Verdict: The best SLI X16 motherboard, but it's very expensive

The A8N32-SLI Deluxe was one of the first nForce4 SLI X16-based motherboards to make an appearance in the UK, but has since been joined by the MSI K8N Diamond Plus and ECS KN2 SLI.

The X16 version of the nForce4 SLI chipset increases the bandwidth of each of the two high-speed PCI-E slots from eight to 16 lanes. However, even with a pair of GeForce 7800 GTX cards running F.E.A.R. or Quake 4, we've yet to see any performance benefit compared with a standard nForce4 SLI-based motherboard.

Thankfully, the A8N32-SLI Deluxe isn't just the old A8N-SLI Deluxe with faster PCI-E slots; it's a whole new motherboard. For starters, both nForce4 SLI X16 chips and the VRMs are passively cooled by a combination of heatsinks and a giant copper heatpipe that snakes its way across the motherboard like a giant boa constrictor that's swallowed three wild pigs. It also has eight-phase power circuitry, which helps to maintain a stable supply of voltage to all the components, particularly when overclocking.

The two 16x PCI-E slots are separated by two of the three PCI slots, while a single 4x PCI-E slot lurks near the centre of the motherboard. There are six RAID-capable S-ATA II ports, plus two RAID-capable EIDE channels, ten USB 2 ports and two FireWire ports. The on-board 8-channel AC97 audio is pretty basic but there's also a coaxial S/PDIF output.

When we first tested the A8N32-SLI Deluxe, it managed a maximum stable FSB of 335MHz with the CPU multiplier at 4x, but recent BIOS updates have made it a more capable overclocker, and this latest model managed 380MHz. Up to 1.6V is available to the CPU and 3.2V to the RAM. Even so, the A8N32-SLI Deluxe still isn't in the same league as the superlative DFI Lanparty UT NF4 SLI-DR Expert in terms of overclocking.

The A8N32-SLI Deluxe is a quality product, thanks to its excellent cooling system and layout, but it's also expensive, due to its two 16x PCI-E slots. Unfortunately, this doesn't provide any benefit in current games and as such, the DFI Lanparty UT NF4 SLI-DR Expert is a superior choice for a high-performance SLI PC.

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