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Let's face it. For the most part of the last year, Intel Pentium 4 boards haven't been all that exciting. Whereas Athlon boards truly innovated, Intel boards, although quite solid in their own right, haven't been well known for "packing-in-the-features". One reason for the lethargy in development has been Intel's notion that a performance P4 board must revolve around RDRAM. While RDRAM based boards still dominate the majority of P4 benchmarks, it's initial pricing hindered acceptance into the enthusiast market.
A lot has changed half a year ago when Intel finally embraced DDR. Perhaps they felt compelled to make a change when VIA began to unofficially release their P4 DDR chipset, but nevertheless, DDR is the memory of choice for the majority of enthusiasts.
Following the success of the MSI 845 Ultra, the is a DDR based board, supporting Intel's latest P4/533 FSB chips. Unlike your typical "vanilla" boards, the Max2 series come stacked with features. The i845E chipset is here of course, and along with it comes USB 2.0, ATA100, and a 133 FSB, quad pumped. Also present on the board is RAID ATA133 support, 6-channel sound, LAN, and a surprising entry, Bluetooth support. We'll take a look at all of these features, once we dispence with the obligatory "ripped-from-the-website" specifications...
Specifications
CPU
Supports Intel® Pentium® 4 processor in 478 pin package.
Supports 1.5 ~ 2.53GHz and up.
Chipset
Intel® 845E Chipset
- Support 100MHz/133MHz system clock.
- Intel NetBurst micro-architecture supports 400MHz/533MHz system bus.
- 1.5V AGP interface with 4x data transfer and 4x fast write capability.
Intel® ICH4 Chipset
- 2 channel Ultra ATA 100 bus Master IDE controller.
- Supports USB 2.0 /1.1
- PCI Master 2.2.
- I/O APIC.
- AC'97 2.2 interface.
- 3 UHCI Host controllers and 1 EHCI Host controller.
FSB
- Support 100/133MHz FSB
- Support 400/533MHz Intel NetBurst micro-architecture bus.
Main Memory
Supports four memory banks using three 184-pin DDR DIMM.
Supports up to 2GB PC2100/PC1600 DDR SDRAMs.
Supports 2.5v DDR SDRAM.
Slots
One AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) 4x slot (1.5V only).
Six PCI 2.2 32-bit Master PCI bus slots (support 3.3V/5V PCI bus interface).
One CNR (Communication Network Riser) slot.
On-Board IDE
An IDE controller on the ICH4 chipset provides IDE HDD/CD-ROM with PIO, Bus Master and Ultra DMA66/100 operation modes.
Can connect up to four IDE devices.
ATA133 RAID supported by Promise PDC20276. (845E Max2-BLR only)
Audio
Realtek ALC650 6-channel audio
- SPDIF out (through S-Bracket only).
Network
ICH4 Integrated LAN controller (845E Max2-BLR only)
Intel 82562ET
ACPI and APM supported
Wake-On-LAN and WFM 2.0 supported
On-Board Peripherals
1 floppy port supports 2 FDDs with 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88Mbytes.
2 serial ports (COM A + COM B).
1 parallel port supports SPP/EPP/ECP mode.
1 IrDA connector for SIR/ASKIR/HPSIR.
1 D-Bracket" pin header.
1 S-Bracket" pin header.(Optional)
1 audio/game port.
BIOS
The mainboard BIOS provides "Plug & Play" BIOS which detects the peripheral devices and expansion cards of the board automatically.
The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) function which records your mainboard specifications.
Dimension
30.5 cm(L) x 23.0 cm(W) ATX Form Factor
Mounting
6 mounting holes.
Special Functions
Bluetooth Function (For 845E Max2-BLR only)
The Bundle
Fuzzy Logic3"
S-Bracket"
D-Bracket"
Live BIOS"
Live Driver"
MSI has really been improving on their packaging over the last few motherboards we've looked at. Sporting a cool blue, the boxes really stand out. Keep in mind that the Bluetooth features are optional.
  
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The i845E
As an alternative to the RDRAM based 850 chipset, the 845 chipset was released to support the more common SDRAM memory types. The chipset seriously handicapped Pentium 4 performance however, so it was revamped to support DDR, while not providing the same bandwidth as RDRAM, it was cheaper, and more plentiful.
The 845 chipset went through another revision this summer though, and is now available in either the "E" or "G" flavors. Both revisions add 533FSB support (133FSB quad pumped), and the "G" adds Intel's latest graphics integrations to the mix. For the purposes of this review, we'll be focusing on the .
All of the supported features are as follows:
400 and 533MHz System Bus
Platform longevity with support for the highest CPU frequency and increases system bandwidth for greater system responsiveness.
Intel® Hub Architecture
Dedicated data paths to deliver maximum bandwidth for I/O intensive applications.
DDR200 or DDR266 SDRAM
High bandwidth DDR memory support for higher system performance based on reliable SDRAM architecture.
AGP4X interface
High-bandwidth interface for high-quality 2D, 3D, and video streams.
LAN connect interface
Flexible networking options for a range of usage models.
Alert on LAN* 2.0
Emits an alert in case of software failures or system intrusion, even when the O/S is not present or the system is suspended.
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (6 ports)
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 offers up to 480MB/sec enabling ultrafast data transfers for demanding I/O peripherals.
Ultra ATA/100
Takes advantage of the latest industry innovations in HDD features and performance.
Intel® Application Accelerator
Software that helps accelerate boot time and application launch times.
AC'97 Controller
Excellent audio quality, with up to six channels for full surround- sound capability.
Dual DMA Audio Engines
Enable two independent audio experiences simultaneously.
Communications Network Riser Card
Allows flexibility for multiple configurations on a single card to extend USB, LAN, and audio.
Low-power sleep mode
Energy savings
PACKAGE
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor
478 Flip Chip Pin Grid Array (FCPGA)
Intel® 845E Chipset-82845E MCH
593 Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA)
Intel® 845G Chipset-82801DB ICH4
421 Micro Ball Grid Array (µBGA)
The revised Memory Controller Hub (MCH) adds 533FSB support (400FSB support is included as well), but it's the I/O Controller Hub (ICH4) that will probably be of most interest for some of you. You now have support for up to 6 USB 2.0 devices. With the growing popularity of USB 2.0, this may be a handy feature to have for the near future. Because this is integrated on-chip, it will help reduce motherboard costs as a 3rd party USB 2.0 controller isn't needed anymore.
Keep in mind that only PC1600 and PC2100 is officially supported by the MCH. PC2700 will work though, but not at it's full speed.
Bluetooth
Not part of the i845 featureset, MSI has included Bluetooth support for users who have, or planning to hop on the Bluetooth bandwagon. For those of you not in the know, Bluetooth is set to replace those infrared sensors on many devices, such as laptops, PDAs, and cell phones to name a few. Unlike infrared, you are not limited by line of sight.
  
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The first part of MSI's Bluetooth kit is the transmitting card/module. Although the module doesn't plug into a PCI slot, you will lose a PCI slot (specifically, PCI #5) as the module needs to plug into a set of pins located on in front of the PCI slot. The antenna then is installed in the module. Assuming you have a secondary PC with USB support, you plug the transceiving key into the USB and now you have wireless connectivity. It's nice that MSI includes the tools, as not many people will have Bluetooth enabled devices, but wireless networking is something I'm sure a lot of people would want.
In theory, the Bluetooth enabled PCs should be able to transfer data at about 125KB/s. In reality, we were not able to acheive that level of speed. I transfered our local copy of our website from my primary computer, to my secondary, located on the floor above me, and only managed about 60KB/s. Not nearly as fast as our ethernet connection, but a lot faster than waiting for my files to burn to CD, then moving them to the next computer.
Anyhow, Bluetooth isn't really exclusive to just networking, but sending faxes, printing, PDA syncronizing, and a whole lot more. It hasn't exactly taken the home community by storm, but it's still an emerging technology that may well find itself in our living rooms in the future.
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.
   
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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.
Integrated Hardware
  
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The Memory Controller Hub (MCH) employs a nice silver active cooling solution. Unfortunently, it only uses two retention hooks, so if you're planning to use an aftermarket cooler, such as the , it won't install properly without some modification.
The MCH is a flipchip design, much as the Pentium 3s of yesteryear, and is the traffic cop for the higher level I/O requests. The I/O Controller Hub (ICH4) doesn't need any cooling, and is responsible for things such as ATA, LAN, and AC97 sound. USB2.0 is also a feature, fully integrated into the ICH4, and negates the need for an add on controller that MSI used in the past. Despite the new features, ATA100 support is all that is offered with this chipset.
To address the lack of ATA133 support in the ICH4, the Max2 - BLR does include the Promise 20276 hard disk controller. Other than offering either RAID 0 or RAID 1 mode support, you can also configure it to run your hard drives independently. As with previous Promise controllers, expect 10-15 seconds added to your boot time.
Despite supporting AC'97, like the KT3 Ultra-ARU, this board uses the Realtek ALC650 sound chip. It is AC'97 2.2 compatible, and supports 5.1 sound configuration. It's comparible to most mid level soundcards, and can easily be used in place of a dedicated sound card. It does eat away at your CPU, but considering that the slowest 533FSB Pentium 4 is 2.26GHz, I really doubt it'll make a difference.
MSI includes a boatload of connections with this board. Although everything you expect is there, the 10/100 LAN connection is probably something a lot of you aren't used to seeing on an enthusiast motherboard.
  
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If you want to make use of the 6-Channel sound, you'll need to install the D-Bracket for it. The ICH4 supports up to 6 USB connections, and other than the two USB ports built-in, you have two additional adapters, giving you the 6 total. If you use the Bluetooth features though, you will have to sacrifice one USB connection.
Something that bothered me was the lack of 3-Pin fan headers. There are a total of 3 headers, and only two are usable since the MCH fan uses one. Four headers would have been perfect, but alas, we can't have it all.
The BIOS and Software
By now, the AMI BIOS is pretty much MSI's standard. The AMI BIOS v3.31a is present again, and although it is functional, I do find it lacking when compared to the Award BIOS others use. There is still a fair amount of tweaking options available, and should be sufficient for most power users.
The basics are in place, such as enabling or disabling features such as the Promise controller, USB, sound, and various other integrated devices.
The fun begins with the tweaking. The CPU will likely be locked, so you're forced to do your overclocking via the multiplier. Adjustments in 1MHz increments are available, and simply keying in what FSB you want is a snap. In this menu, you can also adjust the voltage of your CPU, AGP and DDR in case your system isn't getting enough juice.
For the DDR, all your various timings are available. Unfortunently, due to the design of the MCH, you only have support for up to PC2100. There isn't even an option for "+33" for your ram, which I thought was kind of a drag since PC2700 is gaining in market acceptance.
Although it appears everything you need is present, one glaring feature I found that was missing was the lack of PCI dividers. I'm wondering if it's a "silent" feature, as it was with the KT3 Ultra, but it certainly isn't present here. Therefore, unless I'm told otherwise, as you increase your FSB, you'll be speeding everything up, which may cause issues when overclocking.
Software
Fuzzy Logic 4 is MSI's Windows based overclocking software. It works well for the most part, but personally, I still prefer doing it the old fashion way in the BIOS.
PC Alert III, much like Motherboard Monitor, is a background app (though it can be configured to be launched only when requested) that monitors your system health, in regards to heat. Your CPU temps are monitored, as well as any fans that support monitoring. You may notice higher temps than you're used to, but that's because it's read directly off the CPU diode.
The Live BIOS and Live Driver is something that's packaged with all of MSI's new boards, but it's still something I'm not comfortable using. Both are Windows based applications that can update the appropriate feature on your motherboard. I'd still update the BIOS through pure DOS mode though.
Finally, you get all of the drivers you need to run your hardware. For maximum performance from your IDE drives, be sure to install the Intel Application Accelerator.
Overclocking
The processor used for this review is the Intel 2.4GHz, 533FSB. The default setting is 18x133, so as you can see, the multiplier is already pretty high. As we've mentioned ealier, the multiplier is locked, so we had to go about it the old fashion way, upping the FSB.
Cooling was done with the stock Intel heatsink. I tested with a Thermaltake Volcano 7+ as well, but the copper heatsink didn't really do much to aid in our overclocking endeavor. vCore was boosted to 1.8v, and the ram timings were set to the most conservative settings.
Right off the bat, we went for a 166FSB (we were using PC2700 ram), which proved to be a mistake as the system never got to POST. I dropped down to 160FSB with similar results. In fact, the PC did POST, but the screen went blank at the Promise boot up.
At 158FSB, we managed to get to the Windows splash screen, but were immediately greeted with a blue screen, critical failure. At 155FSB, we got into Windows, and were even able to run the SiSoft CPU benchmark. I tried opening Photoshop to capture the screenshot, but it wouldn't start. In fact, all other applications were unresponsive when the executible was double-clicked. I rebooted, and the system wouldn't POST, forcing a CMOS reset.
Our conclusions up until this point are that the motherboard is capable of overclocks of 155+, if your cooling is up to speed. I should point out that the stock heatsink runs at about 58C under load, at stock speeds, whereas at 155FSB, temperatures were in the low 60s, so it wasn't that hot, but certainly warmer than we'd like.
In the end, we settled down on what we felt was the most stable, and highest performing overclock. This meant running the ram at it's fastest settings, while maintaining a decent overclock. The magic number was...
We were able to do everything we typically do, such as play a few games, run benchmarks, and working on this article. I've seen higher overclocks from this board, so your milage may vary.
Test Setup
Intel Pentium 4 "B" 2.4GHz @ 533FSB
MSI 845 Max2 - BLR
2 x 256MB Crucial PC2700 DDR
2 x 80GB Maxtor ATA100 RAID-0
PNY Verto Ti4600
We will be testing the above against another MSI motherboard, the MSI 845-A, which is similar to the MSI 845-ARU which we reviewed earlier. This MSI board is a 400FSB, DDR part, already patched with the latest BIOS update, but lacks onboard RAID. Tests will be done with a 2.4GHz Northwood "A", to illustrate the differences from 400FSB to 533FSB.
The 2.4GHz "A" is from a Dell Dimension, running a i850 Chipset. This system will also be thrown into the benchmarks, despite being a 400MHz part, to specifically compare the memory scores. Because it's a Dell, overclocking will be impossible, and tests will be done at stock speed.
Knowing full well that this sample MSI 845-ARU is capable of 133FSB, we'll also be dropping in the Northwood "B" CPU in for an apples to apples test of the two motherboards @ 133FSB.
We will be certain to perform tests where the video card should not be a limiting factor. What that means is for the gaming benchmarks, tests will be run at 640x480, stressing the CPU and motherboard subsystem.
SiSoftware Sandra
Although a synthetic benchmark, it's a popular one, freely available if you wish to make comparison benchmarks. We will be testing the CPU, MMX and memory speeds of all the platforms.
CPU Arithmetic Benchmark
The scores between the two Northwood "A" platforms are close, as I expected them to be. However, the Northwood "B" shows a significant jump from 400FSB to 533FSB, at the same clockspeed. Dropping the Northwood "B" into the 845-A, and overclocking it to 133, it comes close to the 845E, but after 5 consecutive benchmarks, with a reboot in between, it still couldn't catch up to the "E". I guess the elves at Intel did some tweaking.
CPU Multimedia Benchmark
Although the scores were close, we see the added bandwidth from the FSB jump has paid dividends for the 845E. Even the overclocked MSI 845-A wasn't close, and lagged behind quite a bit. The Dell Dimension did alright, being a little faster than the 845D chipset.
CPU Memory Benchmark
As expected, the RDRAM based 850 clobbers the DDR boards by a wide margin. This shouldn't be too surprising for those of you who follow the memory trends. Despite supporting the same DDR speeds (PC2100), the Max2-BLR and the overclocked 845-A pull ahead of the stock speed 845-A. Nothing noticable though, and we can see that PC2700 support is sorely needed here.
PC Mark 2002
Click for Online Result Browser
As with the SiSoft scores, our PC Mark scores follow a similar trend. The 533FSB really does make a difference for CPU horsepower. The RDRAM system does pull ahead in the memory benchmarks, but as we've seen before, the 533FSB does pretty much nothing to pull the memory scores any higher.
3D Mark 2001SE
Click for Online Result Browser
3D Mark is one of those benchmark apps that will eat up as much processing power as it can. Benchmarks were run at default 1024x768, as I felt 640x480 is getting to be fairly pointless. The Max2-BLR easily pulls away from the 400FSB based boards, demonstrating that in fact, FSB is king. The overclocked 845-A comes close again, but still falls behind the 845E.
Quake 3 Arena
It's getting old, I know, but Quake 3 is still a decent benchmark for almost anything. For motherboards and CPUs, we run at the lowest settings and fire away. It's begining to sound like a broken record, but the faster 845E wins again. It's interesting to note that the RDRAM system is faster than the stock DDR setup, since their FSB speeds are equal.
Jedi Knight 2
Jedi Knight is still a Quake 3 engine game, but heavily modified. It's extemely taxing, but like Quake 3, the 845E scores another victory.
Final Words
The MSI 845E Max2-BLR packs a lot of features that make it a unique entry in the growing Pentium 4 motherboard crowd. The Bluetooth addition is a feature that many home, or mobile users may find very useful. Bluetooth is more than just networking, and it's features make it very attractive for many.
Other than that, enthusiasts will like the overclockability, stability, and generally good speed. The addition of the heatsinks on the mosfets are a nice touch, and the red PCB returns, making the board very attractive for case window equipped cases.
This board is faster than the previous 845 DDR (845D) board MSI released, even when overclocking the earlier board to 533FSB. My guess is that Intel did a little tweaking to the i845E.
The onboard LAN and sound were nice touches. Both will hit your CPU while in use, but nothing too terrible. We lost about 6 FPS in Quake 3 when using the onboard sound, and about 7 FPS while downloading a map pack during benchmarking. This is hardly a problem if you're averaging 190+ FPS.
I want to be careful when I mention this, since I didn't invest too much time into it, but the Promise controller, which was identical to the one found in the KT3 Ultra-ARU, actually benchmarked significantly faster on the Max2-BLR. In PC Mark 2002, hardly a standard disk benchmark but I'm mentioning our results here, the KT3 Ultra scored 967. With the Max2-BLR, we scored 1334. Why the difference? I'm not really sure, as the hard drives, and RAID controller were identical. I've read reports of the VIA/Promise issues, but please research more on this topic if this is of concern to you.
There are a few downsides to the board, though not necessarily MSI's fault. The DIMM issues, where only two banks at any time can be populated with double-sided DIMMs, might be a problem for those of you who stockpiled a ton of ram. The lack of PC2700 support was sorely missed, as even the original 845D kept pace with the newer 845E. Finally, the price may be a little high for some people, ringing in at about 297$ for all the accessories, whereas the Max2-LR (no Bluetooth) is quite a bit cheaper at 135$. All these prices we got from .
That being said, we were very impressed with the performance and the overall packaging. The board was remarkably stable during testing, only faltering when we pushed it too hard. They include a nice group of software utilities for the users, and a lot of extra accessories, that even despite the relatively high price, is probably cheaper than if you were to buy them separately.
MSI:
Pros: Good performance, extra USB 2.0 ports, solid construction, stable, good software bundle, Bluetooth.
Cons: Long boot times with RAID enabled, lack of PC2700 support.
Bottom Line: As with most recent boards, feature-wise, MSI does not skimp here. Memory speed could have been better had Intel built PC2700 support, but the jump to 533FSB certainly helped the CPU scores. Given the choice of an older 845D, or a more expensive i850 setup, I think I know which I'd rather have...
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