DFI Lanparty UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert

[Revv23]

I agree with you. When I change my Ultra-D will be to CF-BT design. Did Big Toe confirm blue sky pcb color?


pcb color hasnt been confirmed... tony is supposedly getting a board this week, i sure hope so.

[RichUK]

Not long ago, DFI went from being a mediocre board maker to a company that caters to enthusiasts with rock solid boards and extreme overclocking options. DFI’s success in the overclocking market appears to be almost instant, but we’ve been told that DFI was working on the enthusiast line of boards ever since 2000-2001 time frame. Not only that, but Abit’s (and industry’s) most renowned engineer Oskar Wu left the company and joined DFI, which resulted in excellent board layout and BIOS options. Now that ATI has finally introduced its Crossfire platform, it’s only matter of time before board manufacturers start releasing their Crossfire products in mass quantities.


An insider near DFI reported that the company is working on an ATI Crossfire board, which will be based on the reference design. The board name, although unofficial, is DFI CF-BT where CF stands for Crossfire and BT is supposedly the abbreviation of an industry consultant Tony Leech who’s been working with DFI for the past four years and is on DFI’s "advisory board" for research and development. According to an insider, he’s been assisting DFI with research and development aspects of the board, and DFI is supposedly honoring Leech by naming a board after him. With that said, DFI USA and DFI Taiwan are still discussing the board name.


Naming aside, the insider reported that unlike Sapphire, DFI would continue to use high quality components to ensure stability and support for extreme overclocking that the enthusiast community expects. In order to release the board at a comparatively lower price, DFI may remove the postcode reader and replace it with four LED lights. Continuing with its tradition of selecting rather vibrant colors for its motherboards, DFI is expected to color the PCB sky blue to give it the usual DFI appeal. Whether DFI will add this product to its LANParty product lineup is unknown as well. The PCB color hasn’t been finalized either.


As you can probably tell, DFI still has ways to go before it’s ready to market the board with fruitful colors, a name after a consultant and possibly with a new product line, but one thing is for sure: DFI is on the final stages of tweaking the board. With that said, we have received information that DFI is expecting to launch the board sometime in October 2005. The pricing of the board is currently unavailable as well.


http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1779


Info on the DFI CF-BT question.

[knob]

Can anyone tell me whats the deal with the EPS12V thingy? Looking at this new board, it only need like 24 pin plug. Can i use it with my enermax noisetaker 600w without the need of getting a new PSU?

[MonkSP]

I just hope, unlike RDX200, this CF-BT will have SATA-II RAID. Guess they will do aim for sky blue pcb color. I will finally have an acrilic pannel!
Aiming the release 3 weeks after the 1st model is beeing test isn't placing that in much a hurry? I know the target should be x-mas but people wqon't buy if its not well tested and developed

[mrlobber]

I just hope, unlike RDX200, this CF-BT will have SATA-II RAID.

Unless DFI adds an external SATAII controller, it's not possible because both boards would use SB450 southbridge which AFAIK doesn't have SATAII implemented

Btw, this is the nF4 SLI-DR Expert thread, and for the DFI Crossfire boards, there is another thread, which is even named "official"... ;)

[Ferry82]

http://www.icomputers.nl/product_detail.asp?A_ID=3091&SSS_ID=1091&SS_ID=1091&S_ID=411

I talkt today with this shopowner and he says he get this board an 18-10.
He also says he is real close with DFI.

Could this be trough???

[babyelf]

Can anyone tell me whats the deal with the EPS12V thingy? Looking at this new board, it only need like 24 pin plug. Can i use it with my enermax noisetaker 600w without the need of getting a new PSU?

4pin will work afaik.. but of course 8 will be better

[Scroatdog]

Should be available between the 24th and the 31st here in the states (US).


Source???

[Gogar]

http://www.linuxelectrons.com/article.php/20050301100654152
I wish DFI would use that chip, still using the pci bus for things such as hard disk controllers is just retarded.

Holy %#%$%# The SiI 3132 offers advanced RAID capability through Silicon Image's SATARaid™ software RAID management utility, which comes bundled with the chip. The SiI 3132 supports RAID 0 and 1 when two drives are connected directly to the chip's two SATA ports. When multiple drives are connected to the SiI 3132 via a port multiplier such as Silicon Image's SiI 3726™, RAID 0, 1, 10 and 5 are supported.
I just looked up that port multiplier. It's a 1 to 5 multiplier.. that means it supports 10 disks!!
http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=26&ptid=1

Sad thing though, is that it connects through only pci-e 1x, meaning a 2.5Gb/s bottleneck. While a single SATA II port is already 3Gb/s (and it has two)
I guess that's still decent :) It'll take about 5 disks to max it out.

Here's an implementation of their port multipliers: http://www.cooldrives.com/cosapomubrso.html (i imagine they can be placed onboard)

If they use the Sil 3132 and one port multiplier that would make 6 SATA II ports plus 4 of the NF4 = 10 :D now that would be sweet. And if you want more you could hook up another port multiplier to make 14 SATA II ports. :slobber: (they should make the second port on the sil 3132 that isn't using a port multiplier a different color so you know where to connect the multiplier to :) )

I suppose manufacturers don't like to drive up the costs, so i'd be happy with just the two ports from the sil 3132 (some intel boards have it like this), then give people the ability to buy the port multipliers as add-ons. (maybe a 3.5inch bay device with two multipliers turning 2 sata ports into 10, powered by a floppy power cable.).

[jermaink]

Can anyone fill me in on the difference between the UT SLI-DR and the SLI-DR? I think it used a different LAN chip or something, but I could hardly see the significance.

[J-Mag]

Can anyone fill me in on the difference between the UT SLI-DR and the SLI-DR? I think it used a different LAN chip or something, but I could hardly see the significance.

the UT has all the accessories like the breakoutbox, carrying case, and some other random crap.

[J-Mag]

I wish DFI would use that chip, still using the pci bus for things such as hard disk controllers is just retarded.


Seriously the PCI bus HAS TO GO


Sad thing though, is that it connects through only pci-e 1x, meaning a 2.5Gb/s bottleneck. While a single SATA II port is already 3Gb/s (and it has two)
I guess that's still decent :) It'll take about 5 disks to max it out.


I don't really see PCI-E x1 as a limitation... What applicaiton uses constant burst speed on all 5 drives simultaneously? Christ man I have 10 hard drives in my system and usually only 0 to 2 are active at any given time.
Well I guess if you were using a RAID5 or something...


I suppose manufacturers don't like to drive up the costs, so i'd be happy with just the two ports from the sil 3132 (some intel boards have it like this), then give people the ability to buy the port multipliers as add-ons. (maybe a 3.5inch bay device with two multipliers turning 2 sata ports into 10, powered by a floppy power cable.).

Good idea. I say the more SATA ports the better. I mean with SATA you can actually have a 10 disks hooked up. God it was a nightmare just trying to get 6 IDE drives connected due to their cable design (at least in my case).

[Scroatdog]

So what, in your guys' opinion, would be the optimal chip and setup for an onboard RAID solution? I am still under the impression that, if one were to go RAID 5, a hardware (i.e. Promise or 3Ware card) solution is always better than a software solution, such as the NForce.

Admittedly, I don't know much about RAID, other than the RAID-0 I have going through my onboard Intel controller. I mean, I know what the various RAID levels are and soforth, just not completely versed in what the best implementations are.


BTW, I can't wait for the 24th (Expert hopefully shows up)

[Vassili]

the UT has all the accessories like the breakoutbox, carrying case, and some other random crap.
It's just the other way around, the UT is the *lite* version without the accessoires. the SLI-DR is the one with the extra's.

[J-Mag]

It's just the other way around, the UT is the *lite* version without the accessoires. the SLI-DR is the one with the extra's.

oh my bad... :hitself: whatever it is dont buy the big box version

[s7e9h3n]

So what, in your guys' opinion, would be the optimal chip and setup for an onboard RAID solution? I am still under the impression that, if one were to go RAID 5, a hardware (i.e. Promise or 3Ware card) solution is always better than a software solution, such as the NForce.

Admittedly, I don't know much about RAID, other than the RAID-0 I have going through my onboard Intel controller. I mean, I know what the various RAID levels are and soforth, just not completely versed in what the best implementations are.


BTW, I can't wait for the 24th (Expert hopefully shows up)
Hardware controllers are always a better option than the onboard software raid controllers. By installing a 3rd party raid card, you'd take a load off your processor allowing it to focus on other tasks.
Raid 5 is ideally what you'd run as it combines both speed and safety but requires 3+ hard drives to implement.....

[revenant]

That new XFX SATA RAID card looks baddo! It's driver-less and supports all the common raid modes, 0, 1, 5, 0+1... but I really want to avoid using my pci slots due to the BTX orientation and my rad.

[Gogar]

I don't really see PCI-E x1 as a limitation... What applicaiton uses constant burst speed on all 5 drives simultaneously?
Isn't that just what happens when you use RAID 0 or 5?

[Dani]

How about this PSU, should it be good for OC :confused: :slobber:

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products-65zf.htm

[da-key]

How about this PSU, should it be good for OC :confused: :slobber:

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products-65zf.htm

Yes it is a very stable psu with a excellent price vs performance niche.

I saw this for as little as 169$ US .(egg) :fact:

IMO very good buy for any enthusuiast. Would probably power a decent water pump and overclock your board with ease. :coffee:

[zoom314]

How about this PSU, should it be good for OC :confused: :slobber:

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products-65zf.htm

From what I've read online in reviews, It has to have enough of a load on the +5.0v rail so that the +12.0v rail will have enough Amps as they are cross linked and I'd say stay clear of It, OCZ is supposed to be bringing out a 750w or so psu for the enthusiast. Besides I had a 650w st65zf and even though It ran by itself I could never run a motherboard with one and so I sold It to a guy on ebay and the buyer couldn't do any better and yeah It would still run by itself too, weird, although the one I had was very possibly used as It arrived damaged in the mail and yeah It had no insurance and I thought since It worked maybe It was ok, But just not for My motherboard, I found someone else recently who has a St65ZF 650w psu and an H8DCE and that person likes It very much, So I would have to look at getting a new one again from a regular retailer as I spent $178.00 and wasted It. :( Oh well.

[s7e9h3n]

How about this PSU, should it be good for OC :confused: :slobber:

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products-65zf.htm
For what it's worth, Shamino and LardeArse used that PSU in one of their #1 #3dmark Runs ;)

[Revv23]

personally i dont like silverstone.... YMMV though.

[IvanAndreevich]

Anyone been able to get ahold of the SLI DR Expert yet? ;)

[dinos22]

Anyone been able to get ahold of the SLI DR Expert yet? ;)
i reckon we'll see some people with these next week

[Dani]

What do you think about my modded Antec TrueControl 550w 20pin/4pin.?
It's enough for DFI CF mobo with 24pin/8pin?
..and hard OC..

I think I gonna need new PSU, thats why I asked you about that Silverstone :)

[da-key]

What do you think about my modded Antec TrueControl 550w 20pin/4pin.?
It's enough for DFI CF mobo with 24pin/8pin?
..and hard OC..

I think I gonna need new PSU, thats why I asked you about that Silverstone :)
Exactly why I just sold my Antec TC 550 and bought a ocz 600sli. I considered the zf65t but OZC is more mainstream and you pay 50 dollars more. Which, may not be worth it for less maximum power 600ocz vs. >650 zuess. But we will see if I don't like the OCZ i'm selling it and getting the Zuess. :toast:

[uOpt]

Isn't that just what happens when you use RAID 0 or 5?

x1 still has 500 MB/sec.

Using 5 drives, even if they deliver 70 MB/sec each, gets you up to 350 MB/sec theoretically, and in practice it's probably more like 200 MB/sec due to controller losses.

And you don't share those 500 MB/sec with other devices. Although of course total system throughput will be challenged at some point.

[Gogar]

PCI-e 1x has 2.5Gb/s in each direction.
So it has a cap of 2.500.000.000 / 8 / 1024 / 1024 = 298 MB/s in each direction.
And that's without protocol overhead. In general it's said that it can do 266MB/s.
If you assume one disk does 70MB/s, that means it'll max out with somewhere between 3.8 and 4.2 disks.
Ofcourse you can do this in two directions at the same time because it's pci-express, so copying from a 4 disk RAID 0 to another 4 disk RAID 0 on the same controller should go at full speed. (damn i wanna see that in action :) )

[jermaink]

The Seasonic S12 600W looks to be the perfect PSU for me. Powerful, efficient, and very quiet (and has 8 pin mobo connector). Only problems are slightly expensive, and that weird issue with other DFI motherboards, though this seems mainly cured with the latest revision.

[tomati]

@jermaink

when you order you s12 ask for the last release A02 , apparently the issue are fixed with this one .

[revenant]

How about this PSU, should it be good for OC :confused: :slobber:

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products-65zf.htm

I have that PSU and I like it a lot... you do need to make sure you balance loads across the four rails, but if you do that it's power output is strong and stable. I know about the 5v thing needing to be loaded to get the max out of the 12v rail... I am not pressing this psu hard enough for that to matter too much... I eventually will upgrade to an OCZ, now that the SLI certified ones are out with the dual pci-e power leads that 600 looks mighteeee nice. but the SS seems to work fine for me now, so I see no reason to tear my wiring out for not much gain... anyways


EDIT: ok - so anyways, where in the US can I "order" (pre-order) this expert series board? Or, I should say, I am in the US, where's the best place for me to order it from? :banana:

[Scroatdog]

Ive got the revision A2. It's lying dormant in its box right now, and sleeving with blue UV (I will NEVER do that again. What a PITA!). Well, it's almost fully sleeved. There is no way I can sleeve the SATA power lines, as the end connectors have NO WAY of coming off. I'm so pissed. I'm gonna have to use some blak 1/4 inch split loom I have. :rolleyes:

[revenant]

Ive got the revision A2. It's lying dormant in its box right now, and sleeving with blue UV (I will NEVER do that again. What a PITA!). Well, it's almost fully sleeved. There is no way I can sleeve the SATA power lines, as the end connectors have NO WAY of coming off. I'm so pissed. I'm gonna have to use some blak 1/4 inch split loom I have. :rolleyes:

wow... I feel your pain.. I have sleeved a LOT of my lines... all of the visable ones... why not try some pre-sleaved SATA power extenders?

something like this (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=89&products_id=1084) might work... but it does not use the actual SATA lead from your psu..

[Dani]

I know about the 5v thing needing to be loaded to get the max out of the 12v rail...

Hmmm, thx for the info, Im only concentrate on CPU's and cant push on +5V rail :mad:

[Scroatdog]

Nah, won't work. But thanks for the link, though.

My drives will not be visible, nor the wires going to them for the most part. What will be visible, however, is everything coming out of the PSU and then going behind the right side. I guess it won't be so bad. Just aggravating that they would put a non-removable SATA connector on there.

[revenant]

So - where are the pre-order spots for the wiley and illusive expert series DFI SLI DR?? :)

[s7e9h3n]

Ive got the revision A2. It's lying dormant in its box right now, and sleeving with blue UV (I will NEVER do that again. What a PITA!). Well, it's almost fully sleeved. There is no way I can sleeve the SATA power lines, as the end connectors have NO WAY of coming off. I'm so pissed. I'm gonna have to use some blak 1/4 inch split loom I have. :rolleyes:
No need to take the connector off, just cut the wire and then solder them back after you put the sleeves on ;) I did this with my Zippy 700W:
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/3720/zippypciesata5gu.jpg

[zoom314]

So - where are the pre-order spots for the wiley and illusive expert series DFI SLI DR?? :)

Going slightly off topic here, But I see You use the Silverstone st65zf psu, Cn You tell Me what You have on the +5.0v rail versus the +12.0 rails of this psu?

I ask as I couldn't get this motherboard to fire up with a Silverstone st65zf 650w psu once(650w psu was possibly damaged from delivery as It had arrived in two bags with no insurance and the case slightly bent, psu would fire up, But plug 24 pin into motherboard and nothing would happen, motherboard LED would glow orange and not glow Green as It's supposed to), It will start with the 550w psu listed as It has one 36Amp rail(not a Peak Amp rating I think, It starts the motherboard by just turning the psu switch on by itself, neat), But I need to replace My psu in zoom2 as that PC has a failing psu and zoom3 is a better match as I like to run a minimum of components in a secondary PC mainly used for crunching for Seti.


What would You put on the 5.0v rail of zoom3 below(As long as It's not a fan) to balance the +12.0v rails that I have not listed? Mind You I could add only one more internal 5.25" drive bay(Three 5.25" drive bays are being used for fdd, dvd/cd burner and hdd) as the 3.5" drive bays are gone mounts and all, I was planning on equipping the last 5.25" drive bay with an FM radio device I saw not too long back and It could play cassette tapes too like a car stereo and I think It uses both 5.0 volts and 12.0 volts.

Here is what I have in My 2nd PC zoom3(This is all I have with no lights in zoom3 as the Door has no window and being It's 35' away(cable wise It's more like 65') in another room[keyboard is in kitchen along with mouse, scanner, one half of a usb extender[uses ethernet and is on 75' cable], 6-port usb hub and LCD monitor(No usb in monitor)] It doesn't really need one that badly).

zoom3 specs below:

# Supermicro H8DCE motherboard,
# 1-SuperTalent 1Gb Reg/ECC PC3200 127x72 64x8 Dimm[Samsung/D32RB1GW], (connected to motherboard),
# 2-Opteron [C0 stepping] model 244[Rev. AL] cpus, (connected to motherboard),
# Enermax EG651P-VE 550w Power Supply, (connected to motherboard),
# Albatron GeForce PCX5750 16x PCI Express Video Card w/256MB ram, (connected to motherboard),
# Chieftec Matrix Lime Green Mid-Tower ATX case [Dremeled to be E-ATX Compatible], (2-LEDs connected to motherboard),
----------------------------------
# WD 80Gb 7200rpm 2Mb cache hdd(uses both 5.0 and 12.0 volts),
# NEC ND1100A DVD+RW drive(uses both 5.0 and 12.0 volts),
# Teac 1.44Mb fdd(uses both 5.0 and 12.0 volts),
----------------------------------
# Sata Coverter box for HDD drive(uses 5.0 volts, 12v in cable),
# Sata Coverter box for DVD/CD burner(uses 5.0 volts, 12v in cable),
# usb Acer 56x cd-rom drive(self powered, uses some 5.0 from usb possibly),
----------------------------------
# 3-Delta 120x38mm 150cfm fans[2-cpu fans, 1-exhaust fan], (uses 12.0 volts only, no LEDs),
# 1-Vantec Tornado 80mm 84.1cfm fan[For Chipset], (uses 12.0 volts only, no LEDs),
# 1-Thermaltake 80mm 75.7cfm fan[For Chipset], (uses 12.0 volts only, no LEDs),
# 1-Chieftec 80mm 20cfm fan[In Door, May not always be running, while testing door may be off], (uses 12.0 volts only, no LEDs),
----------------------------------
usb devices below are shared with another PC like zoom2 with a usb hub/vga/kvm switch!
# usb hub/vga/kvm switch(self powered, uses some 5.0 from usb possibly),
# usb Canon CanoScan D1250U2F flatbed scanner(self powered, uses some 5.0 from usb possibly),
# usb Micro innovations Micro Stack 6 port hub(self powered, uses some 5.0 from usb possibly),
# usb MS 5 Button Optical mouse(usb uses 5.0 volts),
# usb Teac 1.44Mb fdd(usb uses 5.0 volts),
# usb extender over ethernet cable(usb uses 5.0 volts)
# usb BTC AT keyboard w/ps/2 adapter & ps/2 to usb adapter(usb or ps/2 some 5.0),
----------------------------------
# 2-Thermalright XP-120 heatsinks[Case modded for two XP-120 heatsinks].

[revenant]

That's a good question... Well, the mobo draws some 5v juice... and I think my LED cannons do, only two of those, but that would not even count realy.. I have two hard drives, two DVD drives, no floppy... my koolance 720bk which is powered by one 4 pin molex... 12v prolly. two 120mm fans, two CCFL invertors, and the LIS POP VFD display... seems like a lot of 12v devices to me... I think getting a load on the 5v is only really important for maxing the PSU out... or I think I read that... so with little or no load on the 5v side you only get so many 12v amps... Anyways... sounds like you got a broken unit, because mine has been very good for me (*knocking on wood* lol).... Anyways, sorry I could not be more informative.

[zoom314]

That's a good question... Well, the mobo draws some 5v juice... and I think my LED cannons do, only two of those, but that would not even count realy.. I have two hard drives, two DVD drives, no floppy... my koolance 720bk which is powered by one 4 pin molex... 12v prolly. two 120mm fans, two CCFL invertors, and the LIS POP VFD display... seems like a lot of 12v devices to me... I think getting a load on the 5v is only really important for maxing the PSU out... or I think I read that... so with little or no load on the 5v side you only get so many 12v amps... Anyways... sounds like you got a broken unit, because mine has been very good for me (*knocking on wood* lol).... Anyways, sorry I could not be more informative.

I just edited My question and It was meant to be short, Key on keyboard(Turbo key I think) got stuck and keyboard and mouse acted weird for a bit until I somehow un did whatever I did to cause the keyboard to not allow Me to type. :(

[xforce]

Its just been made available for pre-order here in Singapore. Release date 15/11/2005.

After conversion, around US$230.

http://216.147.36.17/livestore/product_info.php?products_id=2617

:woot:

[CodeHunter]

What about any US retailer/e-tailers? I have seen this, but they are in CANADA:

http://www.us.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16282&vpn=LANPARTY-UT-NF4-SLI-DR-EXPERT&manufacture=DFI&nocookie=1&membership=0

[EvilWhiteDragon]

I just ordered it from www.icomputers.nl and they are saying that they can deliver in 6 too 10 days so ... I hope they are right 'cause I already sold my abit and don't have a replacement for it ....
But we'll see what the future will bring us.

[Scroatdog]

I just ordered it from www.icomputers.nl and they are saying that they can deliver in 6 too 10 days so ... I hope they are right 'cause I already sold my abit and don't have a replacement for it ....
But we'll see what the future will bring us.


I'm sorry................ but $213-230 dollars is a bit MUCH for a re-hashed NF4 motherboard, don't you think???

What could they have possibly added to this board to justify such an outrageous price??????

Great. Now my AMD build will be delayed even further, until it doesn't cost Bizarro-world prices anymore.

$230.00 ????? You have got to be kididng me. :slapass: :nono:

[jermaink]

So what's the expected time when these things will be released in bulk?

[dinos22]

yeah we are paying around USD$225 for them here in Australia....i've got mine on order...can't wait until it's here.....

[revenant]

I just edited My question and It was meant to be short, Key on keyboard(Turbo key I think) got stuck and keyboard and mouse acted weird for a bit until I somehow un did whatever I did to cause the keyboard to not allow Me to type. :(

no problems. :) but I am not sure what devices to use to load the 5v line more, other than maybe some fan conversions for 5v... maybe lighting? I guess that could be a reason why this PSU does suck a little, because it's hard to get the full potential out of it because there are dependencies which are not reasy to fulfil in order to get it balanced for optimal power output... anyways, sorry I could not more knowledgeable about that.

anyways, back to the topic, I still have not seen any pre-orders in the US for trhe expert board. foo!!

[revenant]

Question for anyone who might know, does that board which sticks up near the audio output jacks have the "break out" boxes with the audio jacks on it? or is there an essential part of the audio hardware on it? I am not sure it will fit with my plans to put a 2nd radiator in while installing this mobo... because with the BTX orientation, that little "spit" of pcb looks like it really stick up high, and it will be a tight fit for that as the rad is going in the back of my v1000 attached to the rear 120mm fan. So can I run the kajan audio in 5.1 with that pcb off? or it it essential? How is the quality of that sound? is it even worth the trouble?

Anyways, even as it stands now I am going to have to install the rad with the barbs at the bottom, up-side-down I guess, because with this board the lowest pci-e slot is going to use the lowest pci slot on the case, which is where the barbs for the rad were going to be... anyways, this is going to be an interesting puzzle. others who are bying this board might want to consider that also.

[AlterBridge86]

Question for anyone who might know, does that board which sticks up near the audio output jacks have the "break out" boxes with the audio jacks on it? or is there an essential part of the audio hardware on it? I am not sure it will fit with my plans to put a 2nd radiator in while installing this mobo... because with the BTX orientation, that little "spit" of pcb looks like it really stick up high, and it will be a tight fit for that as the rad is going in the back of my v1000 attached to the rear 120mm fan. So can I run the kajan audio in 5.1 with that pcb off? or it it essential? How is the quality of that sound? is it even worth the trouble?

Anyways, even as it stands now I am going to have to install the rad with the barbs at the bottom, up-side-down I guess, because with this board the lowest pci-e slot is going to use the lowest pci slot on the case, which is where the barbs for the rad were going to be... anyways, this is going to be an interesting puzzle. others who are bying this board might want to consider that also.

As far as i know its the same Karajan audio module as on their curent NF4 series, so therefore it DOES have the "breakout" boxes for the audio input/outputs and without it you cant use the onboard audio...hope that helps.

[Scroatdog]

I'm still looking at that 4-pin floppy connector, just above the 1st PCI-Express slot and wondering why, why , WHY is it there????!?! With an 8 pin power connector, there should be no need for this floppy connector!!! Right?? Not to mention what a PITA it may be to get it over there in the first place (in my case), considering I've only got two strands of molex w/ the floppy connector on it. The other two strands are SATA, and of course two strands are 6-pin SATA, and then there's the 4-pin P4 strand........... and of course, my 8 pin strand. (Oh, and the 24-pin ATX strand too. sorry).

I'll be really pissed it I have to fudge up my wiring oragami to plug a damn floppy connector to give the board more power. :nono:

[zoom314]

I'm still looking at that 4-pin floppy connector, just above the 1st PCI-Express slot and wondering why, why , WHY is it there????!?! With an 8 pin power connector, there should be no need for this floppy connector!!! Right?? Not to mention what a PITA it may be to get it over there in the first place (in my case), considering I've only got two strands of molex w/ the floppy connector on it. The other two strands are SATA, and of course two strands are 6-pin SATA, and then there's the 4-pin P4 strand........... and of course, my 8 pin strand. (Oh, and the 24-pin ATX strand too. sorry).

I'll be really pissed it I have to fudge up my wiring oragami to plug a damn floppy connector to give the board more power. :nono:

Maybe It's for more powerful cards that hve not appeared yet?

[Revv23]

doesnt really look like a floppy connector imo...

it could serve loads of fuctions

[Afterburner]

For what it's worth, Shamino and LardeArse used that PSU in one of their #1 #3dmark Runs ;)
AFAIK........they are the same person :D

[dinos22]

AFAIK........they are the same person :D
i was gonna point out the same thing but thought Steven's pulling someone's leg

[Afterburner]

Noted....... :p:

[xgman]

The Expert should arrive in 1-2 weeks. I will contact you when it’s available.



Thank you for your patience.



Sincerely,



Ming-Huey Jeng

DFI San Jose

PR/Marketing Dept.

[TransNone13]

He says that to everyone :).

[dinos22]

i'm expecting my board at the end of this week.......distie confirmed ETA for Wednesday today so looks OK.....i really hope this 1-2 week thing is for USA market :p

[Scroatdog]

Maybe It's for more powerful cards that hve not appeared yet?


...............reaches for "chill pill". :cool:

Fingers crossed!

[typer77]

Just when I thought I could save up for the expensive tax season, here comes the tempatation again.

[joe.latino]

please are there any prereview of this motherboard? I'm also awaiting for it,but here in Italy its more difficult to find!!

[dinos22]

i'm expecting my board at the end of this week.......distie confirmed ETA for Wednesday today so looks OK.....i really hope this 1-2 week thing is for USA market :p
farking hell man another delay with NO ETA whatsoever....DFI have NFI when this board will be ready...............WTF..............are they chucking an ATI on us now.....releasing products 2 years after announcement :rolleyes:

[Weee]

I got this e-mail yesterday


Hi (Weee),

The LANParty UT nForce4 SLI-DR Expert will not be available in the US
for at least another couple of weeks. Please stay in touch and I will
also let you know when it becomes available in the US.

Thanks,

Ming-Huey Jeng
DFI San Jose
PR/Marketing Dept.

[xgman]

waiting :(

[Scroatdog]

WHAT THE HELL, DFI??!?!?!? :slapass:

If anyone from DFI is reading this (doubtful) WHAT IS GOING ON????!?!?!

No U.S. ETA???? You've got to be kidding me! How long has this board been finished now???

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?!?!?

If I ran that company I'd FIRE your Marketing head AND your Supply Chain head.

This ia UNSAT.

[3NZ0]

WHAT THE HELL, DFI??!?!?!? :slapass:

If anyone from DFI is reading this (doubtful) WHAT IS GOING ON????!?!?!

No U.S. ETA???? You've got to be kidding me! How long has this board been finished now???

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?!?!?

If I ran that company I'd FIRE your Marketing head AND your Supply Chain head.

This ia UNSAT.

:nono: :slapass:

agreed, this board better be worth every last penny/cent considering how long i have to wait for a new rig now.
the bios better be stable if we wait this long.


i hope that email was delayed by about 2-3 weeks by rubbish email servers.... but i think not. :(

[Ub3r-L33ch]

Makes me think of all those wonderful sayings out there:
"Good things come to those who wait"
"Rome wasnt built in 2 days"

.... but my god man... this is just craziness.

[Tim]

:nono: :slapass:

agreed, this board better be worth every last penny/cent considering how long i have to wait for a new rig now.
the bios better be stable if we wait this long.


i hope that email was delayed by about 2-3 weeks by rubbish email servers.... but i think not. :(

probably got a nice deal with ATI :rolleyes:

[Weee]

I got a reply within 4 hours of sending my inquiry as to the status of the board

[Scroatdog]

I got a reply within 4 hours of sending my inquiry as to the status of the board


I have YET to receive a reply about the board. E-mailed those hold-outs TWICE now. I went to the DFI Global page, then clicked America. Once on the America page I hit "contact" and sent an e-mail to the Sales one on the list. They had PR & Marketing, but I didn't bother with those.

I have been waiting a long time to upgrade to AMD. Months. First I was waiting to see what the ATI R520 would bring to the table (cough..cough. I am now going nVidia this round), also waited to get my Storm block to upgrade my H20 circuit, got my Seasonic S12 600 PSU all sleeved & ready to go......... I'm just waiting on the damn mobo!. Don't wanna buy my 3800+ X2 yet, since I will be WAY out of the return window for it, and can't test it anyways.

I am growing more impatient by the day.

[Onycho]

I've been kinda watching this thread because I would like to upgrade to the expert from the SLI-DR if it has a lot less problems and runs better. However, I have one question.

My PSU is a PCP&C 510 SLI and it only has a 4 pin connector instead of the 8 pin. Will this really make a difference or is there an adapter? I really don't want to shell out another $200 for another PSU.

[uOpt]

I seriously doubt that this board is actually allowing any better overclocks than the existing Lanparty line. I would hold out for it.

[nn_step]

I've been kinda watching this thread because I would like to upgrade to the expert from the SLI-DR if it has a lot less problems and runs better. However, I have one question.

My PSU is a PCP&C 510 SLI and it only has a 4 pin connector instead of the 8 pin. Will this really make a difference or is there an adapter? I really don't want to shell out another $200 for another PSU.
If I remember correctly, it doesn't require the 8 pin to be hooked up..

[tomati]

If I remember correctly, it doesn't require the 8 pin to be hooked up..

right 8 pin increase the stability but you will be allready fine with the 4 pin connector

[uOpt]

You should also be fine with a 4 to 8 pin adapter. Better than just using the 4-pin cable on the board (because the lanes on the board get less current each).

[tomati]

You should also be fine with a 4 to 8 pin adapter. Better than just using the 4-pin cable on the board (because the lanes on the board get less current each).

do you have a link for this kind of adapter ? I tough there was only one 8pin -> 4pin not opposite ?

[uOpt]

I bought a Thermaltake-labeled kit for SMP motherboards. Comes with a 20->24 pin and the 4->8 pin. Was 5 bucks or so. I lost the link, though. If I remember tomorrow I can see whether it pops up in my brain. Or ask on the 2cpu.com forums, they know this.

[Revivalist]

do you have a link for this kind of adapter ? I tough there was only one 8pin -> 4pin not opposite ?I just picked one of these up the other day in preparation for the Expert. It even comes sleeved whatever color you want. Here's the link: performance-pcs (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186&products_id=3204&zenid=b28b4d063a59eb27ced326d674cc6e66).

[gundamit]

I just picked one of these up the other day in preparation for the Expert. It even comes sleeved whatever color you want. Here's the link: performance-pcs (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186&products_id=3204&zenid=b28b4d063a59eb27ced326d674cc6e66).
They seem to have a lot of colors to choos from. What the heck is "super-hero" color?

[Vapor]

Or ogre or jester for that matter....wonder if the adapter actually helps? :confused:

Or if it needs to be a native 8-pin or a 4-pin + 2xmolex or something....

[uOpt]

Or ogre or jester for that matter....wonder if the adapter actually helps? :confused:

The new DFI will work with a 4-pin plugged in.

There is nothing magical about the 8-pin: the advantage is that now each wire on the mainboard carries less current. If you use an adapter to 8 pin before the MB this advantage is fully preserved.

Of course a pure wire is better than an adapter but adapters are really not that horrible as long as they are not corroded or mechanically challenged. It will certainly be overall better than just pluggin the 4-pin in.

[xgman]

I've been kinda watching this thread because I would like to upgrade to the expert from the SLI-DR if it has a lot less problems and runs better. However, I have one question.

My PSU is a PCP&C 510 SLI and it only has a 4 pin connector instead of the 8 pin. Will this really make a difference or is there an adapter? I really don't want to shell out another $200 for another PSU.


pcpc will retrofit if you want.

[xgman]

There is nothing magical about the 8-pin: the advantage is that now each wire on the mainboard carries less current. If you use an adapter to 8 pin before the MB this advantage is fully preserved.

.

I'm not so sure that this is the case. Engineers at pcpc told me that an adapter is not the same as a real 8 pin hookup. With this big an investment, I think I'd rather have the real thing.

[s7e9h3n]

I'm not so sure that this is the case. Engineers at pcpc told me that an adapter is not the same as a real 8 pin hookup. With this big an investment, I think I'd rather have the real thing.
Hmmm...I just modded my pcpc 510sli with an 8-pin plug in preparation for my expert :p: TBH, I don't think there would be a drastic difference ifrom using an adapter vs wiring straight from the psu's pcb (which is what I did, btw)

[Diverge]

Using a 4 pin to 8 pin adapter doesn't do much for you, it really does nothing. All it does is split the 4 wires coming out of the psu, into 8 wires (8 pin plug). The whole point of 8 wires is to easily supply more current with less resistance. If the 8 pin header on the motherboard has all the 12v pins in common, and all the grounds in common, the only purpose would be to support more current via parallel motherboard traces (vs. using bigger traces that might have been harder to route). Since it has been said that you could use just the 4 pin plug, and leave the remaining 4 with nothing plugged in, they all must be in common, therefore using adapaters is silly :p: (the only way to mod a PSU would be to add more wires dirrect from the source (transistors/fets) in the PSU - i don't speak from experience, but it is basic electronics)

[3NZ0]

I seriously doubt that this board is actually allowing any better overclocks than the existing Lanparty line. I would hold out for it.

im not bothered about that,

if it overclocks as well as/better the others then thats ace but the reason i want this is because of the larger gap inbetween the sli cards as i am going to watercool and use pci cards (x-fi pro & tv card) :)

[s7e9h3n]

Using a 4 pin to 8 pin adapter doesn't do much for you, it really does nothing. All it does is split the 4 wires coming out of the psu, into 8 wires (8 pin plug). The whole point of 8 wires is to easily supply more current with less resistance. If the 8 pin header on the motherboard has all the 12v pins in common, and all the grounds in common, the only purpose would be to support more current via parallel motherboard traces (vs. using bigger traces that might have been harder to route). Since it has been said that you could use just the 4 pin plug, and leave the remaining 4 with nothing plugged in, they all must be in common, therefore using adapaters is silly :p: (the only way to mod a PSU would be to add more wires dirrect from the source (transistors/fets) in the PSU - i don't speak from experience, but it is basic electronics)
I'm not quite sure what you mean by adding wires "direct from the source (transistors/fets)". Psu wires terminate at the pcb of the psu and you can simply solder leads directly to the pcb if you want/need extra rails. The extra 4 pins on an 8-pin header are indeed used to supply more current with less resistance, therefore if you were to use only a 4-pin connector, the wires would have to carry 2x the load of an 8-pin connector. Yes, using a 4-pin connector will work, but using an 8-pin one works better. I would imagine an adapter wouldn't take the 4 wires from a 4-pin connector and then split them into 8-wires; rather it would use those 4 wires ALONG with 4 others from 2 molexes on separate lines to comprise the 8-wires necessary for the connector......

[xgman]

I just called dfi and heard a slightly mumbled "delay due to production problems" when asking about the "Expert", so no official ship date yet according to their morning update. Hope it's not a repeat of the early NF4 sli boards problems.

[synergy]

Well I don't know the DFI EXPERT specific answer about 4 -> 8 pin adapters and whether
just using a 4-pin connector would be OK.

But as an EE I can tell you for SURE that it COULD make a CRITICAL difference -- there's
no requirement I know of that says that they couldn't take each of the four +12V wires
coming in on the four pins of the 8-pin connector and use them to power
ENTIRELY DISTINCT parts of the motherboard e.g.
wire #1 powers chips A,B,C,D wire #2 powers chips E,F,G,H, etc. so that
if you didn't have all four +12V wires attached to the connector then some parts
of the motherboard would simply not be getting power inputs everywhere they
were supposed to.

The scary thing is that the board could actually seem to 'work' in this state if
the power started flowing in some 'backwards' way through the unpowered devices
so that they were getting some juice but not in the right way to avoid damage or
impairment to the circuits.

DFI and the other M/B manufacturers should really 100% clearly tell us if the
12V lines on the 8-pin connector are all connected electrically "in parallel"
AT the connector location, or if they're just run off as distinct power traces.
If they're truly hooked in parallel on the motherboard (all to the same copper pad
/ power trace on the PCB) then, yes, you could use a 4-pin connector on the 8-pin
socket and probably have no problem unless the extra PSU input current and
lower PSU to motherboard resistance from having more input wires was really
crucial for your setup. If the motherboard connector does NOT have the +12V
inputs in direct parallel then bad, bad, bad things may / probably eventually will happen.

The same can be said for using "only" a 20pin ATX connector on a "24 pin"
motherboard, I suppose, though I don't at the moment recall what the other 4
pins in that case are defined to be used for and if they're guaranteed to be
parallel, not parallel, critical, or non-critical.

Measuring the resistance of the 12V pins on the M/B to each other is probably
not a useful way to tell if they're truly all paralleled because you could get a false
"connected" reading going through a circuit vs. a PCB pad. The only way to know
is to ask DFI or see the connector pins literally soldered dead directly on to the
SAME PCB pad.

PS even if the +12V wires are paralleled it's similarly conceivable they
could use the different GROUND pins for DIFFERENT circuits, so, again,
if those weren't ALL connected through the connector to the PSU there
could be big problems.

[Scroatdog]

I just called dfi and heard a slightly mumbled "delay due to production problems" when asking about the "Expert", so no official ship date yet according to their morning update. Hope it's not a repeat of the early NF4 sli boards problems.




Hmmm.......... It's karma. They pitched the Promise SATA RAID controller they were initially going to use, and stuck with the crappy Promise one. This is nature's way of getting back at DFI (and us, it would seem)

[Diverge]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by adding wires "direct from the source (transistors/fets)". Psu wires terminate at the pcb of the psu and you can simply solder leads directly to the pcb if you want/need extra rails. The extra 4 pins on an 8-pin header are indeed used to supply more current with less resistance, therefore if you were to use only a 4-pin connector, the wires would have to carry 2x the load of an 8-pin connector. Yes, using a 4-pin connector will work, but using an 8-pin one works better. I would imagine an adapter wouldn't take the 4 wires from a 4-pin connector and then split them into 8-wires; rather it would use those 4 wires ALONG with 4 others from 2 molexes on separate lines to comprise the 8-wires necessary for the connector......

PCB, or to the actual component in the PSU, it's all the same, assuming the PCB traces and actual circuitry handles the current (if there is more a load). But, if you look at those adapters they sell (a link was posted above), all they do is branch 4 more wires out of the existing 4 pin psu connector. The way you described in your post is the right way to do it (by running additial wires from inside the actual psu).


Well I don't know the DFI EXPERT specific answer about 4 -> 8 pin adapters and whether
just using a 4-pin connector would be OK.

But as an EE I can tell you for SURE that it COULD make a CRITICAL difference -- there's
no requirement I know of that says that they couldn't take each of the four +12V wires
coming in on the four pins of the 8-pin connector and use them to power
ENTIRELY DISTINCT parts of the motherboard e.g.
wire #1 powers chips A,B,C,D wire #2 powers chips E,F,G,H, etc. so that
if you didn't have all four +12V wires attached to the connector then some parts
of the motherboard would simply not be getting power inputs everywhere they
were supposed to.

The scary thing is that the board could actually seem to 'work' in this state if
the power started flowing in some 'backwards' way through the unpowered devices
so that they were getting some juice but not in the right way to avoid damage or
impairment to the circuits.

DFI and the other M/B manufacturers should really 100% clearly tell us if the
12V lines on the 8-pin connector are all connected electrically "in parallel"
AT the connector location, or if they're just run off as distinct power traces.
If they're truly hooked in parallel on the motherboard (all to the same copper pad
/ power trace on the PCB) then, yes, you could use a 4-pin connector on the 8-pin
socket and probably have no problem unless the extra PSU input current and
lower PSU to motherboard resistance from having more input wires was really
crucial for your setup. If the motherboard connector does NOT have the +12V
inputs in direct parallel then bad, bad, bad things may / probably eventually will happen.

The same can be said for using "only" a 20pin ATX connector on a "24 pin"
motherboard, I suppose, though I don't at the moment recall what the other 4
pins in that case are defined to be used for and if they're guaranteed to be
parallel, not parallel, critical, or non-critical.

Measuring the resistance of the 12V pins on the M/B to each other is probably
not a useful way to tell if they're truly all paralleled because you could get a false
"connected" reading going through a circuit vs. a PCB pad. The only way to know
is to ask DFI or see the connector pins literally soldered dead directly on to the
SAME PCB pad.

PS even if the +12V wires are paralleled it's similarly conceivable they
could use the different GROUND pins for DIFFERENT circuits, so, again,
if those weren't ALL connected through the connector to the PSU there
could be big problems.

Yeah, i agree (pretty much what i had said with less detail). But from what has been stated, DFI or their tech support said you can use just the 4-pin plugs, so if that is true, the grounds and +12V's have to be common, otherwise circuits might not get powered correctly. (either way, my psu has an 8pin :p: )

[uOpt]

I'm not so sure that this is the case. Engineers at pcpc told me that an adapter is not the same as a real 8 pin hookup. With this big an investment, I think I'd rather have the real thing.

It is not the same, stricktly speaking. Having a solid wire is always better than having wires connected by a plug.

But think about this: if these connectors in the plugs are so horrible, how come it works between the wires and the mainboard. It is the same plug, same mechanism. Of course having one is better than having two, but it is not possible that the adapter itself is a big problem. If it was, the plug on the mainboard would be the same big problem.

[20AEGTI]

Well we will see if NCIX is right and everyone has been hush hush and not telling us when the boards will hit. They still show the ETA as tomorrow so hopefully they aren't lying. If not I got a cheaper board to tide me over until it gets in stock. Here is the link (http://www.us.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16282&vpn=LANPARTY-UT-NF4-SLI-DR-EXPERT&manufacture=DFI) again if you want to check the date for yourself.

[ben805]

farking hell man another delay with NO ETA whatsoever....DFI have NFI when this board will be ready...............WTF..............are they chucking an ATI on us now.....releasing products 2 years after announcement :rolleyes:

I remember not long ago we have a bunch of whinner accuse the current NF4 board were 'rush-product' but now when DFI take their time to work out all the bugs and tweaks for the upcoming products and here we have yet another group of people complaint again about them not being on time......jeewiz....you guys are hard to please! :D :D :D I can understand if it was being delay for like 2~3 months but it's only couple weeks.....it's not too bad really. :D :D

[dinos22]

I remember not long ago we have a bunch of whinner accuse the current NF4 board were 'rush-product' but now when DFI take their time to work out all the bugs and tweaks for the upcoming products and here we have yet another group of people complaint again about them not being on time......jeewiz....you guys are hard to please! :D :D :D I can understand if it was being delay for like 2~3 months but it's only couple weeks.....it's not too bad really. :D :D
yeah well after the first couple of weeks delay you say no worries, second delay....well :banana::banana::banana::banana: happens and third and forth delay you start thinking WTF....if this product coming out soon or what.......i guess we'll see how well they've prepared the product for final release when they start selling next month sometime (hopefully)..............it's not a perfect world but when you make a call stick to it.....don't mess around..........no bios will be perfect regardless of how long they take.....it can only get better once there are bucketloads of competent overclockers making the rounds with the motherboards......

companies are increasingly relying on this form of spindoctor marketing, talking up products on forums, massive launches, promising the world and then not delivering on time..............the board was talked up for months and it is now formally announced :fact: There should be boxes on shelves from day1 and not day 21, 31, 61, 91.................seems Nvidia of late is the only decent company around in that respect

[s7e9h3n]

Well we will see if NCIX is right and everyone has been hush hush and not telling us when the boards will hit. They still show the ETA as tomorrow so hopefully they aren't lying. If not I got a cheaper board to tide me over until it gets in stock. Here is the link (http://www.us.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16282&vpn=LANPARTY-UT-NF4-SLI-DR-EXPERT&manufacture=DFI) again if you want to check the date for yourself.
Sorry to dissapoint, but it's gonna be AT LEAST 7-10 days until launch of the Expert and maybe even a little longer until they actually hit store shelves....

[windwithme]

i have it now...

http://img5.picsplace.to/img5/10/01_012.jpg

http://img5.picsplace.to/img5/10/04_005.jpg

[Otaking71]

err...wrong thread?...

[20AEGTI]

Sorry to dissapoint, but it's gonna be AT LEAST 7-10 days until launch of the Expert and maybe even a little longer until they actually hit store shelves....

No dissapointment on my end as you can see by my post I didn't really think it would be out today. If so why would I have gone through the hassle of buying a board to tide me over a couple of days to a week? I have come to expect that most company will not meet estimated dates by any means and to expect a delay in the products being released. My guess is you will have another release like their Crossfire boards.

All the sudden, a couple of people will have them and post thoughts and results, a big website will have an exclusive that is due in a day or two, then all the sudden holy :banana::banana::banana::banana: a lot of retailers have them for sale, only to sell out in an hour and a half. So lets see next estimate :stick: date is what November 1st or so? Oh well, maybe something better will come out and I will cancel my pre-order.

20

[Scroatdog]

Umm............ no. That is the ATI board you have there, Windwithme. That is not the NF4 'Expert' board.

[madpete]

For UK people:

http://www.cpucityshop.co.uk/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=2347&st=15

Anyone think there's any truth in this? CPUCITY are normally VERY reliable, and they are saying they have been told this board is USA only.

[xgman]

For UK people:

http://www.cpucityshop.co.uk/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=2347&st=15

Anyone think there's any truth in this? CPUCITY are normally VERY reliable, and they are saying they have been told this board is USA only.

That sounds rediculous to me.

[xgman]

Then again, this is a quote from a Australian reseller web site in the Expert listing:

"Release of this motherboard has been delayed indefinitely by DFI. No release date is currently available"

ouch . . :(

[tomati]

For UK people:

http://www.cpucityshop.co.uk/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=2347&st=15

Anyone think there's any truth in this? CPUCITY are normally VERY reliable, and they are saying they have been told this board is USA only.


Don't be affraid , we will see it here in Europe too ,

This shop in belgium have allready listed them .

http://www.bytesatwork.be/shop/_toplogo/main.html

[Scroatdog]

Just sent this off to their sales, marketing, PR, and tech support e-mail addresses:


To Whom It May Concern,

This is now the third time I am e-mailing DFI, looking for information. The first two e-mails were to sales@dfiweb.com but since no one bothered to respond to me, I have decided to include every e-mail address listed on the DFI website's contact page.

I am trying to find out when the DFI Lan Party NF4 "Expert" motherboard is going to hit the retail channels in the U.S. It was rumored that October 20th was the release date, but that is obviously not the case. Now there are rumors that the board may not be released at all, or that it will be released, but only in select countries. Is this true???

Please do me the simple courtesy of responding to my e-mail. I imagine if you did not want to hear from customers/potential customers, you would not have listed contact information on your website. I would like to know when this board is being released. And if it is not being released, I would like to know why. I can name at least four enthusiast websites off the top of my head with many forum members anxious to see this board released. With the recent reviews on the DFI Crossfire solution, it's USB performance, and lack of SATA2, I think it might be in DFI's best interest to release the updated NF4 board.

Thank you,



******* EDIT *********
I just got a reply from someone named "Jacky". Have no idea what department he/she works in.

Sir,

We do not have the definite date of NF4 Expert version yet.

Maybe it will be arriving in Nov time frame.

Jacky



:mad:

Damn DFI. I dont know if I'm going to wait anymore. I'm tired of looking at the top of my desk and seeing my Seasonic PSU box with the PSU in it, and looking at the box above it with the Storm block in it...

[xgman]

This is what I got today:

"Yes, the release date has been pushed back as our engineers are finalizing things on the board. So, unfortunately I don’t have an estimated shipping date"

[CrashOv3r1De]

Can't wait for this one. Hopefully this one will be good out of the box since it is still the NF4 chipset. The RD200 is having some ram issues as mickeymouse has posted. Hope to see none of that here.

[LexDiamonds]

This would imply that the board hasnt even "gone gold" yet. Figure at least a few more weeks for production, packaging, shipping, retail availability.

[Onycho]

It is not the same, stricktly speaking. Having a solid wire is always better than having wires connected by a plug.

But think about this: if these connectors in the plugs are so horrible, how come it works between the wires and the mainboard. It is the same plug, same mechanism. Of course having one is better than having two, but it is not possible that the adapter itself is a big problem. If it was, the plug on the mainboard would be the same big problem.

Actually, your reasoning is a little flawed. Every time you put a connection in, you increase the resistance in the wire. Since in this case that resistance is not as constant as the resistance caused by an actually resistor, it can cause fluxuations in power. The more connections in the wire, the greater the fluxuations in current.

Also, it takes one bad connection to really introduce fluxuations bad enough to affect your overclocking ability.

[Ender17]

too much whining going on here
your life isn't going to end if you have to wait a few more weeks for a motherboard
and wouldn't you rather DFI spend the extra time making it better?

[tomati]

too much whining going on here
your life isn't going to end if you have to wait a few more weeks for a motherboard
and wouldn't you rather DFI spend the extra time making it better?


I wish you right on there , but my last experience with the dfi nf3 s939 was a disaster , a crappy board realesed 1 year after everybody and wich even needed a second rev during the first month of his realese , this time I will wait after the user's test before to buy one dfi more .

[jetjaguar]

how come they are not going x16 like most of the motherboard makers .. seems like asus .. msi and abit revisions of their sli boards are all x16 .. while dfi is staying 8x .. ?? are they planning on releasing another sli board after the expert with x16 ?

[dinos22]

how come they are not going x16 like most of the motherboard makers .. seems like asus .. msi and abit revisions of their sli boards are all x16 .. while dfi is staying 8x .. ?? are they planning on releasing another sli board after the expert with x16 ?
there is no peformance difference between current x8 SLI and x16 SLI solutions...what's the point

[nn_step]

If it is x16 default they don't need jumpers, switches, or cards to split the PCI-E bandwidth, Thus allowing a much Highier overclock...

[dinos22]

If it is x16 default they don't need jumpers, switches, or cards to split the PCI-E bandwidth, Thus allowing a much Highier overclock...
i'll believe it when i see it...........so far no evidence to support that claim so your statement is on short legs

[Revv23]

If it is x16 default they don't need jumpers, switches, or cards to split the PCI-E bandwidth, Thus allowing a much Highier overclock...

uhh pci-e bandwidth makes no difference and has nothing to do with overclock. if anything performance is worse thanks to the added latency.

[TuKo]

Does this motherboard has double x16 like the A8N32 Deluxe ?

[dimasdw]

Does this motherboard has double x16 like the A8N32 Deluxe ?

no this board stil use 8x+8x in SLI mode :D...

[ElDuderino]

Does any board use 16x-16x in SLI mode?

[[XC] leviathan18]

yes asus the 32 lanes version

[ElDuderino]

I can't understand why the new SLI-DR expert isn't gonna be 32 lanes...oh well. Is ASUS the only one with a 32 lane board?

[Vapor]

I don't see why you want 32 lanes....the current implementation sucks and it won't be good until a single chipset version comes out.

Anyway, I wonder if this can be dropped in place of a regular SLI-DR without a reinstall/repair of Windows. :shrug:

[ElDuderino]

To get twice as much FPS when running SLI-AA.

[Vapor]

To get twice as much FPS when running SLI-AA.Huh?! Got proof?

There's currently a huge problem with the fact that it's a multi-chipset solution that has limitations and often results in lower FPS in situations that aren't 100% GPU bound (just about every situation).

[CrashOv3r1De]

Will this board have any memory problems like the R200? It is using the Nf4 chipset which was already tested so should be a good clocker OBO.

[J-Mag]

Anyway, I wonder if this can be dropped in place of a regular SLI-DR without a reinstall/repair of Windows. :shrug:

Hmm thats a good question... I was able to go from my a8n-sli to a DFI board and boot into Safemode with the same OS install, but I couldn't boot into normal windows without BSOD.

[J-Mag]

Huh?! Got proof?

There's currently a huge problem with the fact that it's a multi-chipset solution that has limitations and often results in lower FPS in situations that aren't 100% GPU bound (just about every situation).

http://hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=739

That is what he was talking about. Looks like SLI-AA modes require alot more bandwidth between cards. Although, there is no way you would get acceptable frame rates with new titles and the SLI AA modes with current hardware.

[xgman]

Anyway, I wonder if this can be dropped in place of a regular SLI-DR without a reinstall/repair of Windows. :shrug:

I can't imagine why not. Same chipset drivers.

[uOpt]

To get twice as much FPS when running SLI-AA.

Complete nonsense.

Current cards use the equivalent of x4 at the maximum.

And even if you would starve them for half the bandwidth they could use that wouldn't mean cutting the FPS in half.

There are more components involved, you know?

[Vapor]

Hmmmmm, VERY interesting....I can't rationalize it though. :shrug:

I wonder what performs better though? TR SSAA 8x or 8x SLI-AA? i.e., who cares if it gains 67% if it's still slower than the other implementation.

[uOpt]

those SLI 16x16 AA runs where crazy in farcry a 67% boost at high res gaming. :)

A 67% FPS win when going from 2x x8 PCIe to 2x x16PCIe?

Nonsense. Link?

[ElDuderino]

I was just going by the numbers that hot hardware put up...personally I love the looks of SLI-AA on my machine but would benefit greatly from a %67 fps boost that 32 lanes would provide.

http://hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=739

:fact: nonsense? look at the numbers

[ElDuderino]

The benefit apparently won't be felt unless you run games at the maximum resolution with all settings cranked. According these results but I wouldn't put too much weight on these results because they don't even use SLI-AA which really makes the 32 lanes shine.

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/813/11/page_11_benchmarks_high_quality_aa_and_af/index.html

[nn_step]

Only the High end will see any benifits from x16, which is who this board is supposed to be marketted to...Thus the x8 is just plain stupid....

[uOpt]

The benefit apparently won't be felt unless you run games at the maximum resolution with all settings cranked.

This is not a realistic test as it overflows the 256 MB memory on the cards. Nobody would run games like that "in production".

If you run games with proper options you don't get the speedup out of x16.

[CodeHunter]

Does anyone know when are these going to be available in US? Thanks in advance.

[J-Mag]

A 67% FPS win when going from 2x x8 PCIe to 2x x16PCIe?

Nonsense. Link?

yeah jeezus did you even look I posted the link with my previous post.

[ElDuderino]

This is not a realistic test as it overflows the 256 MB memory on the cards. Nobody would run games like that "in production".

If you run games with proper options you don't get the speedup out of x16.

I'm confused by what proper options are? I guess overclocking is not proper and cranking every setting to the max is also unproper? :stick: xtremesystems

[uOpt]

I'm confused by what proper options are? I guess overclocking is not proper and cranking every setting to the max is also unproper? :stick: xtremesystems

Selecting graphics options that load more textures onto the card than the crd has memory, so that textures get kicked out to agenture memory, will surely show a difference between 2x x8 and 2x x16. But nobody can run a game like that.

[uOpt]

yeah jeezus did you even look I posted the link with my previous post.

It shows an increase of about 2%. Or are we looking at different graphs?

If don't think that is a good reason to reject a board that you would otherwise buy (because of overclocking options, 4x PCIe or similar).

[zoom314]

This motherboard looks like It would definately be able to do "Radical Good Speed" to borrow a phrase from Straight Cougar in the anime S-Cry-Ed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-cry-ed). :D

Talk about overclocking, This Guy is overclocked, to the Extreme. :D

[Ender17]

It shows an increase of about 2%. Or are we looking at different graphs?

If don't think that is a good reason to reject a board that you would otherwise buy (because of overclocking options, 4x PCIe or similar).
http://hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=739

[uOpt]

http://hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=739

More specific:
http://hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=739

Oh, I stand corrected. It is actually 2.4% in 1280x1024 with AA. God god! I will never touch one of the lame DFI boards with 2x x8 again. This will kill me, it will feel like suffocating if I get 127.3 instead of 130.4 FPS.

Although, if I had that SLI setup, maybe I would run the resolution they show in the chart below. 0.5% at 1600x1280. Now if that's no killer speedup I don't know what.

But really, anything below 100 fps is just so unplayable, I would run that SLI setup in 640x480 no AA. In that case the Asus 2x x16 board will bring me what - 5% more or so 525 instead of 500 FPS? R00LZ! I will be undefeatable. Or somefink!

[jermaink]

The difference for me, when running my X800XL overclocked, from 16x to 8x was a loss of about 40 3DMark05's. Hardly anywhere NEAR close to half the FPS.

[ElDuderino]

The benefit won't be seen for benchmarks. The added lanes help when you have all the settings turned up, resolution all the way up, and the most evidence is seen when running SLI AA.

[jermaink]

What evidence?

[ElDuderino]

The hothardware review on the SLI-AA page...

[Ender17]

More specific:
http://hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?articleid=739
Um, that's the exact same link.
I was trying to link you to the page titled "SLI-AA Performance: Far Cry"
It's the one that shows a big difference.

[AlterBridge86]

this one? ;)

http://hothardware.com/viewarticle.cfm?page=14&articleid=739&cid=3

[einCe]

But really, anything below 100 fps is just so unplayable, I would run that SLI setup in 640x480 no AA.
wow, and imagine, 99% of people cant see over 60 fps you must be the son of god. psh

[jetjaguar]

damn i really wish this motherboard would come out soon

[IvanAndreevich]

einCe
wow, and imagine, 99% of people cant see over 60 fps you must be the son of god. psh
99.9% of people don't use SLI. It's so easy to tell 60 FPS vs 100 FPS in some games, it's not even funny.

[uOpt]

einCe
wow, and imagine, 99% of people cant see over 60 fps you must be the son of god. psh
99.9% of people don't use SLI. It's so easy to tell 60 FPS vs 100 FPS in some games, it's not even funny.

But seems it breaks quoting.

This is really not the point. The point is that the bus bandwidth of 2x x8 isn't used up and 2x x16 offers a laughable improvement.

And future games will not make more use of 2x x16 because they will spend more time in shaders, not shuffling data around.

[jetjaguar]

so i guess we are still looking at another month or so until this board comes out :stick:

[revlimiter9000]

I hope it comes out soon I can't wait. :slobber: :slobber: :slobber: :slobber:

[dinos22]

so i guess we are still looking at another month or so until this board comes out :stick:
probably :(

[Scroatdog]

Another month?

That SUCKS. :slapass:

[jetjaguar]

yeah im deciding whether to get this board or switch over to the dfi crossfire board

[revlimiter9000]

Maybe we should be glad that DFI isn't releasing a mobo that has issues. I'm wishing they'd jump on it and hurry up and fix anything that's wrong with the expert (indeed if there is anything wrong with it). :mad: :slapass:

[xgman]

ETA: mid-November says ncix

[Vassili]

Maybe we should be glad that DFI isn't releasing a mobo that has issues. I'm wishing they'd jump on it and hurry up and fix anything that's wrong with the expert (indeed if there is anything wrong with it). :mad: :slapass:I think there are going to be problems for sure, after all it's DFI... :rolleyes:
But hey, without problems it would be boring wouldn't it? :p:

[zoom314]

I think there are going to be problems for sure, after all it's DFI... :rolleyes:
But hey, without problems it would be boring wouldn't it? :p:

No boring PCs wanted here either, But what the heck I've had worse(pcchips anyone?).:rolleyes:

[s7e9h3n]

probably :(
I'm hoping for mine within the next 2 weeks ;)

[IvanAndreevich]

NCIX ETA changes like the wind, usually

[Scroatdog]

NCIX ETA changes like the wind, usually


QFT

[dinos22]

I'm hoping for mine within the next 2 weeks ;)
yeah i've been hoping for a long time....i know some of you guys know people that know people but i won't believe it until i see it :)

[jetjaguar]

more like we prolly wont see these till decemeber .. sucks but o well ..
i hope they dont release the expert .. then decide to release another one with 16x

[revlimiter9000]

I think all Mobo manufacturers have their problems. No mobo is flawless. :rolleyes: Can't expect perfection. DFI jump on it and release a kick ass DFI Expert.

[z24]

Knowing the *@#&$*@#&$@#$ over at DFI they'd probably release the Expert and then release another mobo (kind of like how M$ operates) not fixing what you currently have as a product but moving on and releasing another version. DFI is bloated just like M$. DFI should really take it's users input but they don't and release inferior mobos. I guess we can't win them all. :slap: :slap: How much of a performance gain would there be if DFI were to release one with 16x?


ok first of all There is only one Major engineer at DFI which is Legend Oskar Wu!!

you if you know Taiwanese/Chinese check out Oskar's MSN you will know he didn't feeling too well after couple of months of head ach with Crossfire/Expert :(

the Man is burn out and need Rest!! give him a break mate!! in my view there is not one product on the market can compete with DFI NF4 series or Crossfire :banana:

not to mention which Lengend brought 4v vdimm in to the market first :p:

and the board is finished now just need to Ramp up production lo and couple of BIOS fix will make it shine :cool:

[Lood007]

Knowing the *@#&$*@#&$@#$ over at DFI they'd probably release the Expert and then release another mobo (kind of like how M$ operates) not fixing what you currently have as a product but moving on and releasing another version. DFI is bloated just like M$. DFI should really take it's users input but they don't and release inferior mobos. I guess we can't win them all. :slap: :slap: How much of a performance gain would there be if DFI were to release one with 16x?

You do know that DFI is a second tier motherboard manufacturer, right? To call a company that actually gives personal support (on dfi-street.com) 'bloated' and relate it to microsoft is just naive. :stick:

They don't have 1000 people working for them and just a few years ago they mostly only made cheap OEM boards. :fact:

Next time, assess your validity and do some research before comparing a small company to a relative giant like microsoft. :slap:

[eva2000]

maybe Oskar figured a way of rolling crossfire and expert together for a board that can handle ATI AMR + nVidia SLI so redesigning a DFI NF4 Crossfire Expert board hehe

[revlimiter9000]

Lood007 I apologize for that post. I left computer logged onto XS and I left for school and it appears that my roommate (who's against DFI) posted that comment. I deleted the post. I guess I wont leave my computer logged on XS. He's been telling me that DFI is a bad motherboard and that Abit is a lot better. My sincere apologies.

[zoom314]

Well roomates can be a problem I guess, So I forgive You, Besides Oscar Wu has performed what amounts to be miracles by just going from Abit to DFI, I had two DFI motherboards under socket A and they worked great, My next 939pin motherboard upgrade will be one too I expect, Although It might only be the DFI Infinity nF4 Ultra Motherboard (http://www.ninjalane.com/display.aspx?docname=infinity-nf4ultra) as I would have to save up for two to three months for the Expert motherboard, Sure the Infinity only has 1 16x pci-e slot, But It's an upgrade for what is pretty much just a number cruncher for SETI. But in any case It will be a DFI as I think I can trust Oscar Wu. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[LoN3R]

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=16282&vpn=LANPARTY-UT-NF4-SLI-DR-EXPERT&manufacture=DFI

shows in stock ; )

[AlterBridge86]

i don't know, i tend not to trust NCIX - their in-stock/out-of-stock changes like the wind...and they typically don't even have the product...lol

[LoN3R]

yea , surprised i didnt add that to my post , we'll find out

[Lood007]

NCIX shows 10 in Viking (in-stock).

IDK what to think

[technodanvan]

Well I went ahead and picked one up from NCIX, hopefully they actually DO have it in stock...the email they sent me said they did. Guess we'll see.

[J-Mag]

Bytewise has them in stock now:

http://www.bytewizecomputers.com/products/7/7/759/10473

[dinos22]

Bytewise has them in stock now:

http://www.bytewizecomputers.com/products/7/7/759/10473
i don't think so....you'll find that they'll have them on backorder when you go get one

[J-Mag]

i don't think so....you'll find that they'll have them on backorder when you go get one

SO do you think NICX is pulling shens then too?

[Avid6eek]

I just got off the phone with NCIX.com. Their website lists 10 in stock, but they guy told me they only had 5 left....now they only have 4 :D

[dinos22]

I just got off the phone with NCIX.com. Their website lists 10 in stock, but they guy told me they only had 5 left....now they only have 4 :D
i reckon it's just BAIT marketing boys...........CAN THEY TAKE A PHOTO OF THE BOARD cause i bet ya they've got none

[Avid6eek]

i reckon it's just BAIT marketing boys...........CAN THEY TAKE A PHOTO OF THE BOARD cause i bet ya they've got none I'll post my tracking number tomorrow if they actually ship it :)

[J-Mag]

well even though i wont order one now I hope they are truely shippin em to you guys, as I would definately like to see some results.

[20AEGTI]

I will just post the email I got from the when I asked about my pre-order. They had this to say:

Dated Oct 25, 2005 at 04:40 PM reply from Ncix Support

Hi Jared:
The motherboard just arrived today, and your order probably will ship out for you tomorrow.
Thank you,
========================
Kai Chen
Ncix.com/ Netlink Computer Inc

Dated Oct 25, 2005 at 03:27 PM composed by you

On your website it shows the DFI Sli-Dr Expert instock. Does this mean you have those in stock and ready to ship? If so do you know when my order will get processed and shipped out. I cannot track the order anymore on the Order Tracking tab so unfortunately I must bother you some to find out. Thanks in advance for any information about my order!!!
Jared


So hopefully they aren't lying and they are really in-stock and going to ship. If it ships I will post pictures when I get it. But not going to hold my breath either!!

[jetjaguar]

how come only canadian resellers have them .. ??
i guess ill wait and see what results people get before i buy one .. ill wait and see if the egg or monarch or zzf get them

[revlimiter9000]

I guess now that the Canadain stores have them in stock it's only a matter of time before the U.S. gets them in stock and I'll be able to give my friend's ultra-d back to him and then get my hands on the Expert. :slobber: :toast:

[LexDiamonds]

Just to play devils advocate... It is possible that a batch of "revision 1" boards were shipped out that had a few quirks to them. I see no other explaination on how DFI could site manufacturing problems and delay shipment to the rest of the free world.

I for one will be waiting until Newegg goes thru a few batches before picking one up as all these delays and pressure from the community to release= some boards with some quirks.

[zoom314]

how come only canadian resellers have them .. ??
i guess ill wait and see what results people get before i buy one .. ill wait and see if the egg or monarch or zzf get them

Maybe the website Bytewise (http://www.bytewizecomputers.com/) is in Canada(I don't know for sure, But they could be), They sell to the USA among other places and the currency can be changed to the Canadian dollar, US dollar, Australian dollar, UK pounds sterling or the Euro if one wants. So I don't see a problem really. I mean I'd love to order It myself from other places like Monarch or Directron, But It's somewhat early right now and they may sometime later carry It for all I know. Until then It's get It from where one can, When one can. :shrug:

[jetjaguar]

ill wait till they are at several us retailers .. and some of the guys here have them and post the results .. ill mess around with my opty when it gets here on my sli-dr

[Avid6eek]

Just to play devils advocate... It is possible that a batch of "revision 1" boards were shipped out that had a few quirks to them. I see no other explaination on how DFI could site manufacturing problems and delay shipment to the rest of the free world. If that's true I would just sell mine on eBay. The demand is so high for them I would get all my money back. I wouldn't expert their to be any major problems given that this is just an update. It isn't a totally new motherboard.

[jetjaguar]

i hope they dont release another board in a month with two x16 instead of two 8x

[AlterBridge86]

Maybe the website Bytewise (http://www.bytewizecomputers.com/) is in Canada(I don't know for sure, But they could be)

Yep - they're canadian :)

Head Office - Canada
Bytewize Computers
2793 Princess Street (Woodbine Plaza)
Kingston, Ontario
Canada
K7P 2X1

[Haltech]

Is there a new chipset coming from Nvidia anytime soon? If so, than it would be smart to hold off. I cant see DFI releasing a 16X board a month after this, than having to support that board either. I think they would get a serious BOO from the crowd.

Im hoping this board ships soon. Im in need.

[20AEGTI]

Well either bytewise was pulling people's legs or they sold out cause this is what it says on their website now.

This item has not yet been released. You may order it today, and we'll ship it to you when it arrives at our warehouse. This item will be available in 2 days (Friday, October 28th, 2005).

NCIX is down to 7 according to their stock checker but more than likely if they have them instock they are lower than that. Will be interesting to see if DFI was playing around and missed a deadline or if these etailers are lying and pulling our legs.

Oh well, hurry up and wait!!!! That is the game of pc enthusiasts!!!

20

[omga14]

i don't think that there will be a new chipset until the release of M2. just doesn't really make sense since it's doing quite well for nvidia right now. milk the market and use that money to R&D for a new groundbreaking chipset. or so i hope. how long was NF2 around?

[Scroatdog]

Well either bytewise was pulling people's legs or they sold out cause this is what it says on their website now.



NCIX is down to 7 according to their stock checker but more than likely if they have them instock they are lower than that. Will be interesting to see if DFI was playing around and missed a deadline or if these etailers are lying and pulling our legs.

Oh well, hurry up and wait!!!! That is the game of pc enthusiasts!!!

20


I was REALLY close to ordering one just now....... But my gut is telling me to wait until some reviews are out on it. AND when it's available in a US store that wont charge 18.00 to ship it to me

[thomas66]

available in germany too. :D

[3NZ0]

lock this pointless thread

delete this pointless post.

its a discussion, you know thats what forums are for you know?

[mrlobber]

available in germany too. :D

Now?

[earthman]

NCIX now has it in stock.

[steeldragonnyc]

anybody with a tracking number yet???

[joe.latino]

anybody with a pre-review yet? thanks

[Vassili]

lock this pointless thread
No you're question about the Sapphire Xpress 200P, if it supports both ati and nvidia cards or you're attempt to put DDR2 into a socket 939 AMD64 is not pointless :mad:

On-topic:
Called Icomputers(dutch shop) yesterdey and they said it comes this week, so it ain't impossible that some shops have it already in stock. Would be awesome thought finally my Expert :cool:

[dinos22]

i'd be surprised that end users will get these boards before people like Bigtoe, AG, RG, OPB....common guys doesn't make much sense so these "in stock" tags look suspect to me still

[Vapor]

S7e9h3n was supposed to be one of the first with this board according to Oskar Wu....I'm skeptical that these are in fact the Experts and not the CF-DR boards.

[Lood007]

IDk what to think, but NCIX shows 7 in stock still.

Anyone wanna be a guinea pig?

[freecableguy]

If NCIX has it then it is only a matter of days until Newegg has it...will wait.

[earthman]

quite tempting to get it... but i must hold the temptation! If I get this board, it would also mean that i need to get a new graphic card (PCI-e) AND a new CPU (currently a :banana::banana::banana::banana:ty 3200+ that would only do 2.6Ghz 2T)... sigh..

[situman]

lock this pointless thread

Ban this pointless member :toast:

How you going to come in here and post something like that? Anyways back on topic.

[jetjaguar]

im sure monarch and newegg will have them soon .. like i said before i will wait and see what the people who have them to report back with problems .. etc ..

[3NZ0]

Ban this pointless member :toast:

How you going to come in here and post something like that? Anyways back on topic.

agreed,

on-topic - im realy confused do we have some idea to when this mobo is ready ?

would realy like to get my hands on this gem, but at the same time the dual 16x slot chipset lurks in my mind. :(

i know it gives very small increase in overall fps output but you never know i might use sli aa. :)

[Scroatdog]

lock this pointless thread


Lock YOURSELF. If you don't like the thread, don't post in it. SIMPLE.

If you have nothing to contribute, we dont need to hear from you. :nono:

[situman]

This board looks really interesting. Might be my first foray into the land of DFI. I hope anyone from Canada will post results.

[xgman]

Well I ordered one and they said 6 in stock when I placed it, so we will see if they follow through. I chose express ship from canada to usa. God only knows how long that will take.

[tomati]

So the board will be soon released ,

but why have we don't seen any review about yet ?

[RyderOCZ]

Based on Tony's post here...I do not think it will be released soon:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1100835&postcount=475

CF-BT is either delayed or cancelled By DFI, hard to tell which. Expert is also delayed due to what i think is DFI having a rethink on the board.

[earthman]

but if that's the case as Ryder suggested, then how can some stores already have it? (e.g. NCIX)

[situman]

Tony was referring to Crossfire BT not the Expert. Expert if NF4.

[xgman]

Well it appears NCIX has something in stock along with a "Expert" sku and the stock on hand keeps going down (now at 5), so I'll keep my fingers crossed, but these could be some early rejects in the wild for all we know.

[xgman]

Expert Manual link:

http://www.dfi.com.tw/Upload/Manual/87900530.pdf

There is still a 5v/12v extra connector next to the top pcie slot.

[RyderOCZ]

Tony was referring to Crossfire BT not the Expert. Expert if NF4.Ummm that is why I hilighted the "Expert is also delayed" part of that sentence?

[xgman]

The ncix site is showing 2 more now in stock at a different warehouse. I guess we won't know till someone gets one in their hands.

[jetjaguar]

Expert Manual link:

http://www.dfi.com.tw/Upload/Manual/87900530.pdf

There is still a 5v/12v extra connector next to the top pcie slot.


that sucks .. i thought it was only gonna have the 24 pin and the 8 pin ? :mad:

[situman]

Ummm that is why I hilighted the "Expert is also delayed" part of that sentence?

so sorry kind sir, please forgive my squinty asian eyes

[RyderOCZ]

I do not know if the board is coming soon or not...I just wanted to offer some info from that other thread that I read :)

[xgman]

From NCIX to USA is like 7 days even with $25 Express ship. Might as well wait for local stock. probably would get it sooner and less expensive.

[Scroatdog]

Originally Posted by Tony
CF-BT is either delayed or cancelled By DFI, hard to tell which. Expert is also delayed due to what i think is DFI having a rethink on the board.

Maybe the rethink is getting rid of that ridiculous extra 4-pin connector above the PCI Express slot. I mean, come on! It's got an 8 pin and a 24 pin power connector!!! Why the hell did they put that 4 pin connector on there?! :slapass:

[mdzcpa]

Maybe the rethink is getting rid of that ridiculous extra 4-pin connector above the PCI Express slot. I mean, come on! It's got an 8 pin and a 24 pin power connector!!! Why the hell did they put that 4 pin connector on there?! :slapass:

Simple....trace lengths. There is far more to designing a mobo with consistent power levels than the type of connectors and the watts/amps behind them. "Where" in the circuit power is introduced is very important. Whe