MSI P55-GD65 - Mid-Range P55 for the Masses
by Gary Key on October 10, 2009 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Software
MSI provides several software applications with the P55-GD65. We will take a quick look at their Control Center and Live Update 4 programs.
MSI Control Center
MSI’s Control Center offers a variety of functions from monitoring information to Windows based overclocking. The application worked quite well after we downloaded the latest version on the website. Realtime changes can be made to the base clock and five primary voltages. Changes to memory settings require a reboot.
Live Update 4
The Live Update 4 application will check your system and then MSI’s primary website for updates to the BIOS and various applications. The user can then choose to download and install the updates or not. We downloaded our BIOS update manually as the primary website was still showing a BIOS revision down one level from what we used in testing. However, our BIOS was provided in the support forum section and not in the BIOS section for the GD65.
DPC Latency
Our test used the Core i5/750
at stock settings with 8GB of memory installed with timings set to 6-6-6-18 at
DDR3-1333.
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yacoub - Saturday, October 10, 2009 - link
Did I miss the list of PSUs that OCGenie had conflicts with? That would be important and helpful data to have in the article and I couldn't find it.Also, this board could be a winner if it didn't have so many archaic parts, like IDE and floppy. Really, MSI, drop those already! Even though there's probably no actual downside to having those items on the board, it actually does make me think less of it and discourage me from considering it. That plus the PSU and BIOS issues keep this from being my first choice.
Eagerly awaiting the other upcoming reviews. :)
michaelheath - Saturday, October 10, 2009 - link
On the first page, issues with Channel Well power supplies and OC Genie were mentioned as being a commonality between the GD65 and the GD80. What would be nice is if Gary would clue us in as to what particular models were giving him grief. Is it CWT's older designs? Is it newer DC-DC designed power supplies?The quagmire comes from the mention of Channel Well, Antec, BFG, and Corsair in the beginning of the article. Channel Well makes some Corsair power supplies, but BFG and Antec haven't used CWT recently for any of their power supplies.
Perhaps someone could clear the air, because I was planning on buying a high efficiency power supply with an MSI P55 board in the near future.
yacoub - Saturday, October 10, 2009 - link
Right. In particular, I am curious if the modular Corsair PSUs, which are a personal favorite, are on the list. The HX520W and HX620W, for examples.punjabiplaya - Monday, October 12, 2009 - link
Using an HX620 with my gd65 right now. works perfectly fine.michaelheath - Saturday, October 10, 2009 - link
...and when I said "Antec" I meant "Thermaltake", which has used CWT for many of their ToughPower units. My bad.punjabiplaya - Saturday, October 10, 2009 - link
I bought this board with a i5 750 and it's been rock solid. Noticeably quicker boot times than my old q6600/680i setup. The only problem I have is with the memory/XMP settings. I'm using a G-skill ddr3 2000 kit. When I set it to auto it shows the memory at being 1600MHz. When I reset and/or boot, it's set at 1333. However, if i set it to advanced or w/e the other setting is, it works and sets the memory at 2000MHz. Other than that, really good board and exceptional value for the price.punjabiplaya - Saturday, October 10, 2009 - link
I bought this board with a i5 750 and it's been rock solid. Noticeably quicker boot times than my old q6600/680i setup. The only problem I have is with the memory/XMP settings. I'm using a G-skill ddr3 2000 kit. When I set it to auto it shows the memory at being 1600MHz. When I reset and/or boot, it's set at 1333. However, if i set it to advanced or w/e the other setting is, it works and sets the memory at 2000MHz. Other than that, really good board and exceptional value for the price.goinginstyle - Saturday, October 10, 2009 - link
Just wanted to say that I really like the new way you are introducing the motherboard articles with the results and conclusions right up front. This article and the mATX were really good.MadMan007 - Sunday, October 11, 2009 - link
Yeah it keeps me from just jumping to the conclusion page then back to read the rest of the article if I want to. Well done.jigglywiggly - Saturday, October 10, 2009 - link
Where be the conclusion