MicroStar International is breaking new ground when it comes to its motherboards. MSI is helping lead the yet-to-launch Nehalem desktop processor that uses the Bloomfield core. Today we spend some time with the Eclipse X58-based motherboard for Core i7 CPUs.

Introduction

If you are looking forward to upcoming motherboards for the Intel Nehalem desktop processors that will carry the “Intel® Core™ i7 processor” branding, you are not alone. HardOCP was fortunate enough to get our hands on MicroStar’s new “Eclipse” motherboard that uses the Intel X58 chipset that supports triple channel DDR3.

Join us below for the unboxing of the Eclipse and what new features it is sporting. Is MSI getting positioned to once again be a driving force in the enthusiast motherboard market? Things are looking up for MSI assuredly.

MSI pulled out all the stops in designing P55-GD80. This motherboards sports the new P55 chipset supporting the Lynnfield Core i5 and Core i7 processors. From its sharp looks to its bullet proof design, this board looks about ready to take its X58 based brethren head on.

Introduction

MSI is a veteran component manufacturer in the PC gaming and enthusiast space, known for its high performance products and innovative designs. With each new generation of products, MSI releases new technological innovations on to the world with one goal in mind, to get the highest performance possible out of the target platform. Their P55 based line looks to do just that.

The MSI P55-GD80 motherboard supports the LGA1156 line of Intel processors via the integrated Intel P55 chipset. The chipset itself has in-built support for the following technologies: Intel LGA 1156 Core i7 and Core i5 processors, DDR3 memory operating in Dual Channel mode up to 1333MHz officially, and either NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX graphics mode using matched video cards.

With Intel's launch of the P55 chipset based Core i7 and i5 processors, we knew it would not be long until we saw a slew of motherboards with the P55 chip. Today is the first full review of one of such board from MSI! Our first example is the P55-GD65, which is priced right smack in the middle of P55 motherboards. That should give you an early indication as to where this board stacks up as far as features and performance are concerned. In actuality, this motherboard has an incredible number of features, which we will touch on shortly.

Intel's Core i7 processors have started trickling onto the market, and the collection of X58 Express-based motherboards ready to accept them has started to grow. We've already looked at X58 boards from Asus and Intel, predictably finding the former to be a much better fit for enthusiasts than the latter. Intel, it seems, still hasn't figured out what makes a good enthusiast board. Gigabyte and MSI have been building them for years, though, and today their respective EX58-UD5 and X58 Eclipse motherboards take center stage.

Like most X58 boards, the UD5 and Eclipse aren't cheap. But one could argue that that makes them more interesting. These are unabashedly high-end motherboards, and as such, they're tricked out with excessive arrays of expansion slots, ports, and auxiliary peripherals in addition to novel features you won't find on budget or even mid-range products. The question, of course, is which offers the best blend of indulgent excess, solid performance, and overclocking headroom. Read on for the answer.

MSI's GD65 might not be the all feature encompassing GD80, but this performance P55 board still has the right mix of sexy looks and features to get all but the most hardcore overclocker really engaged. It still manages to carve a niche of hardware and design, yet remains distinct from its cheaper offerings unlike Gigabyte and Asus whose design is uniform from top to bottom.

With recent class-leading form from its AMD AM3 series of motherboards, we know MSI is keen to mirror the performance with its Lynnfield LGA1156 boards. £130 isn't too bad for a performance part - previously we've seen P45 and P35 boards launch at this price, so it's certainly an attainable purchase to some.

Like the competition, we've also been through three BIOS revisions with the MSI and, despite being a little later than others, MSI still managed to get us a few that worked very well at both stock and when overclocked. Read on to find out how we got on!

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It was just about a year ago that Intel introduced the Core i7 1366 family to us and took the world by storm. The hyperthreading capabilities were amazing and the overclocking abilities were second to none. It was as if the CPU world had been turned upside down. The motherboard manufacturers began producing X58 motherboards with excellent performance and plenty of bells and whistles to push the performance of the 1366 chips. Now, this technology is about to hit its middle ages at the ripe old age of one year old and, as computer technology goes, it was time for a new baby to be born.

Sure we'd like to talk more about MSI's Hydra-equipped motherboard, but since that is at least a few good months away and no new info is available we'll tackle something more 'palpable', namely, the P55M-GD45.

The MSI P55M-GD45 motherboard has been designed for use with all the most powerful components and boasts the P55 chipset for seriously boosted performances. The MSI P55M-GD45 is compatible with microprocessors with the 1156 socket as well as DDR3 memory. It has a huge range of connections, including 10 USB 2.0 ports for all your peripherals. This powerful P55M-GD45 has a reduced power consumption and is ideal for latest-generation PCs.