| Conclusion |
A solid basic board, the ECS NFORCE4M-A deftly applies mature technology to the latest AMD processors at a price that makes no apologies for minor performance losses. We found the average online cost of around $65 less than a third that of the board we compared it to!
Most of the "missing" features would go unused by the majority of its market, as FireWire and dual network connections are admired but rarely used. Gigabit networking would have also been nice, but most buyers will be using this board with a cable modem connection of less than 10 megabits. Even office networks typically use 10/100 connections.
Other features will be missed, especially by budget gamers and budget multimedia enthusiasts. BIOS has no memory voltage or latency adjustments, so it won’t work with any DDR2-800 modules that we know of, in spite of the fact that it could "potentially" work with "mainstream" DDR2-800 … whenever it becomes available. And providing only three audio jacks means users must choose between 5.1 sound and no inputs, 4.1 sound and a microphone, or 2.1 sound, if they wish to use both microphone and line-in jacks.
The typical configuration for low-cost systems would include budget-priced memory and speakers. Generally, however, the board uses components that have been long proven stable. As a result, ultimate budget builders may have found their ideal solution!
Pros:
- Good overall performance
- Stable bus speed overclocking
- Supports modern AM2 processors (with DDR2 memory)
- Time-proven stable onboard components
- Socketed BIOS on a budget board eases repair after bad flash
- Extremely low price
Cons:
- No memory voltage or latency control
- Low "maximum" CPU voltage restricts overclocking
- Minimal cable kit
- Poor front-panel sound connector location
The Verdict: The ECS NFORCE4M-A becomes our top value pick for low-cost AM2 motherboards by using stable components to provide adequate performance. Despite being a relatively feature-sparse product, the board's exceptional price justifies the exception of giving it the "Preferred" nod.
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