Ninja Micros Freespeed Pro

Supplied by Ninja Micros $65

Specifications

The Ninja Micros Freespeed Pro is probably the highest quality GFD I have seen. The PCB is of excellent quality and all of the components appear to be machine soldered. The circuitry is very neat and the card is extremely sturdy. It does use pull down resistors so a power supply is needed. The Freespeed came shipped with all switches in the off position showing the end user that the card will need set. The instructions are complete and the unit comes with a lifetime warrenty against defects.

Installation

Installation was easy as all other GFD's and the size left plenty of room in my case. There are two banks of eight switches which are numbered on the DIPs from 1-8. The instructions list the switches as numbered 1-16 but the illustration clearly shows how to read the banks straight through. Step by step directions indicate that the card should be installed with the switches facing the Heatsink. The power connector is located on the back of the card and is soldered in place. This adds to the sturdiness of the card but requires a long power connector to reach the back of the Athlon. An LED is placed in the upper right-hand corner to show power being supplied to the card.

Final Comments

It is good to see a card of this high quality on the market. If any GFD could be seen on retail shelves, it is the Freespeed Pro. I like the idea of having the power connector soldered to board. It is a lot neater than a couple of soldered wires. However, it would have been nice to see a long cord supplied with the unit. With the connector facing the back of the case, it makes for a long stretch to power cables.

If my score was based on quality alone, I would give the Freespeed pro a 10/10. However, there are no extras like cache control wires and the lack of a Y-cable brings the score down to an 8/10. Still an overall excellent GFD.

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