When one talks about the server and workstation markets and the motherboards used in those markets, most people would immediately think of motherboard manufacturers like Supermicro and Tyan who have historically dominated these areas. However, MSI is now quite a large force in the server and workstation markets. As far as OEM contracts are concerned, at least two of the top four PC OEMs in the world use MSI motherboards in some of their workstation and server models. This type of support is a huge win for MSI, as it validates MSI as a reliable motherboard maker in markets that are known to be very timid when it comes to adopting anything new or innovative.
MSI doesn't just hold server and workstation motherboard wins either; their video cards (NVIDIA-based) are featured in multiple models from lots of different OEMs, including some of the top 4 OEMs in the world. MSI is even gaining market share in the enthusiast and gaming markets with their NVIDIA-powered video cards, despite tough competition from Gainward, Leadtek, and eVGA, in addition to the more motherboard-oriented companies like ABIT, ASUS, Chaintech, and Albatron.
So today we take a look at MSI's latest creation, the MSI 845PE Max2-FIR, yet another 845PE motherboard. This motherboard is, quite simply, one heck of a feature-packed product, and we think you'll like what it has to offer.
Motherboard Specifications |
|
CPU
Interface
|
Socket-478
|
Chipset
|
Intel
82845PE MCH
Intel 82801DB ICH |
Bus
Speeds
|
100
- 200MHz (in 1MHz increments)
|
Core
Voltages Supported
|
up
to 1.80V (in 0.025V increments)
|
I/O
Voltages Supported
|
N/A
|
DRAM
Voltages Supported
|
up
to 2.8V in 0.05V increments
|
Memory
Slots
|
3
184-pin DDR DIMM Slots
|
Expansion
Slots
|
1
AGP 4X Slot
6 PCI Slots |
Onboard
RAID
|
Promise
PDC20276
|
Onboard
USB 2.0/IEEE-1394
|
USB 2.0
Supported through South Bridge
VIA VT6306 FireWire Controller |
Onboard
LAN
|
Intel
RC82540EM Gigabit LAN
|
Onboard
Audio
|
C-Media
CMI8738
|
Onboard
Serial ATA
|
N/A
|
BIOS
Revision
|
A6704IMS
V1.2B24 100802
|
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