Conclusion and rating
Motherboards based around a certain chipset and running the same processor, RAM, timings and components tend to benchmark within a few percentage points of each other. That's pretty evident by the benchmarks posted by our comparison i845PE motherboards. So, in that context, it's safe to say that present dual-channel-based motherboards are the fastest DDR solution currently available. The MSI GNB MAX2 is a fine example of that.
However, I use the word present with added emphasis. Both the E7205 and SiS655 are decent chipsets. The problem for them is the imminent arrival of 800FSB Pentium 4 processors. With a 50% leap in FSB speeds from the incumbent 533FSB, and memory bandwidth playing such a crucial role in a number of real-world applications, we can surmise that the upcoming dual-channel 800FSB-compliant motherboards, code-named Canterwood and Springdale, should comfortably eclipse the performance laid down by any present P4 DDR motherboard. That's not to say that present motherboards are incapable of 200FSB, it's just that they're not officially supporting the faster P4 FSBs.
That's why it's difficult to recommend any performance-based Pentium 4 motherboard right now. The MSI GNB MAX2 is a solid, dependable board. MSI have taken the interim months between the release of the original GNB MAX to make improvements across the board (no pun intended). The layout seems a little better, the BIOS is now as good as any MSI's, and the MAX2 managed an impressive 180FSB with stability, thanks to its locked AGP/PCI option and generous voltages. The 180FSB limit was more likely a CPU one, with a test 2.26GHz Northwood topping out at 3.06GHz on air.
As the GNB MAX2 range contain a number of different motherboards touting certain features, our sample seemed to be aimed at both the enthusiast and workstation sector. The former would appreciate the voltages on offer and the latter would view the inclusion of an Intel Gigabit network connection as a wise move. No provision for Firewire or RAID, be it S-ATA or P-ATA, precludes it from being the most feature-laden model ever, but the MSI GNB MAX2 scored where it counted most. It was stable and fast.
Highs
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Excellent stability
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Faster than any other Intel single-channel DDR motherboard
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Decent BIOS options w.r.t voltages and FSB limits
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A better layout, subjectively speaking, than the initial GNB MAX
Lows
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Hard to recommend a dual-channel DDR motherboard now
