Saturday February 11, 2012 3:28 AM AEST

MSI K8N Diamond

By Nathan Davis
10:00 Apr 29, 2005
Tags: motherboard | nForce4 | SLI | hot
MSI K8N Diamond
 
5
---
Verdict:
9.0

If you're after an Athlon 64, PCI-Express base system, the nForce4 is the chipset you're after.

If you're after an Athlon 64, PCI-Express base system, the nForce4 is the chipset you're after. If you've been hanging out for SLI, well, it does that too. The difference of course being two x16 PCI-Express slots. But MSI went further than that on this black beauty.

With the cry of disappointment from the industry regarding the severe lack of a SoundStorm presence on the nForce4 chipset, MSI ingeniously integrated a Creative solution -- pun intended. This is a damn nice find for any board. It's not exactly an alternative to Creative's current range, but at 24-bit, 96kHz chip supporting up to 7.1 surround, it shatters any form of AC'97 like a baseball bat to the kneecap.

This board makes full use of nForce4's quad SATA port offering with the addition of two more via the use of a Silicon Image RAID chip. Your secret desires of attaining a terabyte of storage space can finally be carried out.
You'll want to make sure you have the right size power supply, the new ATX 24-pin type to be exact. Both sides of the rail use this standard now, so jumping ship is easier down the track.

Overall, it's a well packed-out, future-proofed nForce4 mobo with great onboard sound, dual gigabit Ethernet, six SATA ports and four dual-channel DIMM slots. Additionally, if you have SLI in your sights, this gem would be a powerful home for your soon-to-be beast.
 
Product Info
Specs:
NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset; four dual-channel DIMM slots; six SATA ports; two PATA ports; two x16 PCI-E slots; three 32-bit PCI slots; dual gigabit Ethernet ports; onboard 7.1 Creative SoundBlaster Live! 24-bit sound.
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This article appeared in the May, 2005 issue of Atomic.

Behind the scenes with Mass Effect 3! GTX 560 VGA round-up! Essential Skyrim tweaks to improve your game! Plus reviews, news, hardware, more games, and easy to following modding guides for PC builders. ON SALE NOW!
 
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Atomic Magazine

Issue: 133 | February, 2012

Atomic is a magazine aimed squarely at computer enthusiasts, gamers, and serious PC upgraders.

Every month we bring you the latest reviews of new technology and PC components, in depth features on everything from overclocking to console hacking, and gaming previews and interviews.
 
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