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- Date:
- Sunday , March 27, 2005
- Author:
- Morry Teitelman
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
EPoX EP-9NPA+ ULTRA
The 9NPA+ ULTRA is one of many offerings from EPoX based on the nForce4 chipset. We run it through our usual barrage of testing and find one of the first boards from EPoX that we can recommend to our readers in quite some time.
Introduction
EPoX is a long time and well known supporter of the enthusiast crowd. They have sometimes been at the forefront of the enthusiast community, and other times not, with their innovative board designs and power packed BIOS implementations. The nForce4 chipset offers a chance for them to shine once again.
The EP-9NPA+ ULTRA is one of EPoX’s flagship boards based on the Athlon64 socket 939 design. EPoX chose to design the board around the NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra chipset, boasting support for all Athlon64 socket 939 type processors, DDR type SDRAM RAM operating in Dual Channel mode up to speeds of 400MHz officially, as well as PCI Express x16-based video cards operating in single card configuration. EPoX designed the EP-9NPA+ ULTRA to be a feature complete solution, meaning that only an Athlon64 socket 939-based CPU, DDR memory, a PCI Express video card, a hard drive, and PSU are required for a fully functional system. The EP-9NPA+ ULTRA board contains the following integrated components: 2 IDE ATA-133 ports and 4 SATA II ports (RAID 0, 1, and 0+1 capable) on the NVIDIA RAID controller; 10 USB 2.0 capable ports (4 in rear panel, and 3 onboard headers supporting 2 ports each); 2 IEEE 1394 capable ports (2 onboard headers supporting 1 port each); 1 NVIDIA Gigabit Ethernet port in rear panel with integrated hardware Firewall support; Realtek 8-channel audio codec featuring S/PDIF RCA and optical output ports; 2-digit LED diagnostic display; on-board power and reset switches; and serial, parallel, and PS/2 port support.
Main Specifications Overview:
CPU | AMD Athlon64 socket 939 based processors |
Chipset | NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra MCP |
FSB | 200MHz |
BIOS | Phoenix AwardBIOS |
Memory | 4 184-pin DDR DIMMS, up to 4GB |
Expansion slots | 1 x PCI-Express x16 slot, 3 x PCI-Express x1 slot, 3 x PCI slots |
Onboard IDE | 2 x ATA 133 ports; 4 x SATA II ports |
USB 2.0 | 4 rear panel / 3 headers supporting 2 ports each (10 ports total) |
IEEE 1394 | 2 headers supporting 1 port each (2 ports total) |
Audio | 8-Channel Realtek codec with S/PDIF RCA and optical based output ports |
NIC | 1 x NVIDIA Gigabit Ethernet controller |
Detailed Mainboard Specification List:
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Packaging
EPoX deviates from the norm with their stylized box design. The one thing lacking from the front of the box is the supported CPUs. Given the upcoming "nForce 4" chipsets for Pentium 4 processors, this might be confusing to some. The following items are included with the EP-9NPA+ ULTRA board: rounded ATA-133 cables; ribbon floppy cable; 4 SATA cables; 2 dual-ended SATA to MOLEX power plugs; heatsinks for on-board hotspots; dual-ended screwdriver pen; the rear panel shield; rear brackets containing USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 ports; and an assortment of manuals and drivers disks.
Board Layout
The design of the EP-9NPA+ ULTRA was well thought out, with plenty of room between all components including the CPU socket area. Notice that several of the CPU power MOSFETS are equipped with factory installed heatsinks for cooler operation. Additional,heatsinks are also included in the package should other chips need them. According to the silk-screened identifier in the upper left corner of the board, the tested board was a revision 1.0 model. EPoX chose capacitors from the following manufacturers: Sanyo (USA); Teapo Electronic Corporation (USA); and HER-MEI Electronic Corporation (Taiwan).
The CPU socket area is fully clear of obstructions, allowing for mounting of the largest heatsinks and waterblocks. The CPU cooling device itself is held in place via the standard Athlon64 type 2 hole mounting mechanism. Above and to the left of the CPU socket are the 24-pin ATX and ATX12V power connectors. Note that the ATX power connector supports the legacy 20-pin connector as well. The JCPU_FAN header and the blue colored CPU status LED are located to the upper right of the socket, along the edge of the board. The CPU status LED illuminates when power is actively supplied to the CPU. The JPWR_FAN header is located to the lower right of the CPU along the edge of the board.
The 9NPA+ ULTRA comes standard with 4 DDR DIMM slots, arranged in a 2-by-2 configuration. Unlike most designs, DIMM modules must be placed in adjacent similar color slots in order to activate Dual Channel mode. The blue colored DIMM status LED is located to the bottom left center of the lower DIMM slot. The status LED activates when power is actively supplied to all seated DIMM modules.
The nForce4 Ultra chipset is located to the right of the PCI-Express x16 slot, below the 3 PCI-Express x1 slots. The chipset itself is actively cooled by a low profile aluminum unit, held to the board by push-pins on opposite sides of the chipset. The 4 on-board SATA II ports are located directly below the chipset, with the 2 IDE ATA-133 ports directly below the SATA II ports. The CMOS battery and CMOS reset jumper are located to the left of the chipset. To the left of the ATA-133 ports are the front panel header, the 2-digit diagnostic LED display, the floppy port, the power and reset buttons, and the JSYS_FAN header. Note that the diagnostic display shows post codes during system initialization that can be very helpful in debugging system initialization and post related issues. Just above the JSYS_FAN header are the 3 on-board USB 2.0 headers and the 2 IEEE 1394 headers, all located along the lower left side of the board.
The 9NPA+ ULTRA comes standard with 3 PCI-Express x1 slots, 1 PCI-Express x16 slot, and 3 PCI slots. The COM2 header is located to the left of the PCI 3 slot, with the GAME port header just above it. The S/PDIF input header is located just above the PCI 1 slot. The CD_IN, AUX_IN, and front panel audio headers are located just above and between the second and third PCI-Express x1 slots. Note that pin 5-6 and 9-10 must be jumpered on the front panel audio header for the rear panel audio ports to function correctly. The JUSB jumper located directly below the front panel audio header controls system wakeup based on activity from any of the on-board USB 2.0 ports.
EPoX integrated the following ports in to the 9NPA+ ULTRA’s rear panel: PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports; parallel and serial ports; S/PDIF and RCA optical output jacks; 4 USB 2.0 ports; 1 NVIDIA Gigabit LAN Ethernet port; and 6 analogue audio ports.
NVIDIA nTune
For Windows-based overclocking, EPoX bundled NVIDIA’s nTune performance tuning suite with the EP-9NPA+ ULTRA board. nTune version 2.00.23.05 is shown in the screenshots. For performance tuning, the nTune software has 2 modes of operation: automated profiling and manual manipulation. The automated profiling is performed using the benchmarking tools within the nVPerformance window. This window is accessible through the Benchmark and automatically tune my system button in the main nTune window. The Clock Control window allows for manual manipulation of synchronous CPU and memory bus speeds, PCI bus speed, HyperTransport link multiplier, as well as selected memory timings. The Clock Control window is accessed via the Clock Control button in the bottom button bar in the main nTune screen.
In addition to the performance related options, the nTune application has a built in system information applet which displays CPU, bus speed, memory, and nForce driver version related information. This applet is accessed through the I button in the lower button bar in the Main nTune screen. The Monitor my system button in the nTune window runs the nVMonitor applet, which allows for real time monitoring of all system level voltages, bus speeds, and system temperatures. The Manage my profiles button from the nTune window runs the nVProfileManage applet. This applet allows for configuration of profiles that trigger system responses to configured events. Responses can include warning sounds, program launching, and automatic system tuning on a percentage basis. The Troubleshoot performance or create a support log button in the main nTune window launches a system troubleshooter window. Various system components are listed in the upper box, with specific performance tips for the highlighted component listed in the lower portion of the screen.