MSI K7 Master (Page 1 of 5)

5/24/01 Update - Due to suggestions brought up by users, this review has been updated. Go to page 5 for the update.

Introduction

With DDR Memory quickly gaining in popularity, the time (and price) has never been better to switch memory technology. SDRam has had a long and full life. I purchased my first 32MB stick of SDRam about 4 years ago, and paired it up with my Pentium 233. But, it's time for SDRam to step down and let a new king take over the memory kingdom.

The first generation of DDR chipset equipped motherboards are quickly filling the market. With VIA's KT266 chipset having been just recently released, we are now seeing some great motherboard choices to match up with our new stick of DDR memory.

So, without further ado, we bring you the MSI K7 Master (MS-6341).

Specifications

No one wants to see a page full of specs, so here is the important stuff.

CPU: Socket A for aMD Duron / Athlon Processor and support 600MHz ~ 1GHz or higher

Memory: Supports 2 184-pin DDR-DIMM , Maximum memory size of 2GB, and supports DDR SDRAM DIMM

Slots: 1 AGP Pro, 1 CNR, 5 PCI with supports of 3.3v/5v PCI bus interface

Audio: Chip integrated DirectSound AC'97 Audio

Form Factor: ATX Form Factor: 30.5CM x 25.8CM

Chipset: AMD 761 chipset supports 266MHz high speed, split transaction system bus, AGP 4X, supports 266MHz DDR SDRAM. VIA VT82c686B chipset supports Enhanced Power Management Features, Integrated Super I/O, Dual Bus Master IDE Ultra DMA 33/66/100, Integrated Haredware Soundblaster, DirectSound AC'97 Audio, ACPI.

On-Board IDE: IDE controller on the VIA VT82C686B chipset, connect up to 4 IDE devices

On-Board Peripherals: 1 floppy port supports 2 FDD with 360K, 720K, 1.2M, 1.44M and 2.88Mbytes; 2 serial ports, 1 parallel port, 4 USB ports, 1 IrDA connector, 1 Audio/Game port