MSI P4N Diamond Review

[Clay]

MSI P4N Diamond Review (http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/msi_p4n_diamond/index.shtml)

Steve "Rytr" Angelly's latest review has been posted. If you're in the market for a new Intel-based SLI motherboard then you'll want to check this offering out from MSI.

http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/msi_p4n_diamond/images/p4n.jpg (http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/msi_p4n_diamond/index.shtml)

[MikeC]

Nice job as usual. :)

[JonathanM]

That is one sweet board. Everything anyone could want is on this board. Enjoy it dude...

Oh an 2GB of DDR II... delicious :D

[Lars]

Nice to see an Nforce 4 Intel motherboard actually testet with dual videocards in SLI mode. Thumbs up! I don't know how many Asus/Abit/MSI etc. Nforce 4 Intel Edition reviews I've read lately, and this is the first one for a long, long time where SLI mode is actually used. I cannot think of a single reason to pick an Nforce 4 chipset over any Intel chipset based motherboard, except for the ability to run in SLI mode.... So nice to see somebody finally testing it out... :D

Personally I haven't been too impressed with the performance, or rather the somewhat mediocre oc ability, of various Nforce 4 intel Ed motherboards. I personally currently own a Abit NI8 SLI motherboard as well as a Asus P5WD2 motherboard, and boy do I wish I could run SLI on the Asus (Intel 955X based motherboard) in stead of the Nforce 4 one.

Running with 2x 7800GTX in SLI your going to end up severely cpu limited unless the cpu is overclocked big time, and this is really a problem on Nforce 4 Intel Ed. I've tried a few cpu's out using phasechenge cooling, and with every single one I end up with at least 500 Mhz less oc on the Nforce 4 board. This would make a significant difference in the SLI performance, as in my experince I've experienced a substancial performance gain with incresed cpu speed. Even @ 1600x1200 in heavily GPU dependant apps/games.

For the record I've hit a limit @ 245 Mhz fsb on the Abit NI8, and no option to lock the cpu @ 14x multiplier like on intel 925/955 chipsets either. On my P5WD2, I've almost hit 400 Mhz fsb, and the cpu is what is holding me back, not the motherboard.

I hope the new Nforce X16 motherboards will clock a lot better. IMO the Nforce 4 Intel Ed. isn't a bad chipset, it's just not quite able to live up to my expectations, which granted, probably are a bit above average. Had I not tried the Asus Intel 955X based motherboard, I would've probably thought the Nforce 4 Intel Ed was an awesome chipset as well. :p

[Rytr]

Thanks Lars! MikeC wanted the comparison to show what the Intel NF4 board could do in SLI and we had the 6800GTs available. Performance proved to be very good in the 3 games tested although the P4 3.4E was showing signs of being the bottleneck. For a gamer I can't see 1600x1200, 4xAA/8xAF being a short-coming. Of course, for those of us who want to squeeze the most performance out of our systems there is room for improvement.

I do agree with what you said considering your expectations. The P4 is limited due to the locked multiplier and a 220MHz FSB (apparent 10% overclock limit) is just not quiet good enough to compete with the A64's at the same settings. I tried to show the limitations and I think the benchmarks made those obvious at default settings.

Still, the P4 with the NF4 chipset is more than adequate for gaming in SLI and performs with excellent stability. BF2 performance is showing to be very good since I added another gig of DDR2 and running at 217MHz FSB. I just need to be able to achieve a 250MHz FSB, more specifically around 266MHz to get this system up to its maximum performance capability. The P4 3.4E, with the locked x17 multiplier, will not do that and the ability to drop the multiplier to x14 is sorely missed.

[Lars]

You're quite welcome. And I agree with almost everything you said as well.

However, having played around with the Abit NI8 SLI, 2x Gainward 7800GTX Golden Sample's, a P4 670 along with 4x 512MB Corsair PC5400UL I just expected a bit more that's all.

I was actually able to take the motherboard to around 245-248 MHz fsb using a Mach II GT cooling system for my cpu, equaling 4650-4700 Mhz on the P4.

Some of the benchmark results were very good (as expected), while others were.... well... lacking to say the least. Especially gametest 1 &2 (particularly 2) in 3dmark05 has me puzzled. Granted A64's are generally much better gaming cpu's, but something really isn't performing as expected here. A P4 @ 4.7 Ghz isn't exactly slow.

You can see my best 3dmark05 score in the default resolution 1024x768 here: http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm05=1189363

Now usually, I would of course want to use SLI for gaming at 1600x1200 with 4x fsaa/8x af or better if possible. At this resolution it did just over 9k with no oc on the 7800GTX's. So everything points to cpu limitation, even at almost 4.7 Ghz...

I know this must sound almost awesome to some people, however having put the P4 670 in my Asus P5WD2 (Intel 955X chipset), all my "parts" performed much better. Only thing is, it doesn't support SLI, allthough I do run with my 2x 7800GTX in it atm.

The motherboard supports the cpu lock-free feature which allows the multiplier to be locked at 14x allowing a much higher fsb. I just couldn't get the NI8 to go above 248 Mhz fsb ever, regardless of memory settings. The P5WD2 is stable well beyond what the cpu can handle, I have actually taken it to 390 Mhz fsb with all 4x memory blocks in there. The cpu does 600 Mhz more... stably! The memory will run at up to DDR2-1000, in the NI8 I could never get it above DDR2-800 regardless of timings and voltage.

Having spoken to quite a few fellow Intel system overclockers/tweakers on various forums, nobody seems to have been able to squeeze absolutely top notch performance out of any Nforce 4 Intel Ed. motherboard just yet.

Now don't get me wrong. For the typical/casual systembuilder/overclocker out there and for high resolution gaming in general, I actually think the Nforce 4 Intel Ed. with a pair of Nvidia videocards in SLI is a very convincing combination. Overall system stability is excellent, performance clock for clock matches Intel solutions very well, and I think the Forceware driver setup was absolutely trouble free. Never once have I felt that, stabilitywise, it was inferior in any way to my Intel chipset based motherboards. And that, in my book, is a major compliment.. ;)

I think Nforce 4 Intel Ed needs a little work on the power curcuitry for the cpu as well as on the memorycontroller. Being a first for Nvidia it's pretty darn good actually, it's just that I was hoping for that little bit more. Right now I'm hoping to see some reviews of the new Asus P5N32-SLI, it may have some of the improvements in the power curcuitry department I'm looking for.

[Rytr]

Lars,
I appreciate your comments. It seems you have a good ensight on getting the most out of the P4 and Intel boards. Since this was the first attempt, remember the NF1, maybe Nvidia will come up with a solution for the Intel NF4 FSB limitations.

[OWA]

Good job Steve. Very nice review. I wish all motherboards provided a "red" button to push to clear the CMOS. So much more convenient.

I was a little surprised to see how well the 6800GTs in SLI performed versus a single 7800GTX. I'm sure that pleases those currently using that setup. :)

[Lars]

Lars,
I appreciate your comments. It seems you have a good ensight on getting the most out of the P4 and Intel boards. Since this was the first attempt, remember the NF1, maybe Nvidia will come up with a solution for the Intel NF4 FSB limitations.

I'm sure they will keep getting better with each revision, I'm just hoping it will happen sooner rather than later.... ;)

And I'll keep a close eye on any reviews on newer boards hitting the market as well. At least Intel 975X should hit the market in Q1 06 with the ability to run in SLI mode.

[Rytr]

Good job Steve. Very nice review. I wish all motherboards provided a "red" button to push to clear the CMOS. So much more convenient.

I was a little surprised to see how well the 6800GTs in SLI performed versus a single 7800GTX. I'm sure that pleases those currently using that setup. :)

Those particular GTs performed equally well on the EVGA NF4 939 board. Both those cards are going to a new home but I plan on keeping the GTX...now if I can just find another engineering sample!
I did not think I would become SLI dependent. :D

[Rytr]

I'm sure they will keep getting better with each revision, I'm just hoping it will happen sooner rather than later.... ;)

And I'll keep a close eye on any reviews on newer boards hitting the market as well. At least Intel 975X should hit the market in Q1 06 with the ability to run in SLI mode.

I believe the i975 will spell doom for the NF4 Intel Edition unless Nviida come up with an equal or better solution for Intel fans.

[MUYA]

Nice job old man :p

[Lars]

I believe the i975 will spell doom for the NF4 Intel Edition unless Nviida come up with an equal or better solution for Intel fans.

Based on my experince with the i955 chipset I would say you're absolutely right ;)