The BIOS

MSI has always put together a solid framework in regards of their BIOS implementations and the MSI DKA790GX is no exception. This is good in that if you’re already familiar with MSI’s adaptation of the AMIBIOS, there will be no surprises. The first page you’ll see after pressing DEL on bootup will be the standard splash screen. From there you can navigate to each subsection for editing.

For the Standard CMOS Features, you have access to basic system configurationoptions such as date, time and drive information. There is moreor less nothinghere that will impact system performance. Under the AdvancedBIOS Features, youcan access some of the more important areas surrounding the AMIBIOS.

In the Integrated Peripherals screen, you can manage the settings for components built into the board. Already have your own sound card? No problem as you can disable it here. Not pictured is the H/W Monitor page for keeping an eye on your system health as well as the BIOS Setting Password to set a password for the BIOS.

It’s when we get to the Cell Menu that things begin to get interesting. On this screen, you can view the current CPU frequency as well as the DRAM. Ifyou like things quiet, you can enable AMD’s Cool’n’Quiet, which will lower the power consumption and speed of the CPU based on load. For performance minded folks, this is probably something you’ll want to keep disabled.

For your CPU, you have several options, though some of those options depend on what sort of CPU you have, or more specifically, if you havean unlocked Black Edition AMD Phenom. Our test CPU is a Phenom X3 8750, so we’re multiplier locked but not frequency locked. We’ll discuss overclocking shortly, but simply key in a number up to 600MHz (like that will ever happen) and you’re off to the races. You can also choose to use one of the pre-selected CPU Ratios as well, though in our case we can only lower it.

The Advanced Core Clock Calibration allows you to increase the CPU ratio higher. For the onboard video, yes, you can overclock it though we do suggest against it unless you can get some airflow in the area.

For the DRAM, pressing Enter for MEMORY-Z will enable a plethora of options for your memory timings. Lower numbers will generally increase performance but at the expense of stability.

Overclocking

Overclocking the MSI DKA790GX proved to be very easy, especially when compared with our past experiences with the 790FX. We were able to attain asystem overclock of 250FSB on our Phenom X3 8750 on air cooling alone, but wasn’t able to keep the system stable for testing. This was a far cry from the790FXwhere we rarely passed 230FSB. In order to get any testing done though, we stuck with a maximum overclock of 240FSB on air cooling. We had varying levelsof success at 241 to 247, but while some benchmarks ran, others did not.

Of course your mileage may vary and certainly a beefier cooler or water cooling will allow a better and/or more stable overclock. A 480MHz boost is nothing to scoff at though.