Final thoughts and rating
The MSI 880GMA-E45 is a reasonable interpretation of AMD's 880G chipset. The company takes the base chipset and adds in value-adding features such as the SB850 southbridge, USB 3.0, 'Unlocking CPU Core' and a comprehensive tweaking section under the Cell Menu BIOS. MSI also does well with respect to layout by producing a relatively clutter-free board on a micro-ATX form factor.But AMD's 880G chipset isn't as potent as the 890GX, losing out in terms of IGP frequency, although MSI enables one to push the graphics to beyond 890GX's default levels.
The innate problem faced by the £95 'E45 is the price proximity of said 890GX boards. For example, the comparison Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H costs £10-£15 more and also offers FireWire as standard.
The MSI 880GMA-E45 would make implicit sense at, say, £75, we think. However, if you need a no-nonsense mATX board that has most of the feature-boxes ticked, the 'E45 is a solid offering.
The Good
Good layout for a mATX board
Decent BIOS
Overclocks well, especially on the IGP
The Not So Good
Etail price is a little high for an 880G-class mATX offering
No second x16 mechanical PCIe slot
No performance-enhancing SidePort memory
Slower-than-reference IGP speed
HEXUS Rating
MSI 880GMA-E45
HEXUS Where2Buy
The MSI 880GMA-E45 can be purchased for £91.22 from Ebuyer.com.HEXUS Right2Reply
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