MSI 785GM-E65 Motherboard Review :: Layout

The MSI 785GM-E65 motherboard is a mini-ATX sized motherboard meaning that it will fit into virtually any case of mini-ATX or larger size. This makes it a great fit for a HTPC as the average HTPC user will not want a lot of extraneous room on their motherboard. The average HTPC user wants a motherboard with decent integrated graphics, onboard sound, USB connections, Firewire connections and minimal expansion.

Starting out at the top right hand corner there is a 4-pin power connector. The CPU Socket is located in the normal position. Surrounding the CPU Socket is a heatsink that covers the MOSFETS. A heat pipe leading to the 785G Northbridge leads out from the heatsink covering the MOSFETS. There is a 140W CPU Ready label printed on the heatsink. The 4-pin CPU fan header is located above the CPU Socket.

Below the CPU Socket are four DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Modules) slots. The DIMM Slots are color coded. To run in Dual Channel memory mode simply install two like memory modules in two like colored slots. The AM3 CPU supports up to 16GB of memory. MSI's board supports DDR3-1333MHz. You can of course use faster memory but it will need to be overclocked to be used.

The board has a single PCI Express x16 slot for add-on graphics cards. The 785G supports Hybrid Crossfire which allows the HD 4200 on the board to work with a HD 3450 discrete video card to increase performance versus the onboard video alone. A PCI Express x1 slot and two PCI slots round out the device expansion slots on the board due to the mini-ATX form factor.

Directly below the DIMM slots is a Fintek chip that provides system monitoring for the motherboard including voltages and temperatures. Below the Fintek chip is a Parallel Port header. Legacy users will love the inclusion of a Parallel Port header but modern motherboards really have little use for it. To the left of the Fintek chip is a COM1 header another legacy item that isn't necessary.

Next to the LPT1 header is a FDD port and a IDE port. The 24-pin power connector is above the IDE port due to the mini-ATX size of the board. To the left of the IDE port are four SATA ports angled 90 degrees to the board allowing for installation of a dual-slot video card without interfering with the drive expansion on the board. A fifth SATA port is face up on the board. Next to the SATA ports is a 3-pin fan connector.

The left side of the board starts off with the Front Panel IO connectors. The connectors are labeled so you won't install the Reset wire onto the Power Switch connector. There are three USB headers next to the FP I/O connection. Next to that is the JBAT jumper for clearing the CMOS on the board. The Speaker connection is next to the JBAT, followed by a Firewire connection, the CD-In, and the JAUD audio jumper.

The onboard audio for the MSI 785GM-E65 motherboard is provided by a Realtek ALC889 CODEC. This is a fully High Definition Audio 1.0 compliant CODEC that supports ten DAC channels that can split into 7.1+2 Channel Front Panel Audio simultaneous output. The ALC889 has a 104dB signal to noise ratio and meets Microsoft WLP3.10 and future WLP audio requirements. Modern onboard audio has largely taken over the market from solutions like Creative's and ESS.

The rear I/O on the board is varied as one would expect from one that is designed to use integrated graphics and sound. A TOSLink output supports SPDIF. Supporting the onboard graphics is a VGA port, a DVI-D port, and a HDMI port. You can also use dual monitors with the use of the appropriate monitor or an adapter. Six USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire port, the RJ-45 jack for the onboard LAN which is controlled by a Realtek RTL8111 PHY and six audio jacks for the onboard audio round out the rear I/O.