Overclocking
MSI's Dual Core Center allows you to manage fan and bus speeds from within Windows, with five pre-defined and three user-configurable profiles. Serious overclockers will appreciate BIOS settings that approach the safety limits of most hardware, although a few settings are missing. Memory tweakers should be pleased that MSI supports all memory ratios and the most appropriate latency values.
| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overcloking) | |
|---|---|
| FSB Frequency | 200 - 500 MHz (1 MHz) |
| Clock Multiplier Adjustment | No |
| PCIe Clock | 90-133 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | default - +0.7875V (0.0125V) |
| Memory | 1.80 - 2.45V (0.05V) |
| FSB Termination | N/A |
| Northbridge (MCH) | 1.21 - 1.69V (~0.04V) |
| Southbridge (ICH) | N/A |
| ICH I/O | N/A |
| Available Memory Ratios (DRAM:FSB) | |
| DDR2-533 (1:1) | Yes |
| DDR2-667 (5:4) | Yes |
| DDR2-711 (4:3) | Yes |
| DDR2-800 (3:2) | Yes |
| DDR2-888 (5:3) | Yes |
| DDR2-1066 (2:1) | Yes |
| CAS Latency Range | |
| tCAS: 3-6; tRCD: 2-6; tRP: 2-6; tRAS: 4-12; Command Rate: N/A |
Our Take
The typical overclock value of 346 MHz FSB for our early-revision Core 2 Duo E6700 was easily reached using Intel's boxed cooler - so easily, in fact, that we wanted more. Unfortunately, we were unable to "shoot for the moon" with bus speeds, since the P965 Platinum does not support CPU multiplier adjustment.
The MSI P965 Platinum was top pick for Editors Choice. A lower price and reduced feature set gave the Biostar TForce P965 Deluxe similar value, earning it our "Recommended Buy" award.
| Accessories | |
|---|---|
| Documentation & Software | Quick Installation GuideDriver & Tools CD |
| Hardware | 4x Serial ATA cables1x 80-conductor round ATA cable1x Round Floppy Cable1x USB slot plate (2-ports)1x FireWire Slot Plate (two ports)2x SATA power adapters1x I/O Panel Shield |
Note: We received our board before MSI had finalized its retail packaging, which has since become available. MSI specifies different accessories for different regions, so we checked several websites to determine what the company included for the U.S. market. This left us with a complete list, but no accessory photo.
Special Features
The P965 Platinum is the least expensive board in this comparison to offer FireWire and dual PCIe x16 slots. A 12-transistor 4-phase power regulator tops typical specifications, and MSI promises added stability from its Dual CoreCell ASIC.
