Soltek NV400-L64: Purple, Practical, AND Performance!

Soltek NV400-L64: Basic Features

Motherboard Specifications
CPU Interface	Socket-462
Chipset	nForce2 400 Single-Channel North Bridge nForce2 MCP South Bridge
Bus Speeds	100 to 250MHz (in 1MHz increments)
PCI/AGP Speeds	Auto (Variable) or Fixed 50-100MHz (in 1 MHz increments)
Available CPU Ratios	5.0X to 22X
Core Voltage	1.10 to 1.85V (in 0.0250V increments)
DRAM Voltage	2.50V to 2.80V (in 0.1V increments)
Chipset Voltage	VDD to 1.80V (in 0.1V increments)
AGP Voltage	1.50V to 1.80V (in 0.1V increments)
Memory Slots	Two 184-pin DDR DIMM Slots in Single-Channel Configuration
Expansion Slots	One AGP 8X Slot Five PCI Slots
Onboard IDE	Two Standard ATA133/100/66 (maximum 4 IDE devices)
Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394	Six USB 2.0 ports supported by MCP NO IEEE-1394 FireWire
Onboard LAN	nForce MCP 10/100 Ethernet
Onboard Audio	Realtek ALC650 codec AC ’97 2.2 Compliant 6-Channel
Onboard Serial ATA	None
BIOS Revision	Version 1.1 Release BIOS 6/20/2003

The Soltek NV400-L64 comes in a slick foil-faced embossed package that is used for many Soltek motherboards. As expected with a value board, extras are a floppy and IDE cable and nothing else. It is worth mentioning, however, that Soltek includes an extra Utility CD with their motherboards that contains PC-Cillin 2002 anti-virus, Farstone’s VirtualDrive 7 and RestoreIT 3 Lite, and Powerquest’s Partition Magic 6.0 SE and DriveImage 4.0. While these are not the latest versions of most of these utilities, they are still utilities that are frequently used. There are two versions of the NV400 listed at the Soltek website. The NV400-L64 and NV400-64 appear the same, except for the 10/100 LAN connection on the NV400-L64, which is the version that we are testing.

Soltek did not use any fancy names for the NV400-L64, but they certainly could have. You can’t help but notice that the board is purple or plum-colored. The purple board is smaller than the full size nForce2 Ultra 400 boards that we have been evaluating, and uses only seven standoffs in two rows for mounting. Full-size boards generally use nine or ten standoffs in three rows for case mounting. This small motherboard should have no trouble fitting into any standard case.

Sound is provided by the common Realtek ALC650 chip, which is compliant with AC ’97 2.2 to provide 6-channel sound. AC ’97 2.2 seems to have replaced older AC ’97 chips, which now makes 6-channel sound mainstream. Audio quality is OK for casual listening or computing, but audio enthusiasts will want to use a separate audio card for top quality. The on-board audio can be disabled in the BIOS if you wish to use a separate audio card. Only the three standard output jacks are provided for audio input and output on the I/O panel, but software that comes with the NV400-L64 does allow the three jacks to be configured for different speaker setups, and the inputs that you might need. This flexible setup is welcomed on a value board, but be aware that with three jacks, you cannot simultaneously run six speakers and a microphone. This will be important for some, and of no consequence to others. As we would expect on a board built for value, there are no SPDIF connectors or provisions for adding an SPDIF bracket to the board.

NVIDIA’s MCP SouthBridge is the value member of the MCP family. It provides USB support, support for one NVIDIA Ethernet connection, and ATA 133 IDE support. The MCP does not support NVIDIA Sound Storm or a second LAN connection — these are additions to the premium MCP-T.

The Soltek NV400-L64 uses the familiar nForce2 10/100 Ethernet for on-board LAN connection. It is becoming common to see LAN included, even on value boards like the NV400. If you prefer using a board without on-board LAN, the alternative is the NV400-64.

The NV400-L64 I/O ports are the same assortment you will find on the standard ATX backplate included with most cases. The arrangement of ports, however, does not follow the standard layout, so Soltek includes a custom backplate. There are two PS/2 ports, two serial ports, one parallel port, two USB 2.0 ports, a 10/100 LAN port, and Mic In, Line In, and Line Out, which drive the onboard sound and are configurable for rear/sub/center outputs if desired. The board does not offer any IEEE1384 Firewire ports, but we don’t normally expect to find Firewire on value motherboards.

There are two ATA133 IDE ports, supporting up to four IDE devices. It is no surprise that the NV400-L64 doesn’t have any on-board IDE RAID or SATA options.

Just two DIMM slots are included on the single-channel Soltek. The two DIMMs support up to 2GB of memory up to DDR400. While up to three DIMMs per channel can be used on the nForce2 400 chipset, Soltek decided to use just two DIMM sockets on the NV400. This is probably an acceptable arrangement on a value board, but we would like to have seen at least one more DIMM slot, since NVIDIA had intended for this Soltek single-channel to compete with KT600 boards with three DIMMs.

There are no real surprises with the Soltek NV400-L64. It includes exactly what we would expect in a value board – no more and no less. The only really distinctive thing about the appearance is the Purple color. The Soltek Utilities CD is also a nice addition for a board designed to sell for such a low price.