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MSI P45D3 Platinum Review
[Abstract]
MSI's 3-in-1 Solution Now that we have seen Intel P45 representatives from two major vendors in the form of the ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe and Gigabyte's GA-EP45T-EXTREME, it's about time we turn to the...
[Content] PCDigitalMobileGame
MSI's 3-in-1 Solution
Now that we have seen Intel P45 representatives from two major vendors in the form of the ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe and Gigabyte's GA-EP45T-EXTREME, it's about time we turn to the other member of the 'Big 3' - MSI. What are the new features that the manufacturer have up its sleeves to counter its fierce rivals?
An overview of the MSI P45D3 Platinum layout and features. Check out more images in our preview article. |
Well, some of you may remember that we did a preview of the "Eaglelake" motherboards from MSI. While we did not go in-depth, you may have a faint idea that DrMOS is a big part of all this. And you would be totally correct. But before you say "Doctor MOS", you should know that it actually means Driver-MOSFETs and it refers to an integrated Driver-MOSFET package that combines three chips together: a driver IC, a high MOSFET and a low MOSFET. These are the chief components used to regulate and provide power to the processor (as well as a few other critical components) but they are usually found separately on the motherboard. According to MSI, putting all of them together will lead to greater power efficiency while providing better performance. In short, MSI claims it's the proverbial magic bullet.
Obviously MSI has a lot more to elaborate on this DrMOS feature, which is linked to other marketing terms, XpressCool, GreenPower and RapidBoost. We'll be looking at these features more closely on the next page but before that, let's look at the specifications:
MSI P45D3 Platinum Technical Specifications
| CPU Support | - Supportsall 65/45nm Intel LGA775processors (Conroe or later)
- Quad-Core ready
| | Chipset | - Northbridge:Intel P45
- 800/1066/1333MHz front side bus
- PCIExpress 2.0 x16 forgraphics
- Southbridge: IntelICH10R
| | Memory | - Supports 4unbuffered DIMM of 1.5 Volt DDR3 SDRAM
- Supports up to 8GB memory size
- 800/1066/1333MHzdual channelDDR3 memoryarchitecture
| | Storage | - Intel ICH10RSouthbridge
- 6 x SATA3.0Gbpsinterface
- Intel MatrixStorage Technology
- Support AHCI controller with SATA RAID 0, RAID 1,RAID 5 and RAID 10
- JMicron 362 chip
- 2 x SATA 3.0Gbps ports
- 1 x eSATA port
- JMicron 363 chip
- 1 x UltraATA 66/100/133 (data transfer rate up to133MB/sec.)
| | Audio | - IntelHigh DefinitionAudio
- Realtek ALC888 Audio CODEC
| | Networking | - Realtek 8111C Gigabit Ethernet
| | IEEE 1394 (FireWire) | - JMicron 381FireWire controller
- Up to 2 x IEEE1394aports @ 400 Mbps speed (1 x rear, 1 x front)
| | I/O Interface | - 1x Floppy connector
- 1 x Ultra ATAIDE connector
- 8 x SATAconnectors
- 1 x eSATA port
- 12 x USB 2.0ports (6 x rear, 6 x header)
- 2 x FireWire-400ports(1 x header, 1 x rear)
- 1 x RJ45 LANport
- 8-Channel Audio I/Oports
- 1 xOptical S/PDIFOutput
- 1 x Clear CMOS switch
- 1x PS/2keyboard port
- 1 x PS/2 mouse port
| | Expansion Slots | - 2 x PCIe x16 slots (PCI Express 2.0)? configured as one x16 or two x8 slots
- 2 x PCIe x1slot, (PCIExpress 1.0)
- 2 xPCI slots,PCI 2.3 compliant
| | Special Features | - MSI DrDOS
- MSI DualCore Center
- MSI GreenPower
- MSI RapidBoost
- MSI XpressCool
| | PCB | - ATX FormFactor, 12" x9.6"(30.5 x 24.4cm)
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Since our preview had covered some of the board layout and features, we won't be repeating the gallery of images, just some of the more important ones below. Suffice to say, this is not MSI's flagship P45 board but as the DDR3 version of the Platinum edition, it's close to being the top dog, with the MSI P45 Diamond arguably having the edge.
Compared to some boards, this MSI P45 board has a relatively modest rear I/O panel, with only six USB 2.0 ports and 1 Gigabit Ethernet port. Notably, there's a Clear CMOS button right besides the eSATA port (so be careful not to accidentally depress it). |
Feature-wise, it is thankfully not as over-the-top as the Gigabyte EXTREME that we saw recently, with a more mainstream configuration of supporting up to 4 DIMMs and 8GB of DDR3 memory (O/C to 1600MHz possible). CPU support is however restricted to those of 65nm and newer, meaning you'll need at least a Conroe derivative. MSI's rather famous Circu-Pipe cooler makes its return, though the new version now comes with five heatpipes, a trapezoid base and lots of fine copper fins to maximize its heat dissipation surface area. As a P45 board, it naturally supports CrossFireX, with the native PCIe 2.0 x 16 lanes splitting automatically to a set of x8 lanes when two compatible ATI cards are installed.
This is the Circu-Pipe 2 and represents MSI's top air-cooled solution for its motherboards currently. |
Other features you may want to note include the usual presence of a Realtek ALC888 HD Audio CODEC, a FireWire controller supporting up to two IEEE1394 ports (1 rear and 1 header) and there's even a eSATA port at the rear. Surprisingly, MSI has kept to a modest configuration of just a single Gigabit Ethernet port, which we think is sensible for more the general enthusiast despite another vendor's hype over dual Gigabit teaming and backup, which are perhaps preferable only to the really top-level power users.
While the MSI P45 Diamond is equipped with polymerized capacitors, the Platinum stays with the now standard solid capacitors. The CPU is supplied by a five-phase PWM design. Two-phase power is also used for its memory and MCH, giving it greater stability. |
The Power and Reset buttons here may not be as pretty as the ones we saw on ASUS and Gigabyte boards but hey, they work as they should. |
Some perks that we have been spoilt with and found here on this MSI board are the onboard Power and Reset buttons and a Clear CMOS button at the rear I/O panel; these are features which are much desired by enthusiasts when troubleshooting or overclocking. There are also LEDs that act as visual indicators for the boot up sequence. Overall, the board layout and design is user friendly and we had no troubles installing our hardware onto it.
We mentioned this briefly before in the preview but we are repeating it again here since we didn't really like the idea of hardware jumpers. This set of OC Jumpers apparently change the FSB strap, something that others have as a BIOS option. When asked, MSI responded that these serve as a quick and moderate O/C tool, while the BIOS serves as a secondary step for finer refinement/control. In our opinion, the BIOS is really all that's needed. |
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