Legit Motherboard Reviews
MSI Big Bang XPOWER Intel X58 Motherboard Review
| Manufacturer: | Micro-Star International |
| Product: | XPOWER |
| Date: | Thu, Jun 10, 2010 - 12:00 AM |
| Written By: | Dan Stoltz - |
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MSI Big Bang XPower Explodes Onto the Scene
“Quality Products Create Faithful Customers” is the motto that drives MSI. Founded in 1986, MSI has been bringing quality computer components to us ever since. Today we have the opportunity to look at the latest product from MSI, the MSI Big Bang XPower Motherboard. The MSI Big Bang XPower is an X58 Socket 1366 motherboard. The amount of features included in the MSI Big Bang XPower may lead you to believe that the price tag would be high. Fortunately for us, it isn't as high as one may think; it has a MSRP of only $299.00.
The MSI Big Bang XPower isn't built with the average Joe computer user in mind. It is designed with the enthusiast and extremist in mind. It is built using the highest standards and Military Class Components. All of the Military Class components meet the temperature requirements of US Department of Defense MIL-PRF-39003L standard.
What does this mean for you? It means that there is less heat and better stability. Stability and heat are always a factor when it comes to computers, especially if you plan on some serious overclocking.
The MSI Big Bang XPower will support up to six single slot graphics cards for some hefty multi-monitor use. It also supports the latest Quad-SLI and CrossFireX technology from NVIDIA and ATI. If you are looking to do some extreme overclocking with the new Intel Core I7 980X you will need a board that can supply enough power. Under Extreme overclocking conditions the I7 980X can draw around 480 Watts, which is too much for a single 8pin cpu connector to supply. The MSI Big Bang XPower was designed for such a circumstance!
The keen folks over at MSI added a second 8pin CPU connector to the Big Bang XPower! There should be no issues with power when pushing the latest processors to the maximum frequencies. They also decided to add a 6pin PCI-e which will aid when overclocking the graphics cards!
| Socket | 1366 |
| CPU Support | I7 |
| Chipset | X58+ICH10R |
| DDR3 Memory | 800/1066/1333/1600/1800/2133 |
| Memory Channel | Triple |
| DIMM Slots | Six |
| Maximum Memory | 24GB |
| PCI-Ex16 | Six |
| PCI-E Gen 2.0 | Gen2 (2x16, 2x8, 2x4) |
| PCI-Ex1 | One |
| SATAIII | Two |
| SATAII | Six |
| Raid | 0/1/5/10 |
| LAN | 10/100/1000*2 |
| TPM | One |
| USB 3.0 ports (Rear) | Two |
| USB 2.0 ports (Rear) | Six |
| Audio ports (Rear) | 6+Coaxial SPDIF/Optical SPDIF |
| 1394 ports (Rear) | One |
| eSATA | Two |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| DrMOS | Yes |
| APS | Yes |
| SLI | Yes |
| 3-Way SLI | Yes |
| Crossfire | Yes |
| D-LED | Yes |
| Green Power Genie | Yes |
The MSI Big Bang XPower will support up to six single slot graphics cards for some hefty multi-monitor use. It also supports the latest Quad-SLI and CrossFireX technology from NVIDIA and ATI.
Let's take a peek at the retail packaging and the bundle that comes with the MSI Big Bang XPower.
Next Page - MSI Big Bang XPower Box and Bundle
| Review Index |
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Page 1 - MSI Big Bang XPower Explodes Onto the Scene
Page 2 - MSI Big Bang XPower Box and Bundle Page 3 - MSI Big Bang XPower, A Closer Look Page 4 - MSI Big Bang XPower Bios Page 5 - Legit Reviews Test System Page 6 - PCMark Vantage Page 7 - 3DMark Vantage Page 8 - Super Pi Page 9 - Cinebench R11.5 Page 10 - SiSoftware Sandra 2010 Page 11 - x264 HD Video Encoding Page 12 - Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Page 13 - Colin McRae: DiRT 2 Page 14 - Overclocking the MSI Big Bang XPower Page 15 - System Power Consumption Page 16 - Final Thoughts and Conclusion |
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