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The i845
chipset gained quick popularity due to its DDR memory
support, providing an alternative to the once-expensive
RDRAM standard. In fact, many proponents of the chipset
went so far as to call the i845 ?the next 440BX,? referring
to the immensely popular Pentium III chipset that spanned
more than 18 months in production. Technology is evolving
faster than ever before, though, so it was only a matter of
time before Intel updated the core logic of the i845. In
fact, several new iterations of the chipset have been unveiled,
including the i845E,
i845GL, and i845G, which we are looking at today.
MSI has
become a force to be reckoned with in the motherboard
industry. A combination of quick adoption of technology and
speedy implementation of innovative features, has helped MSI
become one of the top three manufacturers in the world. The
845G-L Max exemplifies MSI?s initiative. Not only does the
board include Intel?s latest i845G chipset, but it also
supports Bluetooth wireless technology. Compatibility with
the latest 533MHz front side bus Pentium 4 processors and
USB 2.0 round the package out nicely.
We can
understand how Intel would be reluctant to embrace the
latest advancements in DDR memory technology. After all, it
was a demand for DDR that led to the demise of Intel?s
aggressive plans for RDRAM. The unfortunate result is that
the i845G doesn?t officially support PC2700 memory. MSI has
added its own "unofficial" PC2700 BIOS setting however, to circumvent
the only glaring drawback of the i845G chipset.
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Specifications of the MSI 845G Max-L i845G
Motherboard |
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Mainstream Pentium 4
with Cutting Edge Communications |
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Special Features
Supports USB 2.0 through ICH4
Bluetooth transceiver and key
Intel Extreme Graphics Architecture
Integrated 10/100Mbps LAN controller
CPU
Socket 478 for Intel Pentium 4 Northwood/Willamette
Chipset
Intel i845G/ICH4
400/533MHz FSB
AGP 4x
Support for PC1600/2100 DDR SDRAM
FSB
Supports 400/533MHz FSB
Main Memory
Three, 184-pin sockets
Maximum memory size up to 2GB
Slots
One AGP 4X slot (1.5V only)
Six PCI 2.2 32-bit Master PCI bus slots
One Communication Network Riser (CNR) |
On-Board IDE
An IDE controller on the Intel ICH4 chipset provides
IDE HDD/CD-ROM with PIO, Bus Master and Ultra DMA
66/100 operation modes
Can connect up to four IDE devices
Audio
Realtek AC-'97 Codec
On-Board Peripherals
1 Floppy port supports 2 FDD with 360K, 720K,
1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88Mbytes
1 Serial port (COM A), 1 Parallel port supports SPP/EPP/ECP
mode
6 USB 2.0 ports (2 rear and 4 front)
USB Interface
6x USB 2.0 ports
BIOS
The mainboard BIOS provides AMI "Plug & Play" Flash
BIOS which detects the peripheral devices and
expansion cards of the board automatically
Dimension
ATX Form Factor
Bluetooth Technology
One transceiver and one key for Bluetooth
communication |
Below
is a list of the items that accompany the
MSI
845G Max-L
Motherboard
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2 - 40-pin 80 Conductor
UDMA 100Ribbon Cable
1 - Floppy Ribbon Cable
1 - MSI 845G Max Support CD
1 - 2x USB 2.0/D-Bracket 2 module
1 - User Guide
1 - Bluetooth transceiver
1 - Bluetooth key |
Setup and Installation:
Installation of
the 845G Max is fairly straight forward. However, it
is easiest to install the memory modules before mounting the
board, since the slots are on the far right side, near the
edge and may be a tight fit in certain chassis layouts. The
support CD includes the latest drivers for the integrated
video, Intel's Application Accelerator, the necessary
drivers to enable USB 2.0 through the ICH4 and inital
Bluetooth drivers.
The 845G
Max's accessory package is fairly comprehensive - two IDE
ribbon cables, a single floppy ribbon cable, an extra
two-port USB 2.0 header and MSI diagnostic LED module, are
all included. However, the kit is missing a connector
to enable use of a second COM port.
Layout,
BIOS, and Overclocking
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