MSI X48C Platinum Motherboard
If you want to run more than one video card, the new MSI X48C Platinum Intel
X48 Socket 775 motherboard offers the ultimate in graphics performance with
support for two PCIe 2.0 x16 and ATI CrossFire X cards. Based on the Intel X48
chipset, this ATX platform is designed for systems with Intel Core 2 Extreme,
Core 2 Quad/Core 2 Duo-–based processors, as well as Intel Yorkfield and
Wolfdale CPUs. The MXI X48C Platinum supports 800/1066/1333/1600MHz FSB, and
can accommodate DDR2 or DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600 SDRAM memory up to 8GB (DDR2
and DDR3 cannot be installed at the same time). This high-performance platform
also supports SATAII, eSATA up to 3Gb/s, RAID 0/1/5/10, 7.1-channel HD audio,
Gigabit LAN, IEEE1394, and USB 2.0. The MSI X48C Platinum Intel X48 also features
Green Power design for more efficient, earth-friendly energy use, Dual Core
Center, Live Update Online, and Live Update 3. For spectacular gaming, multimedia
entertainment, and extreme performance, order the MSI X48C Platinum Intel X48
Socket 775 motherboard.
Specifications
Processor Interface:
Socket 775
Form Factor:
ATX
Processors Supported:
Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel Core 2 Extreme
Intel Pentium 4 3xx
Intel Core 2 Quad
Quad Core CPU Ready
Intel Yorkfield, Wolfdale Support
Additional Technologies:
Vista Ready
Live Update
CrossFireX Ready
Front Side Bus:
1600MHz
800MHz
1066MHz
1333MHz
Northbridge:
Intel X48
Southbridge:
Intel ICH9R
Memory Supported:
667MHz DDR2
800MHz DDR2
800MHz DDR3
1066MHz DDR3
1333MHz DDR3
1600MHz DDR3
Intel XMP Support
Number of Pins:
240-Pin
Number of Slots:
6
Maximum Memory Supported:
8GB - DDR3 Support for 4 Slots
4GB - DDR2 Support for 2 Slots
Channels:
8 Channels
Audio Chipset:
Realtek ALC888
LAN Type:
10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit
PCI Slots:
3
PCI Express X1 Slots:
2
PCI Express X16 Slots:
2
PS/2 Keyboard Connectors:
1
PS/2 Mouse Connectors:
1
USB Ports:
12
USB Rear Panel Ports:
8
USB Onboard Headers:
2 - (expandable to 4 USB ports)
FireWire Ports:
1 - 1394a
LAN Ports:
1
Audio Out Jacks:
2
IDE Headers:
1
Serial ATA Headers:
4
2 - External
ATX Power Connectors:
1 24-Pin Connector
PC Power Connectors:
1 - 8 Pin
Fan Connectors:
1 x Chassis
S/PDIF Connectors:
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 X48C Platinum motherboard is based on the Intel X48 Northbridge chipset
and the Intel ICH9R Southbridge chipset. It supports Intel Core 2 Quad,
Core 2 Duo,Core 2 Extreme, Wolfdale/Yorkfield LGA775 Processors, with
Hyper-Threading Technology and 800/1066/1333/1600MHz Front Side Bus support.
Memory
Expansion
The X48C Platinum provides 6 DIMM sockets using 240-pin DDR2/DDR3 with a
total capacity of up to 8GB-64bit (4GB-32bit). You can install DDR2 667/800MHz
Memory on (2) two DIMMs- 4GB Maximum. You also have the option to install
DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600MHz Memory on (4) four DIMMs - 8GB Maximum.
(DDR2 and DDR3 cannot be installed at the same time. Memory Turbo Card
must be installed with either DDR2 or DDR3)
PCI
Express 2.0 Support
PCI Express Base 2.0 specification doubles the interconnect bit rate from
2.5 GT/s to 5 GT/s in a seamless and compatible manner. The performance
boost to 5 GT/s is by far the most important feature of the PCI Express
2.0 specifications. It effectively increases the aggregate bandwidth of
a 16-lane link to approximately 16 GB/s. The higher bandwidth will allow
product designers to implement narrower interconnect links to achieve high
performance.
IDE
The X48C Platinum includes built in IDE facilities that support
Ultra DMA 66/100/133.
Audio
The X48C Platinum comes with a Realtek ALC888 audio codec which supports
high quality 8-channel audio.
Serial
ATA RAID Support
The X48C Platinum supports the Serial ATA technology through the Serial
ATA interfaces. Doubles bus bandwidth which provides blazingly high disk
performance, up to 3.0Gb/s. (4) Four internal SATA connectors support RAID
0, 1, 5 & 10 solutions. (2) Two external SATA connectors only support
performance up to 3.0Gb/s. (eSATA function would
be fully supported by VISTA ( In Box driver with AHCI driver). eSATA function
would not be fully supported without AHCI driver under WinXP.)
Customer Reviews and Rating
Customer Rating:
3.9
Customer Reviews:
36
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
4.0
Features
4.1
Quality
3.7
Performance
3.9
Sort By:
DO NOT TAKE THE CHANCE
Reviewer:
JoeyJoJo on
Feb 08, 2010 Customer Rating:
2.0
Value
1.0
Features
5.0
Quality
1.0
Performance
1.0
I read the mixed reviews on this board and took a chance on it anyway because of the price and features. If it worked, it's be a steal. Unfortunately, it has strange behavior at start up - it starts and shuts down quickly twice before just coming on, but then the 750W PSU I have doesn't seem to be enough. I can't get windows to load. This is non-returnable and I hear returns take months. Ugh!
Good Value
Reviewer:
tjgrandam on
Jan 24, 2010 Customer Rating:
4.8
Value
5.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
4.0
Purchased for an upgrade. Install Intel dore 2 CPU and 8g DDR3-1600 ram. Some issues with overcloking, but otherwise a very good MB.
do homework first
Reviewer:
Smigel on
Jan 15, 2010 Customer Rating:
4.8
Value
4.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
This is a decent board, but beware.. It's a picky power supply pig! At least 750watts. Be sure to test it out side of your case first.
Poor QC?
Reviewer:
TIMgr on
Jan 15, 2010 Customer Rating:
3.0
Value
3.0
Features
4.0
Quality
1.0
Performance
4.0
BIOS can't find processor L2 cache! This is new out of the box. Swapped processor so it has to be the motherboard. Will have to RMA it. Amasingly it still boots and functions without the cache.
Memory
Reviewer:
ronb2 on
Jan 10, 2010 Customer Rating:
4.0
Value
4.0
Features
4.0
Quality
4.0
Performance
4.0
Didn't recieve my board yet but just found out I need turbo sticks for the memory anybody know where two get them for corsair xms2 2x2048 80 mhz
CROSSFIREX™
New ATI CrossFireX™ multi-GPU technology takes your gaming experience
to the next level with more scalability, performance and compatibility.
The technology combines the awe-inspiring capabilities of multiple ATI
Radeon™ graphics cards and an ATI CrossFireX ready motherboard to meet
the hard-core demands of your alternate reality. New ATI Radeon™ HD graphics
cards are designed with an internal ATI CrossFireX™ Bridge Interconnect
system to simplify installation. Experience stunning visual realism in
today's demanding 3D games with uncompromising image quality, especially
on HD.
Compatible
Cards: Radeon HD 3800 Series Cards
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!
Heat Sinks - Many Shapes & Sizes!
A heat sink (or heatsink) is an object that absorbs and dissipates heat from
another object using thermal contact (either direct or radiant). Heat sinks
are used in a wide range of applications wherever efficient heat dissipation
is required; including for CPUs, Memory, Video Cards, and more.
Heat Sink Shapes Change!
Many products come with a Heat Sink, and some with a combination Heat Sink
and Fan. Keep in mind though, that manufacturers are constantly
improving the design of their cooling components, thus the shape and design
of the heat sink or heat sink & fan can change on any product at any time.
PLEASE NOTE:
Cooling Components Can Change At Any Time, And Do Not
Affect The Performance Or Specifications Of The Product.
How Do Heat Sinks Work?
Heat sinks function by transferring high temperature thermal energy (heat)
from one object (such as a CPU chip) to a second object (such as the Heat
Sink), which has a lower temperature, with a much greater heat capacity.
This rapid transfer of heat quickly balances the temperature of both
devices, lowering the temperature of the first. This is what makes a
heat sink a cooling device. Since room temperature is usually cooler than
the hot device, the Heat Sink helps cool the device, lowering its temp to
closer to room temperature.
The most common design of a heat sink is a metal device with many fins or
vanes. The high thermal conductivity of the metal combined with the large
surface area of the fins does the work to rapidly transfer heat to the
surrounding, cooler, air. This cools the heat sink and whatever it is in
contact with. Some Heat Sinks use the metal alone for cooling, some
use fluids (just like you car radiator) and a thermal interface material
(such as thermal gel) to ensure maximum heat transfer to the heat sink.
Adding a fan dramatically improves air flow, and improves the heat transfer
even more.
Remember The
Thermal Paste!
Remember that when you are adding a Heat Sink, you MUST USE
thermally conductive Gel or Paste, to form a good thermal contact between
the Heat Sink and the Device. Failing to use this will result in
reduced cooling, and possible failure and damage to the device!
To learn more about how to keep your PC Very Cool, view our
Guide To PC Cooling»
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 2.0 - High End Graphics Have Arrived
PCI Express Base 2.0 specification doubles the interconnect bit rate from
2.5 GT/s to 5 GT/s in a seamless and compatible manner. The performance
boost to 5 GT/s is by far the most important feature of the PCI Express
2.0 specifications. It effectively increases the aggregate bandwidth of
a 16-lane link to approximately 16 GB/s. The higher bandwidth will allow
product designers to implement narrower interconnect links to achieve
high performance while reducing cost.
A number
of optimizations and improvements have been made to the protocol and software
layers of the PCI Express architecture in the PCI Express Base 2.0 specification.
These include:
Dynamic
link speed management – to control the speed at which the link is operating
Link bandwidth
notification – to notify software (operating system, device drivers,
etc) of changes in link speed and width
Capability
structure expansion – to expand the control registers to better manage
devices, slots and the interconnect
Access
control services – optional controls to manage peer-peer transactions
Completion
timeout control – to define a required disable mechanism plus related
optional enhancements
Function-level
reset – optional mechanism to reset functions within a device
Power
limit redefinition – to redefine slot power limit values to accommodate
devices that consume higher power
* 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.
2-Port USB 2.0/Single-Port Firewire 1394a Bracket Module
(4) Four SATA Cables
(2) Two SATA Power Connectors
IDE Cable
FDD Cable
M-Connector Kit
I/O Back Panel Shield
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.
This Product Has Limited Exchange Privileges.
Only defective exchanges for identical item within 30 days of purchase permitted on this product. After 30 days, please contact the manufacturer at: 1-888-447-6564.
Manufactured by:
MSI Computer Warranty provided by:
MSI Computer Limited Warranty:
12 months parts;
12 months labor
Mfg Part No:
X48C Platinum UPC No:
816909042955 Box Size:
( Length:
14, Width:
11, Depth:
4 )
Shipping Weight:
3.9000 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:
M452-6012
TigerDirect.com
Warranty Information
7795 W. Flagler St. Suite 35
Miami, FL. 33144
0
Item Total
$0.00
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(
36 reviews)
Processor Interface:
2.0
4.8
3.0
Know Your BIOS!
Dynamic
link speed management – to control the speed at which the link is operating
