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MSI 865PE Neo2-FIS2R Motherboard
Date: 2003-09-14 | Author: Shane Unrein
Company: MSI
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Introduction
You've seen plenty of AMD-based motherboard reviews here at Bjorn3d, and almost all of those were nForce boards. Well, the time has finally come for us to break into Intel-based motherboard reviews. What better place to start than with one of the best performing Springdale boards available currently?
Thanks to MSI, we have the 865PE Neo2-FIS2R board up for review today. Not only does it sport some of the best features available for an Intel board, such as Hyper-Threading, Serial ATA (four ports!), Gigabit LAN and dual-channel DDR, but it also sports some innovative, MSI-exclusive features like CoreCell and Dynamic Overclocking Technology. It looks great on paper, but you have to check out the rest of this review to see how it really performs.
Features and Specifications
Features at a Glance
- Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
- Dual-Channel DDR400/333/266 Memory Bus (6.4GB/S Memory Bandwidth)
- 800/533/400MHz FSB, 8X AGP, USB 2.0
- Intel 82562EZ (CSA Interface Gigabit LAN)
- Serial ATA RAID (0 or 1) and (0+1)
- MSI CoreCell chip, Live Update, Fuzzy Logic4, PC Alert, i-Speeder
Specifications
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Package Contents
- Quick User's Guide
- SATA RAID / SATA Guide
- Driver CD and Diskettes
- Super Pack
- Photoshop Album SE
- WinDVD 4
- WinRip 2
- VirtualDrive 7 (Professional Version)
- RestoreIT! 3 (Professional Version)
- Media Ring
- FDD and Round Cable
- 4 SATA Cables and Power Cables
- IEEE 1394 Cable/Bracket
- D-Bracket 2 (USB and Diagnostics)
- S-Bracket (Audio)
- I/O Shield
- MSI P4 Mainboard Case Badge
That Handle Is a Nice Touch |
MSI Makes a Lot of Nice Packages |
Open Up the Flap To Check Out the Features |
Box Full of Good Stuff |
Look At All Those Goodies |
The Three Included Brackets |
Mobo Under Wraps |
Overall, this package is a really nice deal. I was surprised to see four SATA cables (orange ones too!) and the necessary power cables. I don't understand though why only one round IDE cable is included and why the floppy cable isn't round. It would definitely add more to an already good package if MSI would have gone the distance on the round cables. To me, including only one is kind of a tease. You're going to want the other cables to be red and round if you decide to use the included one, which means you'll have to go spend the money.
You can see from the pictures that this package includes not one, not two, but three different brackets! That's a lot of brackets taking up your available PCI slots. Some of you that have a couple of extra PCI cards such as a TV tuner card or sound card may find this as adding a couple of unwanted guests to an already crowded party. I don't see it as a big deal though as I try to minimize the number of cards installed in my system. A video card is probably all many of you would add to this board anyway. I'll discuss the IEEE1394, D-Bracket 2 and S-Bracket a little more on the next page. The I/O shield is just one of the boring, flimsy jobs, but the included manuals are decently written and contain useful information. Finally, MSI throws in some nice software just for good measure and to add value to the package.
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