We've been eyeing up MSI's P55 boards ever since we took a close look at the P55-GD65 back in July. Fast forward a few months and the Taiwanese manufacturer is greeting the arrival of Intel's Lynnfield processors with the launch of four supporting P55 boards.
MSI's range consists of three ATX boards including the high-end P55-GD80 (pictured), the mid-range P55-GD65 and the mainstream P55-CD53. Joining that trio is a single micro-ATX board, the P55M-GD45.
All four of MSI's boards feature a stylish black and blue design, and the Taiwanese manufacturer is touting a host of exclusive features such as OC Genie, SuperPipe, DrMOS and Direct OC.
The range-topping P55-GD80 provides three PCIe x16 slots, eight SATA ports, eSATA, FireWire, 14 USB ports and dual Gigabit Ethernet. In contrast, the mainstream P55-CD53 offers one PCIe x16 lane, six SATA ports, 14 USB ports, single Gigabit Ethernet and no FireWire or eSATA options.
What's useful is that MSI has a number of market segments covered with clearly defined pricing. The company's trio of ATX-sized solutions - the P55-GD80, P55-GD65 and P55-CD53 - are currently priced at £180, £130 and £100, respectively. Those hoping for a bargain on the GD65 and GD80 could make use of MSI's launch-day promotion (click for info). The micro-ATX P55M-GD45, meanwhile, is up for pre-order at SCAN.co.uk* at a cost of £93.
Want to know exactly how MSI's boards differentiate from one another? Check out the MSI-provided comparison tables below.
