nForce4 Ultra Into nForce4 SLI - Pencil Mod

It turns out that the nForce4 Ultra is apparently just an nForce4 SLI with SLI turned off. What is even more important is that we also found a way to turn on the disabled SLI.. .. The resistors appear the same on both, but there are 3 sets of resistor pads that are closed on the SLI chipset while just two sets are closed on Ultra. The vertical set of resistor pads just to the right edge of the chip itself is closed on SLI and open on Ultra. We could find no other obvious differences in the 2 chipsets. Could it be this simple?

…It really did not come as a surprise that nForce4 Ultra and nForce4 SLI are the same chipset with some capabilities in Ultra turned off. We have seen many cases over the years in which a manufacturer has one CPU-die or one chipset come off a production line, which are then differentiated with laser cuts or some other means of controlling speed or capabilities. What did come as a surprise is how very easy it is to reverse the process - to turn the nForce4 Ultra into the higher-priced and better-performing nForce4 SLI. This is an extremely easy mod for almost anyone.

…The DFI LANParty UT nF4 Ultra-D will sell for about $140. With the simple mod, it is a fully capable nF4 SLI motherboard. As you will see in our upcoming reviews, it is also one of the most enthusiast-friendly boards to land on the market since the DFI Socket 754 motherboard. For now, the only board that we know which can be fully converted from Ultra to SLI is this DFI LANParty UT, but there are others on the way, and we are sure it will not be the last.

Morphing nForce4 Ultra into nForce4 SLI
Anandtech