MSI
P6N Diamond Motherboard
At last – a motherboard that matches your ambitions. MSI’s P6N Diamond nForce
680i Socket 775 ATX platform delivers commanding performance for Intel Core2
Quad, core2 Extreme, Core2 Duo, Pentium 4 (Prescott, P4RR), Pentium D, and Pentium
XE/Celeron D processors up to 1333 FSB with EIST and Hyper-Threading technologies,
as well as Intel 05B/05A and 04B/04A CPUs. Based on the NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI
(C55) chipset, the MSI P6N Diamond nForce 680i also supports dual channel DDR2
533/667/800 memory up to 8GB, SATAII, USB 2.0, and PCI Express x16 with 1x16
or 2x8 operation, along with Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme HD audio, NVIDIA
Fast Ethernet LAN, and IEEE 1394. For commanding performance at an affordable
price, choose the MSI P6N Diamond nForce 680i motherboard.
Get Ready for Spectacular SLI Graphics
If you’re a gamer, you’ll love the explosive graphics you’ll
generate with this MSI P6N series board. That’s because it’s equipped
with quad PCI Express x16 slots to support SLI x16 and X-Fi Xtreme Audio, providing
the ultimate gaming experience. Aside from giving the best 3D gaming graphics,
MSI focuses on audio quality with every generation of its Diamond Class products.
For incomparable gaming performance at an affordable price, choose the MSI P6N
Diamond nForce 680i motherboard.
Specifications
Processor Interface:
Socket 775
Form Factor:
ATX
Processors Supported:
Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition
Intel Pentium 4 LGA775
Intel Pentium D
Intel Pentium XE
Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel Core 2 Quad
Additional Technologies:
HyperThreading Technology
EIST
SLI Ready
Front Side Bus:
533MHz
800MHz
1066MHz
1333MHz (Limited Support)
Northbridge:
NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI
Southbridge:
NVIDIA nForce 430i
Memory Supported:
533MHz DDR2
Dual Channel Supported
667MHz DDR2
800MHz DDR2
Number of Pins:
240-Pin
Number of Slots:
4
Maximum Memory Supported:
16GB - 64bit
Channels:
8 Channels
Audio Chipset:
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme
LAN Type:
10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit
PCI Slots:
2
PCI Express X1 Slots:
1
PCI Express X16 Slots:
4
PS/2 Keyboard Connectors:
1
PS/2 Mouse Connectors:
1
USB Ports:
10
FireWire Ports:
1 - 1394a
LAN Ports:
2
Audio Out Jacks:
1
IDE Headers:
1
FDD Headers:
1
Serial ATA Headers:
6
1 - External
ATX Power Connectors:
1 24-Pin Connector
PC Power Connectors:
1 - 8 Pin
Fan Connectors:
1 x Power
1 x CPU
S/PDIF Connectors:
1 - Coaxial
1 - Optical
Length:
12.000 in. (30.48 cm)
Width:
9.600 in. (24.5 cm)
Detailed Features
A Closer Look
Socket
This motherboard features a Socket 775 design.
Chipset
The P6N Diamond motherboard is based on the NVIDIA nForce 680I SLI Northbridge
chipset and the NVIDIA nForce 430i Southbridge chipset. It supports Intel
Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Pentium D , Pentium EE, Pentium XE and Pentium
4 LGA775 , with 533/800/1066/1333MHz Front Side Bus support. (FSB
1333MHz requires FSB 1333MHz CPU and manual FSB adjustment in the BIOS)
Memory
Expansion
The P6N Diamond provides 2 DIMM sockets using Dual Channel 240-pin DDR2
with a total capacity of up to 8GB-64bit. You can install DDR2 533/667/800MHz
Memory.
PCI
Express Support
The P6N Diamond fully supports PCI Express, the latest I/O interconnect technology
that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point serial interconnections
between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by carrying data in packets.
This high-speed interface is software compatible with existing PCI specifications.
IDE
The P6N Diamond includes built in IDE facilities that support Ultra ATA
133.
Audio
The P6N Diamond comes with a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme HD audio
codec which supports high quality 8-channel audio.
Serial
ATA RAID Support
The P6N Diamond supports the Serial ATA II technology through the Serial
ATA interfaces. Doubles bus bandwidth which provides blazingly high disk
performance, up to 3.0Gb/s. (5) Five internal SATA connectors support RAID
0, 1, 0+1, 5, JBOD solutions. (1) One external and (1) one internal SATA
connectors supports 0 and 1 solutions.
Customer Reviews and Rating
Customer Rating:
4.9
Customer Reviews:
6
Have an opinion on this product that you would like to share? If so, please take a few moments to write your rating and review.
Value
4.8
Features
5.0
Quality
4.8
Performance
4.8
Sort By:
Reviewer:
Anonymous
on
Nov 04, 2008 Customer Rating:
5.0
Value
5.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
It works great with XP-64bit and xp-32bit have no compatibility issues what so ever.
Reviewer:
Anonymous
on
Jun 20, 2008 Customer Rating:
4.8
Value
4.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
Very nice Mobo! With the included SB Extreme sound you can't go wrong. Unless you are planning an SLI build with Vista. This Mobo doesn't do SLI with Vista, Oops. I am also having some issues with the bios update from MSI's website. I still like this board and its layout and the features. The problems are work arounds.
Reviewer:
Anonymous
on
May 30, 2008 Customer Rating:
5.0
Value
5.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
Replaced it with a XFX 680i since theres no more, paid 99$ for the XFX, but the guy at tiger was nice and swapped it out for this one, 50$ off woot!!, and i must say i think this may be more Awesomer than the XFX one! Go Tiger!
Great Look, nice features, and X-Fi sound blaster is Heavenly to your ears, nice heat since, Posted right up, no problems! still havnt updated the bios yet
No Static Bag?!? Dinted Heat sink?! Traces of Thermal paste around the Socket???!?
This thing looked Used when i got it, not much room around the socket for third party heatsinks, i baarely fitted my Thermal take Blue Orb II, had to tale the fan grill of he Psu, its 5 centimeters away from my PSU fan!!! but over
oh and its not PSI-E 2.0 :[ but compatible with 2.0 cards
Overall I love this Thing, Quade SLI! Black PCB, sound plaster nice heatsink its Freakin Awsome!
Vista x64, SLI ready Ocz and G-skill, 4G, Q6700, thermalake Blue orbII, XFX 8800GT, Ultra 750 watt, Ultra X-Blaster case.
Reviewer:
Anonymous
on
Apr 25, 2008 Customer Rating:
4.5
Value
5.0
Features
5.0
Quality
4.0
Performance
4.0
This is an awesome mobo as long as you are not using a Yorkfield Q9300 Quad Core CPU. It states it will accept up to 1333 fsb but the Yorkfield Q9300 is NOT compatable with the board. So you have to buy a new Mobo or a new CPU. Luckily I had a Q6600 I could install. Thing just screams. Had to send it back to MSI to have the Bios updated because the utilities do not work with Vista 64 bit or rather any 64 bit system. Not cool! But with the new (old Q6600) CPU installed 8GB of DDR2 ram 2 EVGA Akimbo superclocked 512mb ddr3 8800gt Sli Graphics are full 16x and awe inspiring. Plus it boots in under 25 secs.
Reviewer:
barley1973 on
Oct 19, 2007 Customer Rating:
5.0
Value
5.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
Great motherboard. core 2 duo e6850 running fine. Make for certain that you update the bios to take advantage of FSB 1333. Onboard X-Fi audio sounds great too.
Before you buy - make sure your motherboard is compatible with this memory. For example, DDR Memory won't work with motherboards designed for only DDR2, SDRAM or RDRAM memory, and vice versa. Only use the memory speed recommended by your motherboard's manufacturer. Please read the specifications carefully or call us for expert advice.
Know Your BIOS! With today's rapid pace of
design advancement, new product updates come fast and furious. This is
especially true of board-level products, like Motherboards, Video Cards, GPU
Processor Cards, and other main edge connector products. The good news is
that manufacturers have designed in the ability to easily update your
product BIOS, which is sometimes important for full compatibility. So before
installing or combining components, it is always a good idea to check your
product's current BIOS revision against the manufacturer's website, to
determine if an update is needed, or advisable. The manufacturer's
documentation will guide you through this process if it is necessary.
However, remember that most products are designed to be plug-n-play out of
the box!
But
What Is BIOS?
Most electronic devices,
from computers to MP3 players have software embedded in their hardware.
These are programs that tell the device how it will function - from basic to
advanced functions - so that it knows how to start, and perform the most
simple and complex tasks it was designed for. We call this software the BIOS
(sometimes also called Firmware). In computer jargon, BIOS stands for "Basic
Input/Output System", but in reality, there is very little "basic" about it.
In your computer's motherboard for example, it tells your computer how to:
start up; communicate with hardware components, such as hard drives and
video; how to move data in and out of memory; and even talk to your USB
connected devices. Without your BIOS, your device is JOOL (just out of
luck!).
Keep in mind that changing a PC's BIOS
settings incorrectly can cause the PC to malfunction. If this happens, a
BIOS reset is usually available, and will need to be performed to return the
BIOS to the default "factory settings." This is usually activated by a
jumper on the motherboard. [Warning: always read
your motherboard or system manual thoroughly, before upgrading your BIOS, or
making BIOS setting changes!] Though normally, most incorrect
settings should have no negative affect on your PC, but please follow each
step explicitly since some can.
Remember: It is recommended that you reboot
after each individual BIOS setting change to ensure that your system
functions normally. If you make numerous changes before rebooting, and your
system will no longer boot, you won't know which change is responsible for
the failure.
Updating Your BIOS
Before you consider updating your BIOS, be sure you need to - not every
update will be needed or even benefit you. Also be sure you are up to
the technical challenges you will face. Changing the version of BIOS
stored in your computer or motherboard is not the kind of activity
recommended for novice users. To perform this successfully, you need
to be comfortable and familiar with your BIOS settings, and be able to
download and apply the BIOS Update without issue. For this reason, it
is best to let professional computer technicians do this work for you, if or
when it is needed. However, if you know what you are doing, it is a
fairly easy task.
Before Updating BIOS, consider the
following:
The reasons for updating your BIOS -
frequently, updating is unnecessary
Identifying your BIOS chip - if
replacing is the approach required
Replacing your BIOS chip - this requires
significant care, and can void your warranty
Locating your latest BIOS version -
required for any update
Flashing your BIOS - make sure you have
a UPS!
Live update - great for minor or quick
updates - again a UPS is vital - a partial update can make your system
inoperative
Configuring your new BIOS settings -
read the manual! twice for good measure!
Understanding
Computer Memory
Because memory is such a crucial element of our computer's performance,
we all understand that we need it in generous supply. However, questions
remain about what kind of memory is best, what functions each memory serves
and which memory is used for notebooks and PCs.
Click Here for more information
that will answer your many of your questions.
How Much
Memory Do You Really Have?
When you look at the specifications for a computer, it will display the
installed memory, and typically the maximum memory that can be installed.
However, while these are real values, they represent a potential useable
memory depending upon the installed operating system, and other factors. The actual useable memory may be different
(lower) from these values.
The reason is simply that a computer may have a limitation in the operating
system (such as Windows 32 bit versions), or configured to use shared memory,
which reduces the amount of RAM that is available to the CPU by using
some of it for other purposes, such as for video memory. In some
cases, you can control the maximum useable memory through system settings,
by upgrading from a 32 bit to a 64 bit version of Windows XP or Vista, or by upgrading to a video card that has internal onboard video memory.
But always
remember, that the amount of memory that your system reports, is not always
the amount of actual installed memory. For example, if you have 4GB
installed, 32 bit versions of Windows will typically report 3.2GB due to a
limitation of Windows itself. Also note that different Windows
programs report available and maximum memory differently, which can be
confusing. If you find that you need more
memory, we suggest expanding your system memory, since this is the most
effective performance increase, and the one that is easiest to perform .
Advanced PC Build-It-Yourself Guide
Not too long ago one had to be eligible for the Genius IQ Club (Mensa)
in order to build a computer. That is no longer the case. Today’s computer
manufacturers have made it much easier for the enterprising do-it-yourselfer
to create a great system.
Click Here To Learn More »
PCI
Express - Delivering Dramatically Improved Graphics
Doubling the bandwidth of the AGP 8X graphics bus, the new PCI Express represents
the most profound change to desktop architecture in nearly a decade. PCI
Express replaces AGP, allowing much larger amounts of data to move between
the graphics card and the CPU, and will soon replace PCI expansion slots
as well. The PCI standard allows for a 32-bit bus with a maximum throughput
of 133MB/s. By contrast, PCI Express will run at 2.5GHz. PCI Express is
a two-way serial connection that carries data in packets along two pairs
of point-to-point data lines, compared to the single parallel data bus of
traditional PCI. Gamers will benefit from an incredible upgrade in video
quality with PCI Express, because it will allow for more powerful video
cards, inspiring developers to create more realistic environments that will
make games come alive with astonishingly lifelike colors and images. Video
enthusiasts will also benefit because PCI Express will accommodate higher-quality
video throughput (amount of data you can send per second). As network television
moves over to HDTV broadcasts, PCI Express positions the PC platform for
integration into the living room, while also allowing for HD video editing
and other bandwidth-intensive tasks. PCI Express is compatible with existing
PCI drivers and software operating systems and is designed to co-exist with
current PCI hardware.
SLI
MCPs | Motherboards To enable NVIDIA SLI technology in your PC, you'll need an SLI-Ready
certified motherboard with an nForce SLI MCP and two physical PCI Express
x16 slots. NVIDIA motherboard partners offer nForce SLI motherboards for
both AMD and Intel CPUs.
What is SLI Technology?
NVIDIA® SLI™ technology is a revolutionary platform innovation that allows
you to intelligently scale graphics performance by combining multiple
NVIDIA graphics solutions in a single system with an NVIDIA nForce® SLI
media and communications processor (MCP).
How Does SLI Technology Work?
Using proprietary software algorithms and dedicated scalability logic
in each NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU) and MCP, NVIDIA SLI technology
delivers up to twice the performance of a single graphics solution.
Note:
The NVIDIA SLI connector is not used with some mainstream graphics
cards.
3-way SLI motherboards must have 3 PCI-E x16 slots.
NVIDIA SLI-Ready MCPs:
NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI
NVIDIA nForce 790i SLI
NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI for INTEL
NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI for INTEL
NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI for INTEL
NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI for INTEL
NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI for INTEL
NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI for AMD
NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI for AMD
NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI for INTEL
NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI for INTEL
NVIDIA nForce 500 SLI for AMD
NVIDIA nForce Professional
NVIDIA nForce4 SLI X16
NVIDIA nForce4 SLI
NVIDIA nForce4 SLI XE
Having
Issues With Your PC?
Here Are Some Common Problems And Solutions!
Of course, there a thousand little things can go wrong with an average
PC. But many problems are common, and have common solutions.
Click Here to
Learn More »
* The above
values are for physical, not usable memory.
The amount of
memory that your system reports, is not always the amount of actual installed
memory. For example, if you have 4GB installed, 32 bit versions of Windows will
typically report 3.2GB due to a limitation of Windows itself. Also note
that different Windows programs report available and maximum memory differently,
which can be confusing. If you find that you need more memory, we suggest
expanding your system memory, since this is the most effective performance
increase, and the one that is easiest to perform.
Contents of package may vary from those pictured and stated here,
due to changes in manufacturer's specifications or merchandising.
Please check the product information carefully, items not included
may no longer be required.
Manufactured by:
MSI Computer Warranty provided by:
MSI Computer Limited Warranty:
12 months parts;
12 months labor
Mfg Part No:
P6N Diamond UPC No:
816909039429 Box Size:
( Length:
11, Width:
14, Depth:
4 )
Shipping Weight:
4.7000 pound(s)
Click here for full warranty and support information
Limited Warranty: A full text version of the limited warranty
may be obtained by mailing a self addressed, stamped envelope to the
address below and requesting the warranty for item number:
M452-2680
TigerDirect.com
Warranty Information
7795 W. Flagler St. Suite 35
Miami, FL. 33144
0
Item Total
$0.00
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(
6 reviews)
MSI
P6N Diamond Motherboard
Processor Interface:
4.5
Know Your BIOS!
