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MSI Announces New PCI-Express 3 Motherboard

Subject: Motherboards | July 6, 2011 - 04:36 PM |
Tagged: PCI-E 3.0, msi, graphics

MSI recently unveiled a new motherboard supporting the PCI-Express 3.0 standard. The Intel LGA 1155 CPU socket and Z68 chipset are also features of the upcoming motherboard, dubbed the Z68A-GD80 (G3).

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The new MSI board joins ASRock's announcement as one of the first PCI-Express 3.0 motherboards, and is loaded with tons of features. The Z68 chipset naturally supports Intel Sandy Bridge processors, PCI-E 3.0, a UEFI BIOS, OC Genie II, and their signature MIL-810STD military class components. The PCI-E 3.0 slots help AMD CrossFire X and NVIDIA SLI multi GPU solutions fed with plenty of bandwidth. Rear IO includes a PS/2 port, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, DVI, 7.1 audio, Dual Gigabit Ethernet, e-SATA, and firewire.  On board IO includes 3 PCI-E 3.0 slots, 2 PCI slots, and two PCI-E x1 slots, the 1155 CPU socket, and 4 DDR3 DIMMs.

What do you think of the new board; are you ready for PCI-E 3.0?

Source: MSI

I don't always game SLI, but when I do, I game dos 580GTX

Subject: Graphics Cards | July 4, 2011 - 06:10 PM |
Tagged: N580GTX Lightning XE 3GB, MSI lightning, msi, GTX580

Lightning strikes twice in this review from [H]ard|OCP, a pair of MSI N580GTX Lightning XE 3GB cards in SLI are tested on a variety of games.  Apart from showing off the capabilities of a system with a $1200+ graphics subsystem it demonstrates a very important example of scaling; the effect of doubling the GDDR5 available to the GTX580 GPU.  They've tested the 1.5GB version previously and so can compare that performance as well as contrasting it with the HD 6970 in Crossfire.  Their testing showed that the extra memory does help, as long as you are using multiple monitors.  If you are using a single display, even a 2560x1600 30" display, you are wasting your money picking up the 3GB models, there simply isn't enough pixels to be pushed to need the 3GB per card.  The AMD setup did come behind in performance somewhat, but since it costs about $500 less that does not make it a bad alternative.  Head over to [H] and prepare to feel jealous.

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"Two MSI N580GTX Lightning XE 3GB video cards in SLI! Tested in NV Surround. We are going to find out if these 3GB video cards hold an advantage over two GeForce GTX 580's and two Radeon HD 6970's. This is the most VRAM per video card we have ever gamed with. We test with seven games, including the new F.3.A.R."

Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:

Graphics Cards

Source: [H]ard|OCP

MSI Announces New Llano AMD Motherboard Supporting DirectX 11

Subject: Motherboards | June 28, 2011 - 10:22 PM |
Tagged: msi, llano, a75

Today MSI announced a new motherboard for AMD enthusiasts which brings support for AMD’s Llano APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) and the latest SATA III 6 Gbps and USB 3.0 IO standards. The new board in question has been dubbed in typical leftover scrabble pieces fashion as the A75MA-G55.

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Utilizing the A75 chipset, the new A75MA-G55 is a Micro-ATX form factor that does not skimp on features with 4 DIMM slots for up to 32GB of DDR3 memory and 2 PCI-Express 2.0 slots for discrete graphics cards. Further, a PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slot and a legacy PCI slot are also included on the PCB. Rear IO includes a PS/2 port, four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port, HDMI, VGA, and DVI support along with 7.1 channel audio outputs.

The AMD APU that will be paired with this motherboard will features DirectX 11 graphics and a ‘Steady Video’ feature which utilizes the APU’s GPU to apply image stabilization to video to remove shaky images.

As other enthusiast class motherboards from MSI, the A75MA-G55 features Certified Military Class II components which amounts to solid state capacitors, and super ferrite chokes that seek to extend the longevity of the motherboard versus the old school non-solid capacitors that tended to “burst” after years of heavy use. As a mATX Llano board with lots of features, it is a motherboard that is sure to be right at home HTPC (home theater pc) and SFF (small form factor) enthusiasts.

In response to the Asus F1A75 series, it looks like MSI has a competitive offering on its hands. As always, stay tuned to PC Perspective for more Llano motherboard coverage. Which Llano motherboard are you most excited about?

Source: MSI

MSI's Cyclonicly powerful HD6850

Subject: Graphics Cards | June 28, 2011 - 05:41 PM |
Tagged: msi, cyclone, factory overclocked, hd6850

While here at PC Perspective we have been busy with Hawks and Lightning, OCIA went for a Cyclone.  The particular whirlwind in this case being the MSI R6850 Cyclone PE/OC, which as the name implies sports a custom cooling solution and a factory overclock.  The custom cooler really makes this card stand out, instead of the full shroud we are used to seeing there is a 90mm PWM-controlled 9-blade fan with the card its self being fully exposed.  The overclock, 85 MHz on the GPU taking it to 860MHz and the memory bumped 100MHz to 1.1GHz, 4.4GHz effective, which OCIA made even more impressive by overvolting the card with MSI's Afterburner software.  To MSI's credit, the card is priced similarly to other HD6850s unlike many other factory overclocked cards which carry a premium price tag.  If you have less than $200 to spend on a GPU, this card might be for you.

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"Discrete computer graphics are one of the toughest markets to keep current with. New graphics cores are released on a pretty frequent basis from both ATI and NVIDIA and with naming schemes that change nearly as often, it can be difficult to determine where each card stands in relation to others in the same price range. Today we will be taking a look at the MSI R6850 PE / OC graphics card, a mid-range GPU that was launched at the end of last year. Codenamed Barts, this GPU is built on a 40nm process with support for DirectX 11 & Open GL 4.0. Other notable features include HDMI 1.4a & DisplayPort 1.2 support as well as AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology and CrossfireX support."

Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:

Graphics Cards

Source: OverClock Intelligence Agency

MSI Ships New 17” Gaming Laptops with Lethal Combination of Graphics, Power and Design

Subject: Mobile | June 13, 2011 - 02:05 PM |
Tagged: steelseries, msi, gtx 560m, GT780R

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. – June 13, 2011 – MSI Computer Corp., a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, today announced the first North American shipment of the GT780R and the GX780, two gaming notebooks with keyboards expertly designed in partnership with global leading gaming peripherals manufacturer SteelSeries. The notebooks combine brilliant graphics from the latest NVIDIA© GeForce© graphics processors, along with the second-generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor, to create a sleek new design with ultimate power that outperforms the competition.

“Serious gamers understand that not all notebooks are created equally,” said Andy Tung, vice president of sales, MSI US. “The GT780R and GX780 are built specifically for gamers, with a professionally-designed keyboard, plus top-of-the-line graphics and processing power from NVIDIA and Intel.”

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Speaking of SteelSeries

MSI constructed the 17.3-inch GT780R and GX780 notebooks with invincible gaming hardware optimized for gaming, including:

  • SteelSeries Full Color Backlit Keyboard: Expertly designed together with the gaming gurus at SteelSeries, this keyboard features several exclusive gaming designs for ultimate gaming control. Enjoy perfect hand positioning with keys that never get in the way, and a rugged keyboard that offers solid feedback while you slay your enemies. The Power 10 key solution can support 10 keys typing simultaneously so every keystroke counts. And the multicolor LED backlit keyboard features 5 programmable modes so you can sync the color and rhythm of the backlighting to suit your game.
  • NVIDIA GeForce Graphics: NVIDIA GPUs provide realistic and immersive graphics for both notebooks. The GT780R features NVIDIA’s newest GeForce GTX 560M with 1.5GB GDDR5 of high-end, large-capacity display memory for superior performance and vivid graphics. The GX780 boasts NVIDIA’s GeForce GT555M with 1GB DDR5 VRAM.
  • 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 2630QM Processor: The newest energy-efficient processor from Intel supports Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, which allocates processor resources to boost core clock speeds and overall performance. Both notebooks boast core clock speeds of 2.00 GHz. 
  • Sleek New Design: This sleek black notebook features a stylish, brushed aluminum textured body that is sophisticated and subtle. The notebook’s modern design compliments the bold stylings of the backlit keyboard.
  • 17-Inch Full HD Screen: No gamer can tolerate a small screen, and the GT780R and GX780 notebooks feature a bold, 17.3-inch HD screen with an anti-reflective coating. Enjoy 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 16:9 display ratio for a clear and realistic image rendering.
  • MSI’s Exclusive Turbo Drive Engine (TDE) Technology: TDE provides a boost in graphics performance to accelerate video decoding and add extra excitement to your gaming.
  • USB 3.0: These notebooks feature a plethora of ports so you can customize your setup and achieve the quickest data transfers. With two USB 3.0 ports and three USB 2.0 ports, you’re ready to roll.
  • Dynaudio Speakers with THX Surround Sound: No gaming experience is complete without booming audio, and MSI collaborated with Dynaudio to build the highest quality speakers plus a built-in subwoofer. Enjoy cinema-quality surround sound with THX TruStudio PRO.

The new GT780R and has an MSRP of $1,749.99 and the GX780 at $1,549.99. Both models will be available on Newegg and Amazon.com.

Source: MSI

MSI's 3GB N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition; just how extreme does lightning need to be?

Subject: Graphics Cards | June 9, 2011 - 01:45 PM |
Tagged: msi, N580GTX Lightning XE 3GB

While Josh has been busy with MSI's HAWK series of GPUs, [H]ard|OCP has been struck by the Lightning series.  Most recently the N580GTX Lightning XE 3GB landed on their review desk, a card obviously intended for those who will be running SLI to have NVIDIA Surround multi-monitor support.  The XE is clocked the same as the original Lightning card, 832 MHz core, shaders at 1644MHz and 4.2GHz effective memory, that means the XE card will perform the same as the base model except when you need large amounts of GDDR5 ... such as running several monitors at high resolution.   There are also a slew of interesting features which MSI included on the card, which you can read about in [H]'s full review.

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"We put MSI's new N580GTX Lightning XE 3GB video card to the test and find out what kind of gameplay experience can be delivered from a 3GB 580GTX beast. Will we be limited by our resolution and games, or will the Lightning XE push through and prevail, we will find out against a GeForce GTX 580 and Radeon HD 6970."

Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:

Graphics Cards

Source: [H]ard|OCP

MSI P67A-GD80 LGA 1155 ATX Motherboard Review

Author:
Date: June 6, 2011
Subject: Motherboards
Manufacturer: MSI
Tagged: sandy bridge, msi, Intel

Introduction and Features

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Courtesy of MSI

In 2011, MSI has based their enthusiast-level Sandy Bridge motherboards on two main features: novice and advanced overclocking and stable and reliable hardware components. We had the opportunity in March to evaluate the sub-$200 P67A-GD65, which flexed its muscles in several benchmarks including PC gaming and general PC tasks and applications.

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Courtesy of MSI

The P67A-GD80 adds a few more ultra-enthusiast features and an additional PCIe x16 slot, which pushes the price of this high-end motherboard to around $229 (before mail-in rebate at Newegg). This board sports Intel's P67 chipset that supports their latest LGA 1155 Sandy Bridge processors. It also has three PCIe x16 slots that are compatible with CrossfireX and SLI graphics card configurations to make this board a fantastic solution for triple-monitor, high-resolution gaming.

One order of 990FX, hold the Zambezi

Subject: Motherboards | June 2, 2011 - 05:09 PM |
Tagged: 990fx, MSI 990FXA-GD80, msi

The MSI 990FXA-GD80 is, as we have come to find out, mostly a rebadged 890FX chipset with Socket AM3+ to allow for Bulldozer support when they eventually hit the market.  In and of its self, the term rebadged carries a fair amount of negative connotations; there is a plus side to this as well, as you can be guaranteed the technology behind it is mature and you shouldn't end up cutting yourself on the leading edge of technology.  [H]ard|OCP found the exception that proved the rule in this board, as the BIOS seemed to give them no end of troubles.  Read on to see exactly what hurdles they encountered and how they overcame them.

You can see Josh contrast the MSI 990FXA-GD80 with the Asus SABERTOOTH 990FX in his review as well.

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"AMD’s new 990FX chipset supports the upcoming Q3 Bulldozer release and now have motherboard manufacturers clamoring to put out new product designed for the Zambezi desktop processors. MSI is no exception and as a result it is introducing its 990FXA-GD80. Sans Zambezi."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

Source: [H]ard|OCP

Podcast #157 - OCZ Agility 3 SSD, Lucid Virtu Universal, new ROG Motherboards and more from Computex 2011!

Subject: General Tech | June 2, 2011 - 05:55 AM |
Tagged: ssd, ROG, podcast, ocz, msi, asus

PC Perspective Podcast #157- 6/02/2011

This week we talk about the OCZ Agility 3 SSD, Lucid Virtu Universal, new Asus ROG Motherboards and GTX580s, and more from Computex 2011!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

  • iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
  • RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
  • MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath and Allyn Malventano

This Podcast is brought to you by MSI Computer, and their all new Sandy Bridge Motherboards!

Program length: 56:49

Program Schedule:

 

Source: PCPer

AMD 990FX/SB950 Release: Asus SABERTOOTH 990FX and the MSI 990FXA-GD80

Author:
Date: June 1, 2011
Subject: Motherboards
Manufacturer: AMD
Tagged: sb950, review, phenom ii, msi, motherboard, bulldozer, asus, amd, 990fx

AMD Unleashes the 990FX: Paving the way for Bulldozer

Word of the AMD 990FX chipset first came around the end of last year.  Speculation was brisk as to what new features it would bring, and when exactly it would help to usher in the age of Bulldozer to the world.  Most thought that it would be a shrink of the then current 890FX, and the new SB950 southbridge would have improvements to the SATA 6G controller, as well as a native USB 3.0 implementation.  Today we finally get to see the reality of the situation.  It is not groundbreaking, nor is it altogether exciting, but it is certainly interesting.

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 The 990FX and SB950 chips are identical to the previous 890FX and SB850.  They are the same silicon.  For those hoping for new technology will be disappointed.  But all is not lost!  AMD did increase the HyperTransport specification from 3.0 to 3.1, which allows the HT bus to run at 6.4 GTPS as compared to the older 5.2 GTPS.  This is in place to allow the upcoming Bulldozer chips to run the northbridge portion of the chip up to 3.2 GHz, and to give the CPU more bandwidth between the different busses on the board (eg. SATA, USB 3.0, and PCI-E connections).


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