Conclusion
The EVGA nForce 790i SLI FTW is a difficult board to justify, but it isn't through lack of trying on EVGA's part. The board is priced below many of the rival nForce 790i SLI offerings, and its performance is almost on par with the competition.
The near-perfect board layout is about as good as it gets, and an array of tweaking options provide overclocking potential that should - with the right additional components - make for record-breaking benchmark attempts.
Had we seen the board a number of months ago, back in, say, July, it may well have been hot on our list of recommendations for the enthusiast or high-end gamer. Unfortunately, having launched around a month ago, the EVGA nForce 790i SLI FTW arrives just two months prior to Intel's all-new Nehalem architecture and Core i7 processors.
EVGA's board is targeting the "For The Win" market, but the majority of customers who use the term will be holding on to their pennies in anticipation for Intel's forthcoming processors. The large-scale enthusiast market for a high-end Core 2 setup may just be coming to end, and the EVGA nForce 790i SLI FTW finds itself tough to recommend.
The cost of the board itself and the required DDR3 memory asks for a significant investment into an enthusiast technology that will be superseded in the very near future. If, and only if, you must have an ultra high-end Core 2 setup immediately and you've chosen to go down the SLI path, there's not a whole lot of faulting the EVGA nForce 790i SLI FTW.
The good
Well-refined nForce 790i SLI layout, a pleasure to work with
One of the cheapest nForce 790i SLI-based boards available
Plenty of overclocking potential
The not so good
Out-the-box performance is good, but doesn't quite live up to the "For the Win" moniker
Too late to market - Core i7 looms near
HEXUS Rating
HEXUS.net scores products out of 100%, taking into account technology, implementation, stability, performance, value, customer care and desirability. A score for an average-rated product is a meaningful ‘50%’, and not ‘90%’, which is common practice for a great many other publications.
We consider any product score above '50%' as a safe buy. The higher the score, the higher the recommendation from HEXUS to buy. Simple, straightforward buying advice.
EVGA nForce 790i SLI FTW
HEXUS Where2Buy
The EVGA nForce 790i SLI FTW can be purchased from Scan.co.uk for £216.41.
As always, UK-based HEXUS.community discussion forum members will benefit from the SCAN2HEXUS Free Shipping initiative, which will save you a further few pounds plus also top-notch, priority customer service and technical support backed up by the SCANcare@HEXUS forum.
HEXUS Right2Reply
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