MSI's new motherboard is based on the Intel 865, or Springdale chipset, heralding the arrival of a host of new technologies (such as support for dual-channel DDR-RAM, AGP 8x and SATA) in Pentium 4 boards. These technologies have been commonplace in Althon boards for more than six months, and it's been an agonizing wait for many Pentium 4 fans.
The Neo2 includes the standard features of the 865PE chipset, plus an additional two SATA sockets (four in total), six onboard USB 2.0 ports and two FireWire ports. All in all, it's one of the most well-stocked P4 boards we've ever tested.
It also includes an excellent MSI bundle. The company has provided truckloads of extras, including four SATA data cables and matching power adaptors, one standard and one rounded IDE cable, plus an array of applications and utilities.
The board is also reasonably well laid out. Most of its storage sockets (IDE and SATA) are positioned towards the edges of the board, and there's plenty of room between the RAM slots and the AGP port. The Neo2 has a somewhat haphazard SATA port placement, but this is a comparatively minor gripe.
While the Neo2 delivers excellent performance overall, it's likely to disappoint would-be upgraders. The 865PE only offers a significant performance boost over its 845 predecessors when you use brand-new technologies such as dual-channel DDR-RAM and an 800MHz FSB Pentium 4.
Overall, MSI has delivered an impressive implementation of the chipset – if you're building a new P4 system this board offers excellent features and solid design at a very reasonable price.
Dan Gardiner