MSI P45 Diamond Motherboard

Good value for general computing, but performance can be bettered Desktop PC platforms based on Intel’s P45 Express chipset, combined with either Intel’s Core 2 Quad or Core 2 Duo processor (LGA775 interface), deliver above-par performance. The P45 Express chipset supports Intel’s latest 45nm processor family along with a 1333MHz FSB (overclockable to 1600MHz), dual-channel DDR3-2000 (four 240-pin DIMMs can accommodate 8GB), Intel Extreme Memory Profiles (Intel XMP), and Intel Extreme Tuning. Sadly, there’s still no dual 16x slots for SLI - wake up Intel! If you want dual x16 PCIE 2.0, then Intel’s X48 (or forthcoming X58) chipset is your best option. Nonetheless, MSI’s P45 Diamond motherboard is still pretty special. Not only does it have twelve USB 2.0 ports and six native SATA 3.0 ports powered by Intel’s ICH10R... [read full story]