as he did not use the Nvidia reference design for the motherboard. You are correct from the standpoint of consumer as this board has inherent 680i features.

regards
Raja

[virtualrain]

nVidia's own literature on the product is extremely confusing. Even by their own feature comparison table, they only difference between the LT and the full 680i is the EPP profile support (which any serious overclocker ignores anyway)...

http://www.nvidia.com/page/nforce_600i_tech_specs.html

I believe the LT silicon is actually a newer rev as well so it should have some of the kinks worked out of it and perhaps overclocks better than the 680i.

[adamsleath]

DFI 680i LT :sonic:

[s e t h]

my board arrived today so i thought i'd take a bunch of photo's.
most of you will have seen these elsewhere but a few of them might be worth something.
so far its just the pics...will add stuff after the build and some testing.
btw installing the heatsink was a breeze...substantially easier than say a stock cpu heatsink.
after checking or applying the paste the heatsink should be aligned centrally between the mounting hooks as accurately as possible.
then pressure and manipulation of diagonally opposed hooks will get it done in no time.
the instructions in the package a complete enough.

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/box.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/boxback.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/hslabel.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/boxes.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/package-cables.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/packagedisks.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/packagehs.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/hsbase.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/boardboxed.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/top.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/fullangle.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/bios.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/ram.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/socket.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/lan.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/ports.jpg

so far i have measured vdimm and it appears to match the exact setting used in the bios when idle...
vcore in bios i have set to 1.35 for the moment and measured idle is 1.358vcore.

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/vmeasure.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/default333.jpg

http://flytek.effectivehosting.co.za/pics/680lt/680bench.jpg

[erwinz]

very nice.. :)

tnxs for sharing.. :) results please.. :)

[TAX]

anyone know when this expected to hit retail?

[jamiet757]

nice looking board

[nugzo]

Looks great. Lets see how it performs!?!:D