DFI LanParty nF4 SLI-DR Review

As with all 939 pin Athlon64 systems the DFI LanParty SLI-DR comes configured for dual channel operation, however unlike other dual channel motherboards the memory pairs have to be in banks 2 and 4 to enable dual channel mode. When placed incorrectly an error message is posted to the screen explaining the configuration error. Long story short, if you have more than 2 sticks of memory, be sure to match up the memory pairs accordingly (esp. since that little tidbit of information is not listed in the users manual.)

The jumper block shown in the photo is designed to enable vDimm voltages above 4 volts. For the hardcore enthusiast this extra memory voltage could break you into the overclocking history books or result in some seriously burnt silicon.

In the early days we raved about systems that came with onboard RAID controllers and well, the LanParty SLI-DR comes with a bunch. The Silion Image Sil 3114 chip supports up to 4 SATA drives and RAID levels 0,1, and 5 for those looking for hardware redundancy and drive space. The chipset controller supports both PATA and SATA drives in either single drive mode or RAID levels 0 and 1.

A welcome feature found on all LanParty motherboards is the 4 LED diagnostic display. The primary purpose of this display is to give the user the ability, in the event of a problem, to tell what is causing the error. Along with the onboard lights, that turn off after a certain amount of time, the user can also relocate the LED display to the front or back of their cases using the provided expansion block.