The new product from MicroStar is almost a complete copy of its
predecessor MSI 925X
Neo. The only difference between these two motherboards is their
chipsets. Intel has designed a new chipset — i925XE —
to support recently released Pentium 4 XE (Extreme
Edition) processors. In its turn, such a large company
as MSI couldn't ignore this event and designed MSI 925XE Neo Platinum
based on the Intel chipset. This model supports 1066 MHz FSB
and dual-channel DDR2 (operating frequency can be set up in BIOS:
DDR2 333 / 400 / 533 / 600 / 667 MHz). The key feature of this
product is CPU Ratio Unlock, which allows to modify the clock frequency
of the FSB synchronously with the memory clock frequency (for the
conformity of memory channel throughputs and FSB, as they say). As
for the rest, this motherboard is practically no different from the
Foxconn 925XE7AA,
based on the same chipset, in its functionality and performance.
The PCB layout is standard — IDE RAID connectors are in the back, audio ins are in front of the PCI slots, density of the memory slots will hamper access to them. Access to the jumper may be hampered when the motherboard is in a chassis, its description is provided on the PCB. The 3-phase switching voltage regulator of the processor incorporates three 1800 uF capacitors and four 1000 uF capacitors. The memory voltage regulator includes three 1800 uF capacitors, five 1000 uF capacitors, and several ones of a lesser capacitance. The board contains a voltage regulator for the PCI-E x16 bus (2x1000 uF). The PCB contains no empty seats for chips and connectors. Motherboard dimensions — 305x245 mm (full-sized ATX, nine-screw mount, all motherboard edges are firmly fixed). The Winboard W83627THF chip is used to monitor:
CPU voltage, 3.3V, 5V, 12V 5V Standby
RPM of 3 fans
CPU temperature (by the built-in CPU sensor), supports automatic power-off at overheating
CoreCell — fine tuning system parameters and enhanced monitoring capabilities
D.O.T. — dynamic overclocking technology
LiveUpdate3 (this motherboard is supported by the LiveUpdate software and the MSI web site, which can automatically update drivers and BIOS via Internet)
Active MOS (special "low-temperature" design and components)
CPU Ratio Unlock — this function allows to change the FSB clock synchronously with the memory clock frequency
Settings
Jumpers and switches
Clear CMOS jumper
In PhoenixBIOS, BIOS W7053IMS
v1.3
Memory timings
CAS Latency Time, DRAM
RAS# to CAS# Delay, DRAM RAS# Precharge, Precharge Delay (tRAS)
Memory frequency
selection
DDR2 333/400/533/600/667
PCIE bus voltage
control
1.5V - 2.2V at 0.05V steps
PCI E bus setup
+
PCI and PCI-E
frequency divider setup
-
PCI IRQ manual
assignment
-
FSB frequency
setup
266 MHz / 350 MHz at 1 MHz
steps
CPU multiplier
x12-x13
CPU core voltage
control
1.18V–1.49V at 0.01V steps
CPU voltage control
-
Memory voltage
control
1.4V-2.8V at 0.05V steps
Chipset voltage
control
-
HT bus frequency
control
-
We used BIOS dated 24.10.2004, the latest available BIOS version at the time of our tests.
Preliminary test results
MSI 925XE Neo Platinum demonstrates good test results, which is quite expectable from a high end motherboard. We liked very much the irreproachable stable operation and the lack of any glitches. Differences between motherboards' test results are insignificant, so it's hard to say for sure which motherboard is faster. And a couple of seconds must not play a pivotal role when choosing one of these motherboards.
MSI 925XE Neo Platinum Edition is a motherboard that supports all modern standards. It's based on the top chipset for fast processors, provides non-trivial overclocking features, and is not slower than the competing motherboards based on the same chipset. All that makes it an expensive purchase, but this fact must not trouble those who want to be in the lead.
