Building Core i5...MSI mainboards any good?

[Tsavo]

I'm going to build a Core i5...I normally buy Gigabyte, but I'm looking at MSI's CD53.

Does MSI build a mainboard that is comparable to Gigabyte in terms of component quality and overall reliability?

I haven't ever used one, so I am curious.

I'd get a Gigabyte, but don't want a board with 523 PCI slots.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

MSI is great. http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ght_key=y&keyword1=msi

 

[Tsavo]

That sums it up. Thanks for the link!

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: Tsavo
That sums it up. Thanks for the link!

No problem

 

[vailr]

One Newegg review says:
"Motherboard only sees 4 of 8 gb's of installed RAM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130240

 

[jarazix]

Thats an ID ten T error. If you run either a 32bit od, or do not adjust bios memory settings you will only see 4gb memory max

New egg used to have higher end clientel

 

[RussianSensation]

If you are going for a solid 3.8-4.0ghz overclock, that 4+1 power phase unit on the MSI board isn't going to cut it.

If you want to do any serious overclocking, I would consider another board such as Asrock P55 Extreme for $150, MSI GD65 $150, Asus P7P55D $150 or UD3R for $140.

Otherwise, just go for UD2 for $110 or $120 Asrock P55 Pro (which addresses a lot of CD53's issues).

I had the CD53 board and it was an unsatisfactory experience from the get go.

Cons:
- BSOD with OCZ Gold low voltage ram at 1.65V - enabling XMP Profile in the BIOS didn't help either (other users reported BSOD with CD53 - just do a search). Right now I am running GSkill ripjaws at just 1.54V at CL7 1600 and they are rated for 1.65. Probably a function of crappy OCZ Gold low voltage ram too...so can't blame the motherboard completely
- 4 pin CPU connector for the mobo vs. 8-pin which supplies better power (you can see some EVGA boards even have 2x 8-pin!!)
- Overvolting my Core i7 860 at 1.20V vs. 1.152V on the Gigabyte
- Had to revert to upgrading BIOS through a bootable USB flash method since LiveUpdate didn't detect the latest BIOS in Windows 7 64-bit
- Has no VTT/PLL adjustment or Load Line Calibration adjustment in the BIOS for CPU
- Inferior power circuitry (4+1 vs. 8 for mainstream boards and 16 for good asus boards) and subpar power circuitry cooling (tiny!)
- No 2oz of copper design which is prevalent in premium Asus and Gigabyte boards (which improves signal quality and lowers impedance)
- Adjusting Ram timings is required for each DIMM in the BIOS instead of doing it once which is a bit annoying
- no dual BIOS chips onboard (i.e. if the BIOS flash gets corrupted you are toast)
- Newegg reviews for this board aren't stellar either.
- No eSATA, no Firewire

Pros:
+ allows to use higher turbo multipliers than Gigabyte boards once set EIST to Auto when overclocking
+ OC Genie is superior to Gigabyte's Smart6 overclocking software
+ lower power consumption than most P55 boards out right now
+ SATA ports face off the motherboard instead of FROM (big plus for reducing cable clutter)
+ Realtek 889 vs. 888
+ attractive color scheme (imo)
+ price
+ Buttons to adjust the Base clock are located right on the motherboard

With that said, it's very hard to recommend the $120 CD53 board when for $20 more you get world class overclocking with Asus and Gigabyte.

To get more familiar with CD53, I recommend you glance at Bit-Tech's CD53 Core i5 750 overclocking guide

 

[Tsavo]

I'm hoping for a moderate 3.4 GHz OC, nothing more, perhaps less. I like the MSI CD53 because of its low cost and lots of PCI-E connectors.

Still, something to think about since I'm a few weeks away from ordering anyway.

 

[RussianSensation]

Ya and again CD53 will only improve with newest BIOS updates. Plus, I have a feeling I just got a dud. But I'd still want the option for 3.8-4.0ghz overclock down the line. So I would spend an extra $10 for 2 eSATA ports, 8 phase power, better power circuitry cooling (with heatpipe), 2oz PCB, 8-pin cpu power connector and dual BIOS (for peace of mind) of the Gigabyte board.

UD3R is $130 at Mwave ($10 cheaper than the Egg) At this price it's only $10 more than the CD53. Sounds like a no brainer to me :thumbsup:

Maybe prices will fall in a couple weeks even more

I already see a midrange EVGA P55 board for $140 after rebate on Newegg!

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
If you are going for a solid 3.8-4.0ghz overclock, that 4+1 power phase unit on the MSI board isn't going to cut it.

If you want to do any serious overclocking, I would consider another board such as Asrock P55 Extreme for $150, MSI GD65 $150, Asus P7P55D $150 or UD3R for $140.

Otherwise, just go for UD2 for $110 or $120 Asrock P55 Pro (which addresses a lot of CD53's issues).

I had the CD53 board and it was an unsatisfactory experience from the get go.

Cons:
- BSOD with OCZ Gold low voltage ram at 1.65V - enabling XMP Profile in the BIOS didn't help either (other users reported BSOD with CD53 - just do a search). Right now I am running GSkill ripjaws at just 1.54V at CL7 1600 and they are rated for 1.65. Probably a function of crappy OCZ Gold low voltage ram too...so can't blame the motherboard completely
- 4 pin CPU connector for the mobo vs. 8-pin which supplies better power (you can see some EVGA boards even have 2x 8-pin!!)
- Overvolting my Core i7 860 at 1.20V vs. 1.152V on the Gigabyte
- Had to revert to upgrading BIOS through a bootable USB flash method since LiveUpdate didn't detect the latest BIOS in Windows 7 64-bit
- Has no VTT/PLL adjustment or Load Line Calibration adjustment in the BIOS for CPU
- Inferior power circuitry (4+1 vs. 8 for mainstream boards and 16 for good asus boards) and subpar power circuitry cooling (tiny!)
- No 2oz of copper design which is prevalent in premium Asus and Gigabyte boards (which improves signal quality and lowers impedance)
- Adjusting Ram timings is required for each DIMM in the BIOS instead of doing it once which is a bit annoying
- no dual BIOS chips onboard (i.e. if the BIOS flash gets corrupted you are toast)
- Newegg reviews for this board aren't stellar either.
- No eSATA, no Firewire

Pros:
+ allows to use higher turbo multipliers than Gigabyte boards once set EIST to Auto when overclocking
+ OC Genie is superior to Gigabyte's Smart6 overclocking software
+ lower power consumption than most P55 boards out right now
+ SATA ports face off the motherboard instead of FROM (big plus for reducing cable clutter)
+ Realtek 889 vs. 888
+ attractive color scheme (imo)
+ price
+ Buttons to adjust the Base clock are located right on the motherboard

With that said, it's very hard to recommend the $120 CD53 board when for $20 more you get world class overclocking with Asus and Gigabyte.

To get more familiar with CD53, I recommend you glance at Bit-Tech's CD53 Core i5 750 overclocking guide

OCZ GOLD ram doesn't support XMP. Also, MSI uses DRMOS mosfets that are much better quality than the regular ones which allows them to use fewer mosfets.

 

[Tsavo]

I'd be all over that UD3R if it had another PCI-E slot. Seems like Gigabyte got a really good deal on PCI connectors.

Though, I'll probably go that route anyway because I've never been let down by Gigabyte.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

OCZ GOLD ram doesn't support XMP.

Thanks for pointing that out! I purchased the OCZ gold Low voltage at Microcenter. The ram stated that OCZ low-voltage DDR3 kits are designed specifically for the Intel® P55 Chipset and subsequent Intel® Core i7, i5, and i3 (Socket 1156) processors.. Therefore, I had little doubts that it would work properly in the mobo. But I guess the 2 didn't like each other.

Also, MSI uses DRMOS mosfets that are much better quality than the regular ones which allows them to use fewer mosfets.

Ya I know. However, in my 1 week of testing, the board (when stable) had a major 0.5V Vdroop at load 2.93ghz (turbo mode enabled) under Prime95 when I set the Vcore to 1.30V. That was a bit too much for my liking.

 

[adelphia83]

I've owned many MSI boards over the years and have been increasingly unimpressed with them. The best was an MSI K8N Neo2 (socket 939) which overclocked among the best.

Then I owned an Intel 955x board which I ran a Pentium D on (not the best CPU) and it performed flawlessly, though it had some major stability issues while overclocking, even though it had all the expensive bells and whistles that the other boards had.

The latest board I had was an Intel P35 MSI P35 Neo-2, which had all the great advertised features but was a complete let down. I've been building systems well over a decade and this board did nothing but disappoint and steered me away from MSI. There are plenty of BIOS options, but the system was finicky-- It liked to boot when it wanted to while overclocked (keep in mind it was 24 hours+ Prime95 stable), and other times would require a BIOS reset.

The most annoying thing was pressing the reset button, which caused the system to power down completely for about two seconds, then restart. While the system was overclocked any decent amount, turning on the PC would make it start for 2-3 seconds then power down, then start again and boot normally. The strangest thing I've ever seen, though it was stable for the most part.

I'm going Asrock this time around...