MSI i845E Max2 - BLR

The MSI i845E Max2 - BLR is nicely laid out and designed. Like all of their new boards, the Max2 sports a red PCB that is sure to grab a lot of attention for case window owners. The board follows the ATX specification, and measures 30.5 cm(L) x 23.0 cm(W), which shouldn't have any problems fitting in any ATX compliant case.

Like all Pentium 4 boards, the heatsink backet comes preinstalled. Because Intel has standardized this "no-mount" zone, any heatsink that uses the bracket shouldn't have any problems fitting. I have yet to test the board with the Swiftech MCX478, but a quick drop in test (resting the Swiftech in the bracket, although the bracket needs to be removed) revealed that I shouldn't have any problems. Either way, be sure to check up on your heatsink manufacturers website to be sure of compatibility. One distressing thing I found using the Intel heatsink (and this has been the case with another P4 board I've tested), is that the amount of force needed actually bends the motherboard PCB. I've removed the heatsink (and reinstalled) about a half dozen times, and it appears that the force isn't damaging the mainboard.

Something I've never seen before, heatsinks on the mosfets. Mosfets regulate the power on the mainboard, and MSI saw it fit to add some heatsinks to aid in cooling. The heatsinks never seem to get really warm though, but it does add a unique look to the board.

Click to enlarge

A four pin power connection rests next to the AGP slot. This, of course, adds the additional power needed for the Pentium 4. The standard ATX power connection is nicely tucked away near the edge of the motherboard. This has always been our preferred spot, as you do not need to worry about the ATX power cable interfering with the heatsink fan.

The IDE connections are located by the DIMM slots, as well as the floppy connection. DIMM support is officially limited to PC1600 and PC2100 DDR, but we had no problems with PC2700. We did have issues filling all three slots with double-sided, unbuffered Crucial ram. The system simply refused to POST, despite power obviously running through the board. The i845E can support up to 4 banks of memory, but 3 slots are present. The 3rd slot cannot accept a double-sided DIMM, if they are present in the other to slots. This is apparently a design issue, and it's suggested that if all three slots are to be filled, you use single-sided DIMMs for the 2nd and 3rd slot.

The RAID connections are conveniently located away from the standard IDE connections. Other than keeping the clutter of cables away from the top of the motherboard, if you have an unusually large video card, such as the Ti4600, it won't interfere with it.

Despite the plethora of integrated hardware, the Max2 - BLR comes equipped with 6 PCI slots (along with the standard AGP and CNR). Keep in mind that if you use the Bluetooth option, you will lose PCI#5, but with 5 other slots to choose from, I doubt this will be a problem.

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