Conclusion:
The
ECS Elitegroup C19-A SLI Pentium 4 Motherboard offers solid features for anyone looking to build a gaming system around an Intel processor. By providing support for things such as dual core / 64-bit processing, SLI, 3 Gbps SATA, onboard RAID 0/1/0+1/5, and 8-channel stereo sound, high performance is easy to achieve with the right complimentary components.
SLI is still a feature predominantly found on AMD based motherboards, but the reduced cost that the nForce4 SLI XE chipset offers as compared to the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition should help matters greatly. With Intel gaining ground in the gaming market with its dual core CPUs, coupling that processing power with the graphical processing power of an SLI setup makes boards like the C19-A SLI quite appealing.
According to PriceGrabber, the C19-A SLI currently sells for
$78 (US), and a
rebate valid through April 30th takes it down to $68! With enthusiasts boards costing $100, $200, or more, the price on this one definitely looks to have kept ECS' budget conscience tradition in mind. You grab one of these boards, a dual core
Intel D805 processor for about $130, and maybe a pair of
6800 XT PCI-E cards for $90 after rebate and you have the core of a solid SLI gaming rig for under $400! Not a bad start to some serious gaming performance.
I award the ECS Elitegroup C19-A SLI Pentium 4 Motherboard a final score of 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the distinction of being "Gaming Approved" and a "Good Value".
Final Rating (4.5 out of 5 stars):
Pros:
» Capable of great things: SLI, Dual core, 64-bit
» Solid performance
» 8-channel stereo sound, plus two SPDIF connections
» SATA 3 Gbps with RAID
» Decent overclocking features in the BIOS
» Excellent price
Cons:
» Minimal bundle of accessories and software
» No Firewire
» Long pause before rebooting
Special thanks to
ECS Elitegroup for providing the C19-A SLI Pentium 4 Motherboard to Bigbruin.com for review!
