The Competition

For the price, the KN1 SLI is getting into some serious competition with products like the MSI K8N Neo4 SLI, or the Gigabyte GA-K8N SLI. Looking at these competing products, the ECS KN1 SLI Extreme has the distinct advantage of being very well rounded. It has decent amount of connectivity (extra SATA and Firewire), accessories (3.5″ USb.IEE1394 bay and Top-Hat Flash), and overclocking performance. However, the KN1 SLI is slightly disadvantaged by the audio and the BIOS features, and the competion does each of these differently. If you’re looking for a SLI board in the $115 – $130 USD range (price based on time of publishing), then the ECS KN1 SLI should definitely be on your list!

I know a lot of you buyers will do your own research and comparisons, so consider the following table as your head start in this process.

Price Comparison Matrix

Product

ECS KN1 SLI Extreme

MSI K8N Neo4 SLI DFI NF4 SLI Infinity Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI
Price $125
Check Price
$120
Check Price
$125
Check Price
$133
Check Price

Drive Connectivity

2x ATA133 IDE
4x SATA II (RAID)

Auxiliary Drive Connectivity

2x SATA-II (RAID)

N/A N/A 4x SATA II
Expansion Slots 2x x16 slots
1x x1 slot
3x PCI
2x x16 PCIe
3x PCI
(x16 PCIe slots are x1 PCIe compatible)
2x x16 PCIe
2x x1 PCIe
3x PCI
2x x16 PCIe
2x x1 PCIe
2x PCI

Audio

Realtek ALC850 SB Live 24 Unknown
– AC’97 w 3 jacks, probably Realtek ALC655
Realtek ALC850

Analog Audio Connectivity

6x jacks

5x jacks 3x jacks 6x jacks

Digital Audio Connectivity

Coax and Optical output

Coax and Optical output Coax input & output Coax input & output

Network

Dual LAN
– 10/100/1000 MB
– 10/100 MB

Dual Gigabit Single Gigabit Dual Gigabit

USB 2.0

10 supported:
– 4 ports on rear panel
– 3 headers onboard
– includes 2-port bracket

10 supported:
– 4 ports on rear panel
– 3 headers onboard
– includes 2-port bracket

10 supported:
– 4 ports on rear panel
– 3 headers onboard
10 supported:
– 4 ports on rear panel
– 3 headers onboard

Firewire IEEE1394

2 headers onboard
(includes 2-port bracket)

1 headersonboard
1 port on back
2 headers onboard
(1 port on back)

2 headers onboard
(supports IEEE1394b)

Fan Connectors 5 headers (2 occupied by duct and MCP fans) 4 headers (1 occupied by MCP fan) 3 headers 3 headers
Notable Accessories – 3.5″ USB/Firewire bay
– Top-Hat BIOS flasher
– USB and Firewire bracket

– Rounded ATA cables
– D-bracket w 2x USB ports

N/A – 2x USB 2.0 2-port brackets
– 1x USB 2.0 2-ports, 1x IEEE1394a, 1x 1394b bracket
Other Special Features – rear fan & duct – fan control
– detailed voltage monitoring
– heatsink on MOSFETs
– hardware monitor (voltage, temperature, RPM)
– Dual BIOS

The above data is culled from multiple sources including manufacturer sites, retailers, and reviews. I have tried my best to get as much detail into the table but some information is lacking.

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