Socket-A AMD 760 Motherboard Roundup: Farewell to a Beauty

MSI K7 Master-S

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The MSI K7 Master-S is the only board in our roundup with an integrated SCSI controller. MSI uses the Adaptec AIC-7899G controller, providing 3 SCSI connectors, two 68-pin and one 50-pin.

The Adaptec SCSI controller and also two of the three SCSI channels.

History shows that MSI boards usually perform a bit above average, but are usually not at the very top of the charts. They usually sacrifice performance for improved stability. Surprisingly, the performance of the K7 Master-S is extremely good amongst the competition here, but still maintains rock solid stability.

There are actually silkscreens for four DIMM slots, but MSI only includes two.

Unfortunately, the K7 Master-S also suffers from the same multiplier problem we have observed on other MSI boards since the MSI K7T Pro2. Basically, you can't choose any multiplier below the default on your CPU. While this doesn't seem like such a big deal at first, it really poses a problem when trying to overclock to a higher FSB speed, especially if you're starting with a CPU designed for 100MHz operation.

MSI only includes a normal sized heatsink to cool the 761 North Bridge

Overclocking is a relatively weak point on the K7 Master-S as well. You don't have a lot of choices when it comes to FSB speeds, although the top FSB speed of 140MHz that we hit was fairly typical in this group. Of course, MSI is clearly targeting this board more towards servers and workstations with the inclusion of onboard SCSI and overclocking may not be such a big deal there. In fact, MSI does excel in the areas that matter in those markets - performance and stability.