![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Tuesday , November 24, 2009
- Author:
- Morry Teitelman
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156 Motherboard Review
MSI’s latest Intel P55 based board looks to be cut from the same mold as its big brother P55-GC80 motherboard. The GD65 is mean, lean, and ready to rumble. While it does not pack in all the features of the GD80, the GD65 does not act like a $155 motherboard.
BIOS
MSI chose to base the P55-GD65’s BIOS on the popular Phoenix AWARD BIOS template, with the BIOS version used in testing being version 1.3. Pressing the F4 function key from within the main menu spawns the CPU Spec window. This window displays statistics on the currently active processor, including physical speed, multiplier, and cache settings, as well as information about the various technologies supported by the active processor. Hitting the F5 function key spawns the Memory-Z window containing manufacturer specified SPD memory timing settings for the system DRAM modules on a per channel basis. Both spawned windows provide similar information as found within the same named sections located under the Cell Menu screen.
The Advance BIOS Features menu contains all system initialization and boot related settings, including those related to boot device access order and the PCI Latency Timer settings. The Boot Sequence submenu lists the system boot device access order, with attached and detected USB 2.0 devices listed as boot devices from the pull down menu as shown in the screenshot.
The Integrated Peripherals menu contains onboard device configuration related settings, which include the onboard USB 2.0 ports, the Realtek LAN controllers, the JMicron IDE adn SATA controller, and the Realtek HD audio controller. The P55 SATA configuration settings are located within the On-Chip ATA Devices submenu. Note that the Intel RAID boot BIOS will only show on startup with drives connected to the P55 controlled SATA 2 ports and the RAID Mode option set to RAID.
The H/W Monitor menu displays real-time statistics on all BIOS monitored fan speeds, system temperatures, and board voltages. In addition, the various onboard fan headers can be set for static speed operation, with additional temperature based dynamic control available for the CPU fan header.
The Green Power menu displays power statistics on board devices, as well as configuration options for controlling the power phase settings for the board subsystems. The Motherboard LED Control controls the operation of the onboard monitor LEDs, which includes the CPU power phase LED bank.
The Cell Menu contains all settings, housed in a mix of top level menu options and submenus, for controlling board performance and overclocking related settings. At the very top of the menu are current speed settings for the CPU, memory, and QPI bus frequencies respectively. The Active Processor setting controls how many physical processors on the CPU are active, with options available as few or as many as desired. With the Intel SpeedStep setting enabled (shown as Intel EIST), the Intel Turbo Boost setting option is accessible. This setting controls the use of the MAX+1 multiplier setting, which activates with the CPU multiplier set to it max value. The Adjust CPU Base Frequency (MHz) option sets the speed of the base clock, with a 600MHz maximum settable. The base clock speed setting affects the processor, memory, and QuickPath Interconnect bus speeds directly. The OC Stepping option controls the BIOS assisted base clock speed overclocking mechanism, which is configured for stepped type overclocking. The base clock speed starting point is adjusted through the Start OC Stepping From (MHz) setting, which allows for up to a 599MHz maximum starting point. The OC Step setting controls the amount the base clock is increased or decreased during automated overclocking, while the OC Step Count Timer defines the frequency at which the base clock can be adjusted. The Adjust CPU Ratio setting determines the CPU multiplier, with the maximum value determined by the current CPU in use. The read-only Adjusted CPU Frequency (MHz) setting shows the physical CPU speed based on the selections made via the Adjust CPU Base Frequency (MHz) and Adjust CPU Ratio settings. The OC Genie Button Operation setting enables the use of the onboard OC Genie button, which dynamically overclocks the system when the button is pressed. The Base Clock Button option enables the use of the + and - base clock adjustment buttons on the board, allowing for on-demand 1MHz incremental increase or decrease of the current base clock speed.
The CPU Specifications submenu contains statistics on the currently active processor, including physical speed, multiplier, and cache settings. Note that these statistics are also available from the Main menu by pressing the F4 function key. The CPU Technology Support submenu contains information about the various technologies which the currently active processor supports. The CPU Feature submenu contains configurable CPU settings: Intel SpeedStep (Intel IEST), Intel C-state support, enhanced Halt state support (C1E Support), CPU current draw protection support (OverSpeed Protection), Execute Disable Bit support, CPUID maxval support, and Intel virtualization technology.
Setting the DRAM Timing Mode setting to Manual enables user access to the memory timing settings available through the Advanced DRAM Configuration submenu. The Extreme Memory Profile(X.M.P) setting controls BIOS assisted advanced memory controller configuration, with the operational mode set via the Extreme Memory Profile Mode setting. The Memory Ratio option controls the physical memory speed through the use of ratios, with available setting ranging from 3 to 5. The physical memory speed displays under the Adjusted DRAM Frequency (MHz) setting. Note that this statistic is based on the settings selected thru the Adjust CPU Base Frequency (MHz) and Memory Ratio settings. The QPI Ratio option sets the base speed of the QuickPath Interconnect bus, which is similar in function to the HyperTransport bus found on other boards. The QPI Frequency settings shown can vary based on the current base clock speed, and is set through the use of preconfigured static ratio settings. The physical QPI bus speed is displayed under the Adjusted QPI Frequency (MHz) option. The Adjust PCI-E Frequency (MHz) setting controls the base PCI bus speed, with a maximum speed setting of 190MHz.
The Memory-Z submenu contains a series of submenus, with 1 submenu listed per DRAM module installed in to the system. Each Memory SPD Information submenu contains statistics on manufacturer recommending memory timing and speed settings, which are instituted by the BIOS when the DRAM Timing Mode setting is set to Auto mode. Note that the memory statistics listed are also viewable from the Main menu by pressing the F5 function key. The X.M.P. Support Information submenu lists the timings and speed settings enabled when the BIOS XMP function is active.
The Advanced DRAM Configuration submenu contains all user configurable memory timing settings, with the settings themselves independently configured for each memory channel. The following based memory timing options are configurable: command rate (CH1 1T/2T Memory Timing); CAS latency; RAS to CAS delay (tRCD); RAS precharge delay (tRP); active to precharge delay (tRAS); row refresh cycle delay (tRFC); write recovery delay (tWR); write to read delay (tWTR); RAS to RAS delay (tRRD); read to precharge delay (tRTP), and four activate window delay (tFAW). Note that underneath the configurable settings, the current selections for all configurable memory timing settings are listed in a read only format.
Within each of the channel sections are options for configuring the advanced memory timing options as well, which become visible with the per channel Advance Timing option set to Manual (set to Auto by default). The user configurable advanced timing settings include the following: write to read delay (WrTRd); read to write delay (RdTWr), read to read delay (RdTRd); write to write delay (WrTWr); and back to back CAS delay (B2B-CAS Delay). Note that most of the advanced timing settings listed are broken down in to these same three categories: different DIMM modules (prefixed with tdd); same memory chip placement between modules (prefixed with tsr); and different memory chip placement between modules (prefixed with tdr).
The Load-Line Calibration setting controls the BIOS’s oversight of the CPU vDroop voltage, which is set to active with this setting enabled. The CPU base voltage can be set to a maximum of 2.07V. The CPU termination voltage, which controls the CPU power regulation circuitry voltage, can be set to 2.018V via the CPU VTT(V) setting. The P55 chipset voltage is split between the PCH 1.8(V) and PCH 1.05(V) settings with voltage maximums 2.40V and 1.953V respectively. The base memory voltage setting, which also controls the scaling memory reference voltages, can by maxed out at 2.405V. The DDR_VREF_CA and DDR_VREF_DA options configure the control and data reference memory voltages on a per channel basis. As stated previously, these values automatically scale with the configured base DRAM voltage, all having a ceiling voltage of 1.602V with maximum memory voltage set.
The ClockGen Tuner submenu contains voltage settings for the device specific driving clock. The CPU Amplitude Control setting controls the CPU base clock driving control voltage, with a 1000mV maximum setting allowed. Likewise, the PCI Express Amplitude control sets the PCI Express bus clock driving control voltage also with a 1000mV maximum setting.
The M-Flash menu allows for direct BIOS updating and archiving. The current BIOS can be archived to a named file on an attached USB drive, or can be updated from a file on an attached USB drive.
The Overclocking Profile menu allows for the storage of up to 6 full BIOS images, with all BIOS settings captured as is at the time of profile creation. The actual profile management functions are housed in the Overclocking Profile submenus, numbered 1 thru 6. The submenu settings allow for custom naming of profiles, creation, loading, and profile setting deletion. The OC Retry option in the main menu sets the number of times the system will attempt to initialize with the current BIOS settings before reverting to safe mode boot configuration, resulting in default board setting loaded.