MSI AM3 AMD 870 125W-CPU Support 2 PCIEx16/1 PCIEx1/3 PCI 870-G45 ATX Motherboard
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- Offers users the best experience for its unparalleled quality, ultimate efficiency, and the cool & noiseless and safety for its unbeatable stability.
- Best overclocking capability Auto-BIOS detection offers the best overclocking configuration Optimized for best system performance. Overclocking in 1 second
- Boost system performance (*Result may vary according to different CPU core quality and stability.)
- Universal charger utility for Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod, Compatible with all MSI Mainboards
- Power Connector: 1x 24pin Main Power, 1x 4pin CPU Power Form Factor: ATX, 30.5 x 21.0 cm
MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 870 125W-CPU Support ATX Motherboard, 2*PCIEx16/1*PCIEx1/3*PCI
Msi desktop motherboard
MSI AM3 AMD 870 125W-CPU Support 2 PCIEx16/1 PCIEx1/3 PCI 870-G45 ATX Motherboard
List Price: $ 82.00
Price:
So far so good,
Finally decided to get my 8 year old system into a working order. Some background on me, I’ve been working in the IT field both as a Systems and Network Admin for just over 10 years and have been building computers for 15. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert by any means, but I do have a lot of knowledge.
With that said, let’s dive right in.
Seeing as my system is over 8 years old, I figured the mainboard would be the first place to start since it will be the biggest limiting factor for upgrades. To give you an idea of what I’m looking for from the mainboard, I want to be able to play current games, leaves room for upgrading, and doesn’t deplete my funds while not leaving me with an under-performing board. I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to spend hundreds when $70 will do and this one got me pretty excited.
This board appealed to me for several reasons, but first let me hit on the cons.
1) No integrated graphics.
Maybe I’m simple, maybe I’m just quirky, but I like boards with integrated graphics. With today’s tech, the integrated GPUs aren’t that bad. Yeah, they can’t compete with the dedicated GPU, but when you just need a usable system they do the job.
2)Expansion Slots to close.
This is a minor, the only cards affected are the PCI slots directly beneath the PCIe 2.0 slots, but it just bothers me how close they are. Any GPU with a fan enclosure would literally be a millimeter from touching any PCI card I put in there. That’s too close for me.
3) 4/6 SATA plugs are at right angles to the board.
I’ve got rather big hands with long fingers, so once the board is in the tower, getting to those 4 SATA plugs is difficult. I know this was done to conserve some space on the board, but it really is a pain for me. For some this won’t be a problem, but I definitely recommend getting all your SATA cords plugged in before securing it in the tower.
4) 1 PCIe 2.0 is x4 and not x16.
This is just me being picky, if I really wanted the 2 x16 slots I’d be looking at a different board, but if you took the time to put 2 PCIe 2.0 slots why not make them both x16? Just my .02 on it.
Pros
1) The price.
You can’t beat less than $80 with shipping on a board like this. Yeah, doesn’t have USB 3.0 or SATA III, but if you wanted those things you’d be looking at another board. For what this offers, you’re getting an amazing deal.
2) 2 PCIe 2.0 slots.
Just in my mind, having the option to slap in multiple GPUs is always a plus. Most boards around this price won’t always offer this and it gives you a lot of versatility depending on which way you go with the system.
4) CPU Core unlocker.
This is a blessing in itself. I was originally going to go with an Phenom II 955 x4 but because I found this nifty little blessing, I was able to save $60 and go with a Phenom II x2 instead. When building on a budget this is always a plus to have available. See bellow for update.
5) O/C Genie.
I remember the old days of over clocking when you could possible spend hours doing calculations and modifications to the system before you found that perfect combination. Not having as much free time, flipping a switch that requires little to no modifications from me is a nice change. See bellow for update.
6) Price.
Can’t mention this enough, if you’re on a tight budget, especially with the economy the way that it is, the bang for buck here is more than worth it.
7) Was by a reputable company.
I’ve bought main boards from ASUS, MSI, BIOSTAR, and many others. I’ve built about 60-65 computers from the ground up and worked on countless others. The one thing I have definitely learned is that you always buy a mainboard from a well established company. MSI has been around for awhile and I’ve yet to get a board from them that didn’t work as advertised.
8) Upgradeable.
This thing isn’t future proof, but for what my intentions for it are, it leaves room for at least a few good years before I have to look into a serious upgrade. The mainboard supports the current top of the line AMD CPU, can have a max of 16 GB of RAM, has decent speeds across the board, has plenty of SATA and USB ports. I’m not planning on doing much with this after I get it back to a decent bench mark, once my budget allows I’m going to build a power house gaming machine and this one is going to end up being my home theater PC.
I get pretty anal about certain things or go into way to much detail, but I like reading reviews that give more information than the bare basics. It allows to make a more informed choice, plus reading someone’s personal take on something helps me to better understand their mindset as well as get a feel for if they’re like me or not. Knowing that, I’m better able to get a feel of the product I’m researching and if it’ll be a good fit for me. If you’ve read this far, you’re probably like me and spend hours upon hours…
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|Motherboard for First Build,
I bought this motherboard because I was on a tight budget for my build, but also wanted to do some gaming. It is a great board. For $70, I would definitely buy again. This board arrived two days after purchase. It was easy to use, the manual gave very good description. It doesn’t have usb 3.0, and doesn’t support sata 6gb/s, but does support DDR3, which I wanted. Overall, it is a great board, what more can I say.
My Build:
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|Quick, cheap, easy – two out of three ain’t bad,
Picked this mobo up with a gift card bonus I received from work. The price was great, and the mobo went in smooth as butter. The only problem I had was shipping time: I also ordered a processor, which was estimated to arrive after the mobo – but actually came a week before, and the mobo was five days later than the estimated. That isn’t MSI’s fault, of course; my last three computers have all been on MSI mobos, and they tend to be easy to use and long-lasting, so I’m sure this one will be as well.
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