MSI 945GCM478-L Motherboard If you're running a socket 478 system and are looking for the most economical way to move up to SATA and PCI Express, look no further. This MSI 945GCM478-L Socket 478 mainboard offers powerful performance at an extremely affordable price. Based on the Intel 945GC chipset, this versatile microATX platform is designed for Intel Pentium D/4, Celeron D socket 478 processors with FSB 800/533MHz. The MSI 945GCM478-L supports DDR2 667MHz memory up to 4GB, PCI-E x16/x1, Fast Ethernet LAN, SATAII, USB 2.0, and high-definition audio. Other great features include Live Update and MSI Dual CoreCenter. For superior performance at an affordable price, choose the MSI 945GCM478-L socket 478 motherboard.
Specifications
Processor Interface:
Socket 478
Form Factor:
µATX
Processors Supported:
Intel Pentium 4
Intel Celeron D
Intel Pentium D
Front Side Bus:
533MHz
800MHz
Northbridge:
Intel 945GC
Southbridge:
Intel ICH7
Memory Supported:
533MHz DDR2
667MHz DDR2
Number of Pins:
240-Pin
Number of Slots:
2
Maximum Memory Supported:
4GB
Max. Memory Supported Per Slot:
2GB
Channels:
7.1 Channels
Audio Chipset:
Realtek ALC888
Video Chipset:
Intel GMA950
LAN Type:
10/100 Mbps
PCI Slots:
2
PCI Express X16 Slots:
1
PS/2 Keyboard Connectors:
1
PS/2 Mouse Connectors:
1
Serial Communication Ports:
1
Parallel Ports:
1
USB Ports:
4
LAN Ports:
1
Audio Out Jacks:
2
IDE Headers:
1
FDD Headers:
1
Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s Headers:
4
ATX Power Connectors:
1 24-Pin Connector
PC Power Connectors:
1 - 4 Pin
Fan Connectors:
1 x CPU
2 x Chassis
Length:
9.600 in. (24.5 cm)
Width:
8.600 in. (21.9 cm)
Detailed Features
Additional Specifications
CPU
Supports Socket 478 for Intel® Pentium D/4, Celeron D processors.
Supports FSB 800/533MHz
Supports EIST technology
Supports Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
For latest information on CPU support list, please check manufacturer's website for more detail
Chipset
Intel® 945GC Chipset
Integrated Intel® GMA 950 graphics core
Intel® ICH7 Chipset
Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) controller, 480Mb/sec, up to 8 ports
4 SATAII ports with transfer rate up to 3 Gb/s
1 channel Ultra ATA 100 bus Master IDE controller
PCI Master v 2.3, I/O ACPI
ACPI 2.0 compliant
Main Memory
Supports 2 unbuffered DIMM of 1.8 Volt DDR2 SDRAM
Supports dual channel DDR2 memory architecture
Supports DDR2 533/667 memory interface (4GB Max)
Slots
One PCI Express 16X slot
Two 32-bit v2.3 master PCI bus slots (support 3.3v/5v PCI bus interface)
On-Board IDE/SATA
One Ultra DMA 66/100 IDE controller integrated in ICH7
Supports PIO, Bus Master operation modes
Can connect up to 2 Ultra ATA drives
SATAII controller integrated in ICH7
Up to 3Gb/s transfer speed
Can connect up to 4 SATAII devices
Audio
Chip integrated by Realtek® ALC888
-
Flexible 7.1-channel audio with jack sensing
-
Compliant with Azalia Rev 1.0 Spec.
LAN
Supports 10 / 100 Mb/s Fast Ethernet by Realtek RTL8101E.
-
Supports ACPI Power Management.
TPM
Supports TPM
On-Board Peripherals
2 x USB 2.0 connector support additional 4 ports
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
4 x Serial ATAII connectors
1 x ATA100 connector
1 x serial port pinheader
Chassis intrusion switch connector
Clear CMOS jumper
TPM Module connector
1 x PS/2 keyboard
1 x PS/2 mouse
1 x 6 in 1or 3 in 1 audio jack (optional)
4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x RJ45 LAN jack
BIOS
The mainboard BIOS provides "Plug & Play" BIOS which detects the peripheral devices and expansion cards of the board automatically.
The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface(DMI) function which records your mainboard specifications.
Dimensions
9.6 in (L) x 8.6 in (W); micro-ATX form factor
Mounting
6 mounting holes
Customer Reviews and Rating
Customer Rating:
4.7
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
5.0
Features
4.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
4.8
Sort By:
Great little board for the money
Reviewer:
David R on
May 29, 2009 Customer Rating:
5.0
Value
5.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
Picked this Intel based board up for a Pentium 4 (2.4)Ghz 533FSB Northwood CPU that I had laying around the house. Built a nice little machine for my grand daughter with it. It runs rock solid and has the newer PCIe graphics slot.
Reviewer:
Anonymous
on
Apr 03, 2009 Customer Rating:
5.0
Value
5.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
I got the mobo running a beta firmware and it gave me OC options. have my 3.0ghz cpu up to 3.4ghz.
I suggest for every one that has this board to do a bios upgrade. I found the update file on google.
this motherboard is great. never had a problem with it.
Reviewer:
Death Ruin on
Nov 13, 2008 Customer Rating:
4.8
Value
5.0
Features
4.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
Great board for the price. Be careful you make sure you have a 533 or 800 mhz processor otherwise it won't work. I found out the hard way. But when I got my new cpu everything worked great. The software that comes with it is not so helpful for overclocking, however the HD Sound built in is a nice bragging right to lord over your friends that end up buying a seperate card to do the same thing. I maxed out this board in every way and I got a 15 fps increase from an AMD64 board. I would highly recommend this MB to anyone upgrading an old PC.
Reviewer:
Grey Wolf on
Oct 20, 2008 Customer Rating:
5.0
Value
5.0
Features
5.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
5.0
I replaced my Intel board with this one and am very satisfied with it. Although it only had 1 ide port I got a new hard drive with SATA and it even improved my computers response time. I put an EVGA 8500GT PCIe and 2gb of ram on it with an Intel Celeron D 3.06 ghz CPU and it makes my games a whole new experience to play including, my graphics programs. Shipping as always great less than 3 days.
Reviewer:
david on
Sep 06, 2008 Customer Rating:
3.8
Value
5.0
Features
1.0
Quality
5.0
Performance
4.0
greatttttt but only 1 eide port.....not reccomended ig you have an iede hard drive and iede cd rom drive....but sata is good.....i had to buy a sata cd rom drive too....bot over all it war great
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!
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 .
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 »
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:
945GCM478-L UPC No:
816909045130 Box Size:
( Length:
11, Width:
11, Depth:
3 )
Shipping Weight:
1.3500 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:
M452-6022
TigerDirect.com
Warranty Information
7795 W. Flagler St. Suite 35
Miami, FL. 33144
0
Item Total
$0.00
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(
6 reviews)
Processor Interface:
3.8
Know Your BIOS!
