EVGA nForce 4 SLI Mainboard Review

[nV`andrew]

do any of u know if this fits in the antec p-160wf..im having trouble and im scared (mikec)

[Rytr]

Just posted in your other thread about your problem. If the slots in the back of the case for pci and agp (or pci-e) cards do not allow clearance for the mounting brackets of the cards installed on the motherboard then one of two things may be wrong.
First, the case slots should be offset to accommodate the mounting brackets so the connections on the brackets clear the case frame/panel. If not the case was incorrectly assembled at the factory or the motherboard is not ATX. In your case both the motherboard and case are ATX design.
Second, you are just simply not installing the graphics card, sound card, or other pci device correctly.

[Przybocki]

I've read a few reviews on this motherboard, and have not seen anyone address an issue that i'm having a problem with, and was hoping someone can. Has anyone experienced a LONG boot up period? When I turn the machine on, the EVGA logo stares at me for almost a full minute and a half, with no activity whatsoever. The board LED reads 50, and after this period of time, the floppy drive light and HD light kicks on, and the system boots. I don't get any answers from Tech Support. Any ideas from anyone that's more tech savvy than me would be appreciated.

[Rytr]

No I just recently replaced this board but I never had any load experiences. Have you always had this problem?
XP generally loads quickly (I am just taking it for granted you are using XP SP2) but can be affected by a number of things including both hardware as well as software problems.
I would first make sure that all drivers have been updated and there are no hardware or software conflicts with the OS.

[Przybocki]

I ended up finding the fix by accident. I was going to upgrade my BIOS, but first I had to remove a USB 2.0 PCI card from my computer to install it in my sons. Apparently that card was causing the delay in boot, because once I powered up the computer with the card taken out, it booted so fast I didn't even see the logo screen. It must have been a driver conflict for that card, because I had that card in the system when I installed XP, without SP2 (which is required for 2.0 support).

[Rytr]

Glad you found the problem. :)

[SLippe]

Just read the review and it was very well done. I have this board and I love it! I just wish I had the know-how and/or balls to overclock my system (besides the gpu). Anyways, I enjoyed the reading. Keep up the good work. Oh, can I really use NTune to overclock my system or should I do all that in the bios?

[Rytr]

Thanks.
Use whichever you are the most comfortable with to overclock. I have used NTune but most of the time I go into the Bios. Not as quick/convienent but when setting up an overclock you should take your time and do it right.