A motherboard with a rich functional set for building the most productive computer systems based on AMD processors is the MSI 990FXA-GD65. Despite the fact that this product has been sold for almost five years, its specifications are still relevant, and the capabilities are more than enough to install the latest generation 8-core chips.
Niche motherboard. Technological aspects
The main name for this motherboard is the MSI 990FXA-GD65. MS-7640 is the second designation of this product according to the manufacturer's specifications. The bundle, a set of system logic, the form factor of the motherboard and support for the most productive processor solutions from AMD clearly indicate that this is a premium product that allows you to create a gaming PC, graphics station or even an entry-level server. Additional equipment of this computer component allows for flexible configuration of its parameters and due to this to achieve an additional performance increase.
On the other hand, the relatively low cost is another advantage of this product. To increase reliability, the manufacturer has significantly replaced the element base. So, all solid-state capacitors are manufactured using Solid CAP technology based on aluminum, and plate capacitors are manufactured using Hi-c CAP. In this case, the chemical element "Tantalum" is used, the presence of which allows to increase reliability compared to conventional solutions of this class by 8 times. In turn, the throttles on this motherboard are made using Icy Choke technology. Their distinguishing features are reliability and improved cooling. All this in total allows you to significantly increase the life of such a computer component.
Equipment
Most often you can find this solution in the MSI 990FXA-GD65 RTL configuration option. The last three letters come from the word "retail", which indicates the complete package of the product and that it is intended for distribution through retail chains. The list of components in this case is as follows:
- Motherboard.
- A set of 4 SATA wires.
- Cap for the back wall of the system unit.
- Adapter wires with a Molex connector to a SATA port in the amount of 2 pieces.
- External panel with two USB ports.
- CD with drivers and additional software.
The list of documentation is also impressive in the MSI 990FXA-GD65:
- Manual for installation and configuration.
- Warranty card.
- Promotional booklet with product specifications.
Design and layout
In the center of the upper half of the MSI 990FXA-GD65 is a universal processor socket AM3 / AM3 +. To the left of it is a radiator that provides cooling for the CPU power supply system. To the right of the socket there are 4 slots for installing RAM modules. Bottom is the north bridge with another aluminum radiator. Below are all expansion slots. Immediately located south bridge along with a passive cooling system. In the upper left corner of the board, all integrated wired ports are displayed. On the opposite side is the power connector and ports for connecting hard drives. Along the bottom edge is the panel for connecting the system unit and external USB ports. There are also mechanical control buttons.
System Logic Set
The motherboard MSI 990FXA-GD65, as you might guess from its designation, is based on a set of system logic 990 from AMD. This is the most productive and functional chipset for this platform. Unlike the currently most progressive sets of system logic with a single-chip layout, it consists of 2 chips.
The north bridge in this case is 990FX, and the south bridge is SB950. The first of them is focused on peripheral devices, and the second provides interaction with equipment installed in expansion slots.
CPU socket and supported CPU types
Two types of sockets are supported by MSI 990FXA-GD65: AM3 and AM3 +. From an electrical point of view, these two processor sockets are compatible with each other. Therefore, this solution allows you to install an impressive list of central processor devices, which includes such semiconductor chips from AMD:
- All models of processors of the Athlon II family (X2, X3 and X4).
- A complete list of Phenom II solutions (X2, X3, X4, and X6).
- Chips "Septron" models x140, x145, x180 and x190.
- A complete set of first-generation FIX family CPUs (Bulldozer architecture) - FX-41XX, FX-61XX, FX-81XX.
- The same can be said about the most recent models of AMD central processing units of the FIX line under the code name Vishera - FX-42XX, FX-43XX, FX-62XX, FX-63XX, FX-83XX.
The list above lacks only the most productive silicon chips from AMD FX-9XXX series. Their thermal package exceeds 200 W and, as a result, it is not allowed to install such a semiconductor solution in the socket of this board. But there is a logical explanation for this. The motherboard itself went on sale in 2011, and the chips of this series were announced by the manufacturer much later.
Peripheral kit
An impressive list of various ports is installed in the MSI 990FXA-GD65. A review of technical parameters indicates such a list of them:
- One combined PS / 2 port for connecting a wired pointing device or keyboard.
- 8 ports for connecting various peripheral devices of USB 2.0 format. Also, this list is expanding due to the presence of more advanced and high-speed 2 USB 3.0 ports.
- Network adapter socket for connecting a twisted pair cable and organizing a computer network.
- Six sockets of a format of 3,5 mm of the integrated sound card.
Expansion slots
An impressive number of various expansion slots is equipped with the MSI 990FXA-GD65 solution. This list includes:
- 4 slots for installing the strips of random access memory device standard DDR3. Moreover, all its possible types are supported: starting with DDR3-1066 and ending with DDR3-1866. The faster the type of RAM used, the higher the speed of the computer system based on this solution as a whole.
- 1 PCI slot, in which a different device can be installed, which will increase the level of functionality of this computer system. This can be a TV tuner, a card with various additional ports (for example, IDE, LPT or COM), an external additional network card or modem.
- The presence of two PCI-Express 16X slots allows you to install 2 graphics cards on this board at once and share their computing resources for processing the displayed graphic information. In this case, the video card of the first slot will work in any case in 16X mode, and the second - 8X. If there is only one graphic accelerator in the system, then it automatically works in 16X mode.
- 4 PCI-Express 1x slots allow you to install additional expansion cards in exactly the same way as in the PCI slot.
BIOS and its update
Many useful functions are performed by additional software that comes bundled with the MSI 990FXA-GD65. How to update BIOS with its help, for example? Very simple: just install a tool like Live Update. When you establish a connection to the World Wide Web, it will automatically check for the latest BIOS versions and not only, but if necessary, download the necessary software. Then, upon rebooting the PC, the BIOS will be automatically updated. Of course, you can manually install updates, but at the same time the procedure for installing fresh versions is much more complicated, and this is more affordable for more advanced users.
System Board Software
An impressive set of software utilities comes with this motherboard. It includes the following:
- Live Update is a universal automatic tool for updating various software components of a computer system ("BIOS" or drivers, for example) associated with the motherboard.
- USB SafeGuard is a utility that checks flash drives connected to a PC for various viruses.
- Winki 3 is an operating system that is based on the Linux software kernel. It has initially a sufficient set of integrated applications, which immediately after the end of its installation allows the user to start working on a personal computer.
- Genie II is an ideal means of overclocking and unlocking idle computing modules of a central processing unit. The utility allows you to get in some cases an impressive increase in productivity (by 248%).
Reviews
There are no flaws in the MSI 990FXA-GD65. Reviews prove it. And functionality, and performance, and low cost, and high reliability of the electronic component of the base, and a wide range of supported central processors, and the ability to install 2 graphic adapters at once - there is everything you need. What shortcomings after this impressive list can be associated with this branded premium product?
The cost of the motherboard today. Its relevance
Initially, at the start of sales, the cost of this board was $ 120 (in 2012). In mid-2015, due to currency fluctuations, its price increased to $ 180. But now it has decreased in value by 20 conventional units. Despite the fairly solid age by computer standards, this motherboard continues to be relevant and supports almost all the most productive processors for this platform. Moreover, this situation will definitely continue until the end of 2016. Although it is expected in the second quarter the announcement of the AM4 platform, but initially in this socket it will be possible to install hybrid chips with a relatively low level of speed and performance.
And only at the beginning of 2017, AMD plans to introduce its central processing units with unprecedented high speed based on the Zen architecture. If you need a good and efficient computer urgently, then this board is a worthy solution. Well, if you can push the purchase back, it’s better to wait for the platform update and only then improve the PC.
Summary
Even now, 4 years after the start of sales, the MSI 990FXA-GD65 continues to create the most productive and functional computer solutions based on AMD semiconductor chips. Moreover, the cost of such a decision is more than democratic. And the level of functionality pleasantly surprises him. Here everything is at once. In this case, there is no need to install any additional external controllers. And the presence of additional software allows you to overclock any processor in automatic mode. The same can be said about the blocked computing modules of the CPU. If you need an urgently available and productive PC, then this board can be exactly the component that will allow you to create an excellent personal computer based on an 8-core processor from AMD.