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MSI K9A3-CF RD780 base motherboard reviewed

by on19 October 2007
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Not that great

Leo Waldock at TrustedReviews managed to score an MSI K9A3-CF motherboard, which is based on the upcoming RD780/790X chipset from AMD.

The features are quite limited, although it has FireWire and eSATA, but lacks digital audio options and has only four rear-mounted USB ports.

The board has two x16 PCIe slots, although in CrossFire mode they only operate at x8 bandwidth. The board also has one x1 PCIe slot and two PCI slots, as MSI has left a nice gap below the first x16 slot.  However, the board still seems to be missing a slot.

Performance wasn't up to scratch either, although this was not a final production sample. Still, even the memory performance was down. compared to an Asus M2R32-MVP board based on the Xpress 3200 chipset.

The esitmated retail price of £50-55 €72-79 is a saving grace and will allow budget conscious consumers to experience CrossFire.

You can read the full review here
Last modified on 19 October 2007
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