Epox has used the Nvidia nForce 4 SLI chipset to produce a powerhouse of a motherboard for the Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 processor. NForce 4 for Intel has a number of similarities to the Athlon 64 version of the chipset, except that Pentium 4 doesn't have a memory controller built into the processor core so the EP-5NVA+ SLI supports up to 16GB of Intel's favoured DDR2-667 memory.

The motherboard uses the chipset to supply its features as there are no additional controller chips, so there are two IDE connectors and four SATA connectors which have Nvidia RAID. Unusually the Nvidia chipset supports RAID 5 as well as the more common RAID 0, 1 and 10.

The integrated audio is an eight-channel Realtek surround sound ALC850 chip with six mini jacks and both coaxial and optical digital outputs on the I/O panel. Running down the list of ports there is the usual legacy hardware, Gigabit LAN, four USB 2.0 on the I/O and two more on a bracket, as well as two Firewire ports on a bracket.

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As the model name suggests this is an SLI motherboard so there are two long PCI Express slots with a flip card in between to switch from SLI mode to single card mode. If you install dual graphics cards the PCI-E 1x slot in between will be blocked, however there is a second PCI-E 1x slot that is still available for use, as well as two conventional PCI slots.

Epox has included a few extras in a package which it calls its Power Pack. This consists of eight mini heatsinks for the MOSFETs, a thermo stick temperature display and a screwdriver to aid assembly, which is more of a gimmick than an essential requirement to our way of thinking.

The layout shows a great deal of care has been taken, so the two power supply connectors are positioned next to each other with plenty of space around them and the colour coding system that Epox has used is so clear that we expect any technically knowledgeable PC builder would have no need to refer to the manual at any point. If you do run into problems there are small, bright LEDs positioned next to the memory modules, graphics slot and the CPU socket, as well as a BIOS display, so if you have a dead PC you should be able to diagnose it quickly.

We tested the Epox with a Pentium 4 670 processor that runs at 3.8GHz, along with 1GB of Samsung memory in dual channel mode and a Samsung SATA-II hard drive. All of the hardware worked flawlessly, and we found that the Power and Reset micro buttons which are next to the colour coded header pins simplified the testing procedure.

This is a relatively expensive motherboard that is the ideal basis for a hardcore gaming PC with dual Nvidia graphics cards. You get all of the features that you want with no unnecessary frills and the result is a serious motherboard that is neatly laid out and easy to build into your new PC.