MSI 945GCM5-F V2 - motherboard - micro ATX - i945GC

Advantages: Plenty of expansion slots
Disadvantages: Some serial numbers have had random shutdown problems

...I have used MSI boards for years finding them generally very reliable.. I have had a problem with the USB on this board and there are reports of radom power offs and crashes which can be read elswhere - I have not suffered from this. Expansion is excellent and the board is very quick. The MSI utilities are useful especially the bios and driver updates which so far have been very reliable. They come in two flavours either using the update feature on the MSI website or from the supplied software. I would recomend a fairly high wattage PSU with this board as it will save on a later PSU upgrade if you go down the SLI graphics upgrade path or continue to add components later on. It can be overclocked quite easily and remains fairly stable. There is also an option to speed up the processor or slow it down depending on whether you are playing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Reliable, Good Online Support/Updates, Affordable, Good Layout
Disadvantages: Only two SATA controllers, Sound & Graphics could be better

...We have stocked this MSI K9VGM-V motherboard for over 3 months now. And, to its credit, considering it's more of a budget board, we haven't had one failure with them. Considering the number we sell, that is very good! Good Points: Reliable Motherboard, Nicely laid out for keeping the inside of the PC clear of trailing cables, Cheap to buy, Simple BIOS & MSI offer what is called a 'Live Update' for its motherboards which works much better than some other manufacturers. Bad Point: Only two SATA controllers onboard, Onboard Sound & Graphics not quite as good as those offered by its competitors in the same catergory. All in all we'd say that this board is great for system builders who are putting together a home/budget type package but is probably unsuitable for the more adventurous computer user.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A lot of features included on this board support for amd xp processors and socket a semprom processor
Disadvantages: Old socket 462, No firewire

...The msi KT6v -lsr motherboard is packed with features. Msi a known for reliable motherboards and with this one you cant go wrong. I have been running My XP 2600+ processor in this board for the past year and a half and the pc is powered on 24/7. The only problem I have had has been the power supply. You will need atleast a 350x psu with the 4pin connector connected to the MLB otherwise there is not enogugh power for the board to Post!!!! The Broad supports the amd socket 7 xp and sempron processors upto the xp32000+ The LSR means that it includes onboard sound/spidf, 10/100 Lan adapter and serial ata raid 1,0 or 1+0 The kt6v is capable of supporting 2gb ddr400 memory but is not dual channel compatible. It has a 8xagp slot and 5 pci slots for upgrades. The board has USB 2.0 ports on the back plane aswell as 5.1 audio jacks... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful