MSI K8T Neo FIS2R

This MSI Neo was one of the first Athlon 64 motherboards on the market. Despite its age, it is well equipped, as indicated by its FIS2R suffix. The F stands for Fast Ethernet (Gigabit Lan); the I stands for IEEE1394 Firewire; and S2R represents its dual-Sata Raid capability.

The layout is generally very good. It has colour-coded slots and is one of few motherboards with passive cooling for its transistors and capacitors. This is not as effective a solution as that of the Abit KV8-Max3, but the lack of fan means it's quieter.

MSI has paid attention to the F1S2?s audio support. Instead of routing the rear and centre channels through the mic and line inputs, individual output ports have been provided for each of its sound channels.

On the rear panel, there is the standard quota of PS/2 and parallel ports, but only one serial port. Instead, two Firewire connectors (one standard and one mini) are included ð the highest number of integrated IEEE1394 ports in this group.

Inside the box, you'll find a good selection of extras including the useful MSI D-Bracket. This provides Bluetooth wireless support, which allows you to easily transfer files to and from compatible devices such as a mobile phone or a PDA. The D-Bracket also adds two USB2 ports and has four diagnostic LEDs that flash in different patterns to indicate system errors. This is a good idea in theory, but getting visual access to the lights is not always easy, since the bracket is designed to be mounted at the rear of your PC.

Compared to the Biostar, £100 seemed a bit pricey considering it didn't offer any significant performance gains, but its extra connectivity and features make it a good choice, and a deserving recipient of our second Highly Commended award.

Contact: MSI 020 8813 6688
www.msi.com.tw