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The MSI 648 Max is not just
another SiS 648 mainboard. With a basic feature set like USB 2.0, AGP 8x,
6
channel audio, Gigabit Ethernet (optional), Bluetooth (optional). With these new features, it
definitely brings the overall I/O performance to another level. Surprisingly
S-ATA as a new innovative feature set is not part of the feature set. There
is also no RAID on board.
In our tests, the performance of this
board is pretty good if you were to run in the official DDR333 mode but
it lost some and win some when we compared it to the SiS 648 ref board, Shuttle
AS45GTR and ASUS P4S8X. When set to operate in the unofficial DDR400
mode, the performance is not much of a difference from the DDR333 mode.
I guess it could be due to the BIOS. The ram module used is the Corsair
XMS3200 DDR400 512M.
Overclocking wise, we managed to
overclock up to 150Mhz FSB using our P4 2.4B processor. If you are into
overclocking, you can refer to our Gallery
page 4 for more details about the various selections available.
Installation is very straightforward
but we do have some problems plugging in the ATA-133 IDE cable. You
would need to wiggle the IDE connector into the on board IDE connector.
Documentation is concise and easy to
understand. The package also comes with various tools
- Fuzzy Logic4™
- PC Alert™ 4
- Live BIOS™
- Live Driver™
- Live Monitor™
- MSI™ DVD (5.1
Channel)
- D-Bracket™ 2 (Optional)
- S-Bracket™ (Optional)
that completes the package. With a
basic feature set, it definitely lowers the cost.
Retail price : USD 100 (based on
pricewatch.com)
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