The Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra chipset rules the roost when it comes to top notch performance and loads of features in a single package. With support for 3-way SU, 1600 MHz FSB and DDR3 memory, a motherboard based on this chipset would be a delight for any gamer or enthusiast. The first 790i Ultra motherboard that we got our hands dirty with was the one by XFX. This time we have the Zotac 790i Supreme which comes bundled with a Wi-fi adapter as a bonus. Let's find out if this momma of a board is worth buying.

FEATURES: The Zotac 790i Supreme sports Nvidia's reference chipset design featuring heat pipes running through a stack of fins around the CPU socket. The finned heatsink from the northbridge extends to the southbridge. An additional fan is included in the package to cool the northbridge.



Three fluorescent green PCle x16 slots support 2-way and 3-way SLI multi-GPU configurations in 16x and 8x modes respectively. A group of four SATA ports is placed along the right edge of the board, next to the RAM slots so that they don't get obstructed by long graphics cards. Two more SATA ports are placed perpendicular to the board's surface at the right corner. Two USB headers and one FireWire header are placed at the base alongside the power and reset buttons. The package includes rear brackets for the additional USB and FireWire ports.
The 790i Ultra chipset supports FSB speeds up to 1600 MHz and a maximum of 8 GB DDR3 memory. The BIOS is replete with every possible tweak, which should allow overclockers and enthusiasts plenty of room for tweaking on this board.

PERFORMANCE: We matched this board with an Intel Core 2 Extreme OX9650
(3 GHzl, 4 GB of DDR3 memory, and a GeForce 8800 GT graphics card. We recorded top scores for all the benchmarks with this setup. Further, overclocking the processor to 4.3 GHz on air cooling alone was a cakewalk, thanks to the option for unlinking the FSB and memory speeds in the BIOS.

VERDICT: If you're rich enough to invest in a 3-way SLI setup, a powerful processor, DDR3 memory modules, 1200 watt power supply, and at least a 24-inch TFT monitor, buy this board!
FOR: Superb performance, 3-way SLI support, bundled Wi-Ii adapter.

Specifications
Form factor: ATX; CPU socket: LGA 775; Chipset: Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra; FSB speed: 1600 MHz; Memory support: DDR3-1333 (8 GB maxi; SATA/ IDE: 7/1: USB ports: 10 (4via headers); HD audio: 7.1 channel; LAN: Dual gigabit; Expansion slots: 3 PC Ie x16, 2 PCI and 2 PCle xl.