Closer Look at MSI P35 Platinum Combo

MSI is currently offering the whole line-up of products on a popular Intel P35 Express chipset that differ from one another by their PCB design and features. Our today’s hero, MSI P35 Platinum Combo, supports DDR2 as well as DDR3 SDRAM, which you may have already guessed from the introduction. The word “Combo” in the mainboard name indicates that feature, while the word “Platinum” implies that it comes with extensive accessories bundle and advanced features. However, we have already reviewed its closest relative, MSI P35 Platinum mainboard in the article called “Experience the Roller Coaster: MSI P35 Platinum Mainboard Review”. The mainboards are not identical, since MSI P35 Platinum supports only DDR2 memory, but they are so similar that we can still consider them twin-brothers. They have similar PCB layout, BIOS Setup features and are even bundled with almost the same accessories.

Package and Accessories

All the latest MSI mainboards that we managed to get our hands on featured individual package design of the same style. This design approach is attractive and informative at the same time: we see the logos of all supported functions and technologies against the background of some monster claws reaching for the board. But the first thing that catches your eye is the manufacturer’s name and mainboard model made in large print. It differs dramatically from the packaging of some other mainboard makers, where you have to look for the special features of the product for a while, before you actually learn what you are dealing with.

The reverse side of the box ha s a mainboard photo and a brief list of its features and accessories.

MSI P35 Platinum Combo mainboard comes with all necessary cables: four SATA cables with metal connector clips, FDD and IDE cables with the company logo and “Innovation with Style” logo, as well as two SATA power adapters.

Besides, there is also a colorful poster with brief installation instructions, user’s manual, two CD disks wit the drivers and utilities for Windows XP and Windows Vista, rear panel I/O Shield and an additional bracket with an IEEE1394 port. We have already seen all these accessories bundled with MSI P35 Platinum mainboard, but there are still a few differences. For example, MSI P35 Platinum Combo comes bundled with M-connectors – a set of connectors like the ASUS Q-Connector Kit. It makes it much easier to connect individual front panel cables, as well as USB, IEEE1394 and audio cables to the mainboard.

There is one more difference: MSI P35 Platinum Combo comes bundled with a pair of DDR2 / DDR3 Switch Cards referred to as DDR2 / DDR2 Turbo Cards in the user’s manual.

When you use DDR2 SDRAM, you should install DDR2 / DDR3 Switch Cards into empty DDR3 slots. If the board is working with DDR3 SDRAM, Switch Cards should be turned upside down and installed into the empty DDR2 slots. They have corresponding contact layouts on both sides. There are also certain rules: with DDR3 memory the Switch cards should go into the second and fourth DDR2 slots, but if the board is working with DDR2 SDRAM, you don’t really have much choice: there are only two DDR3 slots on the PCB, where these Switch Cards can go. However, if you intend to overclock the memory beyond DDR3-1333MHz, the Switch cards should be removed.

Pretty confusing at first, I should say. Other mainboards supporting two different memory types, do not require any type of cards or terminators at all. The good thing about these DDR2 / DDR3 Switch Cards is that they make the system look pretty. They are decorated with the LED message reading “MSI DDR II” on one side and “MSI DDR III” on another and depending on the type of memory you use, one or the other message will light up.