The problem with positioning
the NF4-SLI chipset just to the right and in-line with the PCI-E slots is
present like on other SLI boards. Therefore, changing to a larger heatsink with
fan cooling
solution is not possible due to either a video card, in a single-card
arrangement, or the bottom card, in a SLI arrangement (as seen above), having to go over the
chipset’s HSF.
LED Error Reporting
EVGA has included a LED for general identification of errors on bootup. This
provides the potential of identifying the source of where the board problem is
originating from such as the video, HDDs, CPU, memory, etc.
CMOS Jumper Location
Just below and to the left of the LED is the CMOS jumper (JBAT).
The BIOS chip is just visible in the photo in the upper left hand corner.
USB Headers
There are three (3) USB 2.0 headers positioned under the BIOS chip at the bottom of the board. The headers bring the total supported USB 2.0 device capability on the board to 10. The delicate pins for the USB headers are unprotected which is usually not a significant concern. However, these unprotected pins are located right at the bottom edge of the board and can easily be bent or damaged when handling the board. On the board I received, I found several of the pins bent after removing the board from its packing. Simple straightening was all that was needed but still a concern when handling the board outside the case.
There are 4 fan headers on the board. One conveniently located for the CPU fan, one pre-connected to the chipset fan HSF, and two for additional use (such as case fans) located at the bottom right and bottom center of the board.
Onboard Reset and Power Switches
A nice touch for system builders and tweakers are the integrated on-board power and reset buttons that this board provides. This makes it much simpler during the build process and/or testing, especially with the board outside the case.
