BIOS And Overclocking
The P35 Neo Combo features most of the same frequency and voltage limits of MSI's high-end P35 Diamond, but its CAS Latency Range appears better suited to DDR2 memory in a board that supports either memory type.
| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |
|---|---|
| FSB Frequency | 100 - 500 MHz (1 MHz) |
| Clock Multiplier Adjustment | Yes |
| DRAM Frequency | FSB clock x 1.2, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0. 2.67 |
| PCIe Clock | 100 - 200 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | Default - +0.7875 Volts (0.0125 Volts), 1.550V Max |
| CPU FSB Voltage | 1.20 - 1.50 Volts (0.10 Volts) |
| Northbridge (MCH) | 1.25 - 1.625 Volts (0.025 Volts) |
| Southbridge (ICH) | 1.05/1.15 Volts |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.50 - 2.75Volts (0.04 - 0.17 Volts) |
| CAS Latency Range | |
| tCAS: 3-8; tRCD: 3-8; tRP: 3-8; tRAS: 9-24 |
The P35 Neo Combo doesn't automatically drop memory ratios when overclocking, so it's very easy to reach the memory's stability limit unintentionally by using the "automatic" ratio setting. Dropping the memory ratio manually causes the board to choose lower timings suited to the slower clock speed, but once again increasing the memory clock speed via FSB increase does not result in the timings being automatically adjusted. Instead, every option must be set manually.
MSI's P35 Neo Combo reached 3.34 GHz at 1.50 volts on an E6700 known to reach 3.46 GHz on top boards, but dropping the multiplier didn't help to stabilize an increased bus speed. This particular sample appears limited to 334 MHz maximum bus clock (FSB1336) when using DDR3 memory, but once again this could be due to the lack of automatic adjustment when overclocking.
Accessories
| Accessories | |
|---|---|
| Documentation & Software | Motherboard ManualMotherboard Driver CD |
| Hardware | 1x 80-conductor Ultra ATA cable1x SATA Data Cable1x Four-Pin to SATA power adapter cable1x I/O Panel Shield |
The short accessory list proves MSI's intentions of selling its P35 Neo Combo for a low price.
A very light cable kit supports the single Serial ATA hard drive configuration typical of low-cost builds.
