A real eye-catcher - the MSI K7T266 Pro2 alias MS-6380 with a KT266A chipset.

Board revision: 2.0

BIOS version- V3.1B5

View of the packaging for the MSI.

All the components included with the MSI motherboard.

At first glance, the MSI K7T266 Pro 2 is really easy on the eye - the red coloring of its PCB and the delicate packaging can enthrall any user. The most striking characteristic on this board is its integrated USB 2.0 feature, which ensures the board will cope with what the future brings, too. A Promise RAID controller allows you to hook up four additional IDE devices using the Ultra-DMA/100 protocol. A very practical feature is the clip on the AGP slot, which ensures that your graphics card won't stick in the slot. When tested, though, the MSI turns out to be another victim of marketing hype. Every time we booted up, BIOS reported a faulty keyboard, even though the keyboard was properly connected. And our D-Link network card only worked in the first and second PCI slots.

One distinguishing feature - the MSI is the only board with a USB 2.0 controller.

Cable set for the USB 2.0.

In terms of performance, the board places in the mid-range of all the test candidates. Despite our grievances, the remaining equipment is still impressive, and includes a total of 8 USB ports, with slot ports included with the board. Unlike the competition, which generally skimps on accessories, MSI includes three IDE cables with its board. Overclockers will probably be disappointed - the FSB clock speed is limited to 133 MHz, while the maximum CPU core voltage is 1.85 volts.

All the cables come with the board.