EVGA 650i Ultra @ [H]

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

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EVGA 650i Ultra - EVGA continues their lineup of Intel processor motherboards with the addition of the nForce 650i Ultra chipset. It is poised to offer a no-nonsense bang for your buck. Does it really compete with Intel’s proven P965 boards?


The EVGA 650i Ultra is a budget motherboard that has not been totally neutered in terms of real working features. If your feature needs are meager and you are not looking to overclock to the bleeding hardcore edge, there is no doubt that this motherboard will make a lot of budget overclockers happy.
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I am impressed. :)

First time I have ever seen a $100 motherboard with a decent set of features, excellent stability and good overclocking. This board would make a great addition to low-cost system builds.

Great job guys!
 
Very good article, thank you very much, exactly what I'm looking for at the momment, I will buy.
 
Great board for a HTPC. No need for SLI in a HTPC, but 3 PCI slots for tuner cards and a sound card is nice. Enough SATA ports for all but the most demanding users. I think this one is what I'll choose when I upgrade mine soon.
 
One thing that one would think to be synonymous with budget system building would be legacy support, so that the cash-strapped enthusiast could retain as much older hardware as possible. I am disappointed that the 650i Ultra design drops much of the legacy support of the 650i SLI boards. For that reason I'll be paying a little more for an SLI board when my time comes, and I'll get SLI capability for "free" even if I never use it. For someone not as far behind the curve as me, or someone who is starting with a clean slate, this is a great board though.
 
Great Review!

I ordered this board 2 days ago and it's arriving this evening as the final piece of my new system I'm putting together. All components are listed in my sig.

I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations on passive coolers for the southbridge, as I plan to overclock my e6600 to around 2.8 or 3ghz. Also, is the northbridge cooler sufficient for this overclock? Thanks!
 
Devolution said:
Great Review!

I ordered this board 2 days ago and it's arriving this evening as the final piece of my new system I'm putting together. All components are listed in my sig.

I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations on passive coolers for the southbridge, as I plan to overclock my e6600 to around 2.8 or 3ghz. Also, is the northbridge cooler sufficient for this overclock? Thanks!
Click to expand...

The chipset coolers actually worked pretty well on the board. Granted mine was done on a test bench rather than inside a case, but overall the chipsets stayed relatively cool during testing. They were warm to the touch, but nothing that would burn you or cause you any discomfort if you touched it.
 
Great review... will be recommending this board and linking friends to this review... If I didnt have a 2nd P5B board I would be all over this one...
 
Why do all the reviewers seem to have a different board than I do? I have the MB you reviewed here sitting right next to me (my proc won't be here till next week so all I can do is look at it right now).

My board only has the 4 pin extra power plug while the one you reviewed has an 8 pin one. (In the box I got there was a slip thrown in, must have been a last minute thing, explaining that the picture in the quick start guide was wrong and the board is a 4 pin one.) The one you guys reviewed here has different colors for the channels of the dimm slots, mine are all white (although that is just cosmetic). PcPer's review was different than mine also. My IDE slot is a right angled one to, yours isn't. Kind of weird.

Also, I can't tell, but it looks like you need to take into account the height of the heatsink should you buy one for the southbridge. it very well could interfere with the dual slot cooler of an 8800gtx,etc.

I have the T1 version....I would assume the A1 comes with a 4 pin power connector also? (I dunno the solder points are there, just no pins and just a 4 pin bracket.
 
it reminds me of old scool p3 mobos for some reason.... now I think I MIGHT make a intel system.
 
clement said:
Why do all the reviewers seem to have a different board than I do? I have the MB you reviewed here sitting right next to me (my proc won't be here till next week so all I can do is look at it right now).

My board only has the 4 pin extra power plug while the one you reviewed has an 8 pin one. (In the box I got there was a slip thrown in, must have been a last minute thing, explaining that the picture in the quick start guide was wrong and the board is a 4 pin one.) The one you guys reviewed here has different colors for the channels of the dimm slots, mine are all white (although that is just cosmetic). PcPer's review was different than mine also. My IDE slot is a right angled one to, yours isn't. Kind of weird.

Also, I can't tell, but it looks like you need to take into account the height of the heatsink should you buy one for the southbridge. it very well could interfere with the dual slot cooler of an 8800gtx,etc.

I have the T1 version....I would assume the A1 comes with a 4 pin power connector also? (I dunno the solder points are there, just no pins and just a 4 pin bracket.
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Where did you get yours and when did you get it?
 
satosphere said:
Quick question - does it have a 4 phase or 6 phase power for the CPU?
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Great review on the Ultra plus I think you guys pointed out the obvious problem with this mobo...I too dont like the vdimm max at only 2.1v since most higher level ddr2 memory requires at least 2.2v.

EDIT: Corrected Below: 6 phase.

Edit: Other Comments off topic and deleted...
 
I wonder if this could handle an overclocked Q6600 to 3.2GHz. The pricedrops are coming and I think it would be awesome for my wallet if this beast could handle that.
 
Do you think it would be a good idea to get a sink on the southbridge even though I would only overclock to 333FSB or so (with E4300)?
 
Commander Suzdal said:
Joe,

Thanks for participating. Does EVGA plan a 650i SLI model?
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If so, this would be the model and price range I would be looking for....as long as vdimm is not as low as 2.1v. I really would like to purchase an EVGA this time around cause they get such high service ratings...
 
The only thing it lacks that I would like is SPDIF. Other than that it looks like a great board

Is there any 650i ultra mobo with SPDIF?
 
mwarps said:
I wonder if this could handle an overclocked Q6600 to 3.2GHz. The pricedrops are coming and I think it would be awesome for my wallet if this beast could handle that.
Click to expand...

While I didn't test this for myself, it should be able to handle that without issue.
 
Stoly said:
The only thing it lacks that I would like is SPDIF. Other than that it looks like a great board

Is there any 650i ultra mobo with SPDIF?
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Yes. The ASUS P5N-E Plus and the ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus boards both have SPDIF.
The P5N-SLI is the cheaper of the two.
Both are 650i chipsets and OC very well.
 
magoo said:
Yes. The ASUS P5N-E Plus and the ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus boards both have SPDIF.
The P5N-SLI is the cheaper of the two.
Both are 650i chipsets and OC very well.
Click to expand...

Yes, but neither one of those is a 650i Ultra board--one is a 650i SLI, one is a hybrid 650/680i board.
 
I saw this board over at Anand's and excited to read a review here on it (and see it on the 'Egg now). Looks like a great board and nice to see one for $100 for a change. If I was building C2D setup today, this board would likely be the top of my list.
 
Commander Suzdal said:
Yes, but neither one of those is a 650i Ultra board--one is a 650i SLI, one is a hybrid 650/680i board.
Click to expand...

The only difference between the evga "ultra" board and the ASUS P5N-E SLI Plus is the ASUS can handle SLI, which is a benefit.

The OC is very similar and the feature sets are idenical otherwise.

The P5N32-E Plus has no 680i chipset features except for 16x PCI-e slots and a third PCI-e (8x). These features are derived from the southbridge, the Northbridge chip is a 650i. It is by far a more feature rich 650i board than the evga "ultra"
 
magoo said:
The only difference between the evga "ultra" board and the ASUS P5N-E SLI Plus is the ASUS can handle SLI, which is a benefit.

The OC is very similar and the feature sets are idenical otherwise.

The P5N32-E Plus has no 680i chipset features except for 16x PCI-e slots and a third PCI-e (8x). These features are derived from the southbridge, the Northbridge chip is a 650i. It is by far a more feature rich 650i board than the evga "ultra"
Click to expand...

I agree both are more feature rich but I don't need e-sata, dual gigabit, firewire, 2 extra usb or SLI. So the price premium is not worth it in my case.

The 650i ultra would be perfect for me if it had SPDIF.

I guess I'll have to go with the ABIT IB9, waiting for review.
 
Stoly said:
I agree both are more feature rich but I don't need e-sata, dual gigabit, firewire, 2 extra usb or SLI. So the price premium is not worth it in my case.

The 650i ultra would be perfect for me if it had SPDIF.

I guess I'll have to go with the ABIT IB9, waiting for review.
Click to expand...

with the money you save why not just get a x-fi card? or something with spdif
 
magoo said:
The only difference between the evga "ultra" board and the ASUS P5N-E SLI Plus is the ASUS can handle SLI, which is a benefit.

The OC is very similar and the feature sets are idenical otherwise.

The P5N32-E Plus has no 680i chipset features except for 16x PCI-e slots and a third PCI-e (8x). These features are derived from the southbridge, the Northbridge chip is a 650i. It is by far a more feature rich 650i board than the evga "ultra"
Click to expand...

I know, just pointing out that Stoly specified an Ultra board, based on price considerations. The ASUS boards are nice but at quite a relative premium.
 
Glow said:
with the money you save why not just get a x-fi card? or something with spdif
Click to expand...

The price difference isn't enough, though. Even the cheapest boards with S/PDIF are over $50, and the sound quality of those cheap ones is probably much worse than the onboard sound. The cheapest X-Fi card with S/PDIF out is $100. There are plenty of boards for $50 more than this one that have S/PDIF output.

I've already looked into this, as that feature is the one thing that's stopping me from getting the 650i Ultra.

Note - the BFG 650i specs and pictures are available; it's also an nVidia reference board so appears completely identical to the EVGA version. Except for accessories/drivers, of course.
 
Devolution said:
Great Review!

I ordered this board 2 days ago and it's arriving this evening as the final piece of my new system I'm putting together. All components are listed in my sig.

I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations on passive coolers for the southbridge, as I plan to overclock my e6600 to around 2.8 or 3ghz. Also, is the northbridge cooler sufficient for this overclock? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I just ordered this board with the intention of very heavy OC'ing on air. It arrived today but I'm still waiting for my cooling parts to come in. I purchased what I believe to be the absolute top-of-the-line active and passive chipset cooling solutions on the market. These were the parts I chose:

NB:
Swiftech MCX159-CU

SB:
Enzotech CNB-S1L

Cooling rods are a fantastic design that has been proven to work many times over. I'm confident that this heatsink will offer exceptional passive cooling performance. I researched for 2 months and viewed every chipset cooler on every major retailer's site before deciding on these models. In a day or two I will know if my choices paid off. The plan is to get an e6400 as close to 4ghz as possible on air...and leave it there permanently. Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme will be cooling the CPU, Antec 900 Case with 4-5 120mm added fans, 3xstock Antec Tricool, 2xScythe S-Flex 1200 RPM.
 
clement said:
Why do all the reviewers seem to have a different board than I do? I have the MB you reviewed here sitting right next to me (my proc won't be here till next week so all I can do is look at it right now).

My board only has the 4 pin extra power plug while the one you reviewed has an 8 pin one. (In the box I got there was a slip thrown in, must have been a last minute thing, explaining that the picture in the quick start guide was wrong and the board is a 4 pin one.) The one you guys reviewed here has different colors for the channels of the dimm slots, mine are all white (although that is just cosmetic). PcPer's review was different than mine also. My IDE slot is a right angled one to, yours isn't. Kind of weird.

Also, I can't tell, but it looks like you need to take into account the height of the heatsink should you buy one for the southbridge. it very well could interfere with the dual slot cooler of an 8800gtx,etc.

I have the T1 version....I would assume the A1 comes with a 4 pin power connector also? (I dunno the solder points are there, just no pins and just a 4 pin bracket.
Click to expand...

All of the things you mentioned were last minute revisions made to the reference edition of the board. The Hardware sites are often sent reference parts that differ slightly from the final retail editions. All of the changes are cosmetic. The slip you mentioned came with the eVGA board, I got it as well. The reference 650i ultra board had an 8 pin +12V CPU connector, but they probably changed it to a standard 4 pin on the final edition because it's more widely compatible with existing setups.

eVGA T1 vs A1 edition of the board
ONLY difference is warranty, lifetime vs 2 years
Confusing I know, but those are the facts laid out for you. I researched every last detail about this board before ordering.

Glow said:
post your OCs guys muhaha
Click to expand...

Give me a day and I will. I'm convinced that this board is the second coming. We will see

satosphere said:
Quick question - does it have a 4 phase or 6 phase power for the CPU?
Click to expand...

Who cares :p Max FSB is within 3 points of Striker Extreme

Stoly said:
Is there any 650i ultra mobo with SPDIF?
Click to expand...

Every single 650i ultra board being released at this time will be identical to the reference board. Therefore, if the eVGA doesn't have it, none of them will.
 
Al Shades said:
Every single 650i ultra board being released at this time will be identical to the reference board. Therefore, if the eVGA doesn't have it, none of them will.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought, I guess I'll get the abit IB9 then.
 
Al Shades said:
I just ordered this board with the intention of very heavy OC'ing on air. It arrived today but I'm still waiting for my cooling parts to come in. I purchased what I believe to be the absolute top-of-the-line active and passive chipset cooling solutions on the market. These were the parts I chose:

NB:
Swiftech MCX159-CU

SB:
Enzotech CNB-S1L

Cooling rods are a fantastic design that has been proven to work many times over. I'm confident that this heatsink will offer exceptional passive cooling performance. I researched for 2 months and viewed every chipset cooler on every major retailer's site before deciding on these models. In a day or two I will know if my choices paid off. The plan is to get an e6400 as close to 4ghz as possible on air...and leave it there permanently. Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme will be cooling the CPU, Antec 900 Case with 4-5 120mm added fans, 3xstock Antec Tricool, 2xScythe S-Flex 1200 RPM.
Click to expand...

Very informative, I will definitely look into these :) Just got my 650i ultra system running last night and I couldn't be happier!
 
Anyone know if anyones working on modded bios? Anyone noticed any droop?
 
If I stay with Intel and don't make my next rig an SFF box, I was planning my upgrade around this board. I've been looking at it for sometime now. What I really like is the board layout and the old school look. You can have a dual slot video card and still have access three PCI slots, awesome, and without wacked out colors splashed all over the place.

- JT
 
W6FO said:
If I stay with Intel and don't make my next rig an SFF box, I was planning my upgrade around this board. I've been looking at it for sometime now. What I really like is the board layout and the old school look. You can have a dual slot video card and still have access three PCI slots, awesome, and without wacked out colors splashed all over the place.

- JT
Click to expand...

Well in one sense your right it's so fucking ugly you just want to just hammer out installing it quick and get it going. :p
 
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