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MSI 845 Pro2-R

The counterpart to the ASUS P4B is the MSI 854 Pro2 that is also available with onboard Promise FastTrack RAID controller as tested here. Of all production boards, the 845 Pro2-R is the one sticking most closely to the standard P4 specifications. Where the ASUS P4B and the Shuttle AV40R use EZ-Plug or the oldfashioned AT power connector, respectively, to add additional juice to the board, the owner of an 845 Pro2-R is left at the mercy of the power delivered by the standard 20-pin ATX connector or else has to upgrade the power supply to be compliant with the latest specifications.

MSI 845 Pro2-R. The version shown features the integrated Promise FastTrack RAID controller. Originally, MSI ships the 845 Pro2-R with the passive heatsink for the MCH but includes an active cooler for upgrade. The board does not come with a premounted CPU HSF bracket.

The 845 Pro2-R still has quite a bit to offer, starting with the active cooler included in the shipping contents to the PC-to-PC USB connection (12 Mbit/sec) and most importantly, the onboard CMedia CMI8738 with 6 channel audio support. Like the other contenders, the 854 Pro2-R uses the Intersil HIP6301 programmable power controller in a triple phase configuration.

The 845 Pro2-R (top half) with the active cooler on the MCH installed and the CPU / HSF mounted.

The BIOS uses the standard Award v6.00PG layout and offers essentially the same options as the ASUS BIOS does. Since it is a matter of taste which of the interfaces is more useful or better, we won't discuss this any further, all necessary options for timing adjustments are present and accessible.

In terms of overclocking capabilities, MSI is more conservative and offers FSB options only from 100 to 132 MHz (66-200 with the ASUS board), however, the options offered here are somewhat more realistic. Multiplier settings are available from 8x to 23 x.

Compared to the ASUS P4B, the MSI 845 Pro2-R offers the RAID controller and a real On-board sound as well as factory included active cooling of the Memory Controller Hub but lacks the EZ-Plug and the My Logo Boot screen customizing utility. Instead, the 845 Pro2 comes with the Fuzzy Logic3 overclocking utility (which, in the past, unfortunately has never worked correctly)

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