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MSI includes several features unique to their design including MSI Live Update Online, Dual Core Center and an Easy OC Switch. MSI Live Update Online updates the BIOS and drivers of the motherboard automatically by downloading it off the Internet. MSI Live Update 3 updates the files automatically, allowing hassle-free updating of the BIOS. Dual Core Center monitors the hardware. The Easy OC Switch automatically overclocks the FSB to 400MHz (1600MHz effective with quad pumped bus)  Logo Active Phase Switching dynamically controls the demand for power from the CPU, Memory and Chipset PWM. It saves power depending on the loading. In other words, more power is required for 3D gaming than is required to use Wordpad. The board has LEDs which show when the board is on full load and when lower loading is in operation. APS saves up to 27.6% energy compared to without it on the board. Solid capacitors are used on this board boosting the life of the capacitors beyond that of the regular capacitors used in other boards. The MSI board is based upon Intel’s G41 chipset. This chipset supports all Core 2 Duo/Quad CPUs with VRD 11.1 compliance. The list includes the QX9650 and the Celeron E1500 CPUs but does not include earlier CPUs such as the Prescott or Dual Core CPUs. The motherboard supports CPUs with a FSB of 1333/1066/800MHz, meaning that the Yorkfield QX9770 CPU is not supported as it uses a 1600MHz FSB. Integrated graphics have been much maligned and rightly so for many years. The fact of the matter is, most people cannot enjoy the full game experience on integrated graphics that you would find even on a $30 add-on video card. Intel’s GMA4500 graphics is their first to fully support DirectX 10.0 but is not very playable in most games. Intel’s Game Compatibility list for the chipset has a listing for World In Conflict suggesting the lowest settings. The GMA 4500 is manufactured on a 65nm process at Intel’s Fabs. The chip has a clock speed of 667MHz for the core. There are 10 Shader Processors on the GMA 4500 compared to 16 on the GeForce 9400 on NVIDIA’s latest integrated platform. Performance is much increased in games compared to the G35 found on earlier Intel motherboards but, and you knew it was coming, the performance in most games is not sufficient with a Core 2 Quad in most demanding games. Games like The Sims 2 are playable, but be aware that you need to dial down settings in most games to even think of enjoying them. One good feature of this board is onboard HDMI and DVI connections meaning you can use this board for a HTPC where the integrated graphics doesn’t run as hot as an add-in video card would in an enclosed space. Contents: 
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