Tags : 3 way SLI   DDR2   Motherboards   MSI P7N Diamond   Reviews   x fi  

Introduction Features and Specifications Photos and Pictures X-Fi Audio and Installation Installation, Test Setup and BIOS CPU-Z and Everest Information Benchmarks: Sandra Pro XII (SP2) Benchmarks: FutureMark Suite Benchmarks: Call of Juarez and Crysis (DX10) Benchmarks: F.E.A.R. and Science Mark 2 Overclocking Verdict and Conclusion

MSI takes the Nvidia 780i SLI chipset supporting 3-Way SLI configuration, and turns it into a feature-packed motherboard aimed at the enthusiasts.

 

INTRODUCTION

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Over the past year or so, Nvidia have found themselves fighting on both fronts. Firstly, from the AMD/ATI in the GPU market, and secondly from Intel ... for a share the chipset market. In recent times, Nvidia have enjoyed huge success in the GPU market, this is all thanks to problems that AMD/ATI experienced late last year. They managed to push forward a large number of very exciting GPUs, and new gaming technologies that just outperforms everything that AMD/ATI has to offer. These include the G92, G94 GPUs, Geforce 9800 series, 3-Way and hybrid SLI. We've all seen the benefits of having a dual SLI configured system. The overall graphics performance is enhanced, giving you a visually exciting gaming experience at super high resolutions. So, it was only natural for Nvidia to improve and introduce the next step ... 3-Way SLI.

 

 

Nvidia have been trying to push their new platform ... ESA (Enthusiast System Architecture), which has yet to catch on. It's really nothing, but a set of standards for components which make up your PC. A decent gaming system isn't complete without a powerful processor, a good motherboard and some high performance ram. This is where Nvidia have bravely ventured ... the market for producing motherboard chipsets that will compliment with their GPUs. They've been producing motherboard chipsets for a number of years, mainly the nForce range. And motherboards using this chipset are the only ones that support SLI configuration. So, if you want to go SLI ... there's no choice but to get a motherboard with Nvidia's nForce chipset.

Although Nvidia have been extremely successful and dominant in the GPU market, they are still a little behind the leaders Intel, when it comes to motherboard chipsets. Take for example their nForce 780i SLI chipset ... it supports 1333FSB, 45nm Intel processors, it's SLI-ready and supports DDR2 ram. It all sounds great, but Intel already have something new on the market ... the X48 chipset, which supports 1600FSB, DDR3 ram and CrossfireX. For Nvidia, it's a very competitive market, so it wasn't long before they managed to release a newer chipset ... the nForce 790i SLI chipset, now supporting 1600FSB, DDR3 ram and of course 3-Way SLI. Now, the heat is on for Intel.

 

 

In this review, we take a look at the MSI P7N Diamond motherboard. It utilises Nvidia's 780i SLI chipset and offers support for 1333FSB, 45nm processors, 3-Way SLI ready, and DDR2 ram. It also features MSI's Dual CoreCell, Dual channel PWM, Hi-c CAP solid capacitors, Circu-pipe slient chipset cooling and Creative's X-Fi HD audio. All-in-all, it's a very feature-rich motherboard to say the least, and it will definitely appeal to both gamers and enthusiats.

Like most MSI products, the MSI P7N Diamond is absolutely feature-packed. You get lots of extra features, including an external clear CMOS switch at the rear ATX I/O panel, backplates for eSATA, firewire, USB, and there are 3 PCIe slots for 3-Way SLI. Other extras include internal power-on and reset switches, loads of SATA power and data cables, 3 SLI ribbon cables ... 2 standard size, 1 extra long for connecting the 3rd graphics card in 3-Way SLI configuration.

 

            

 

I'm expecting the MSI P7N Diamond to compete very well against other motherboards using Intel's P35 and X38 chipsets. In our tests, we'll be using an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor which runs at default speed of 2.4Ghz, as well as 2Gb of Adata DDR2-800X ram, Radeon HD3870, 120Gb HDD 7,200rpm, and a PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 860W PSU. Windows Vista with native DX10 was used as our OS.

OK, let's not waste any more time and take a closer look at the MSI P7N Diamond motherboard ...

 

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Introduction Features and Specifications Photos and Pictures X-Fi Audio and Installation Installation, Test Setup and BIOS CPU-Z and Everest Information Benchmarks: Sandra Pro XII (SP2) Benchmarks: FutureMark Suite Benchmarks: Call of Juarez and Crysis (DX10) Benchmarks: F.E.A.R. and Science Mark 2 Overclocking Verdict and Conclusion