MSI 848P Neo-LS: 800MHz FSB on a Budget

Company: MSI
Product: 848P Neo-LS
Street Price: $89 USD
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2003
Reviewed By: Joey Chao

MSI 848P Neo-LS Bundled Accessories:

Along with the mainboard, you also get 2 serial ATA connectors, one SATA power adapter capable of powering two drives, an IDE cable (two drives), a floppy cable, an I/O shield plate, manual, and a USB bracket. For some odd reason, our motherboard did not come with a drivers or software disc. All of them can be downloaded from MSI's site but we are sure that they are provided with the retail boards.

Overall, there is nothing spectacular about the bundled accessories. We do like seeing the SATA power cable and drive cables. Also, the IDE and floppy cables have been wrapped making them more like rounded cables in that they do not restrict as much air flow as flat cables.

It is important to remember that this is a budget package and that there are not going to be tons of accessories and features. Any additional items and/or features automatically raises the price  and so to keep this package "budget" some things must be left out. Since we are not 100% sure what software comes bundled with the 848P Neo-S, we cannot say if the software bundle is stripped too.

MSI 848P Neo-LS BIOS:

For enthusiasts, the BIOS is probably one of the most important features on a mainboard. All of the overclocking and tweaking can be done and depending on the amount of control a user has, we decide if we like the BIOS or not. Generally speaking, MSI's BIOS's are good for power users. They do not always provide the highest voltage options but they still allow for good overclocking results as well as performance tweaking.

The Advanced Chipset Menu houses all of the options for changing the memory timings. Adjusting timings can boost system performance considerably but may also bring system instability. You can see that CAS latency, RAS precharge, RAS to CAS delay, precharge delay, and burst length can all be adjusted individually.

The PC Health Status menu gives users a rundown of the system vitals. Key information such as CPU temperature, system temperatures, fans speeds, and voltages can all be found here. Average users might not even take a look at this screen but for overclockers it is a good resource for determining if the cooler works well and what the what the true voltages are. We do have a few complaints about this menu. They all pertain to the system voltages. The menu does not display the 12V line or the VDIMM. Why MSI would leave these out is a mystery. Other options that we are used to seeing that are not present are controls for system temperature warnings and shutdown thresholds. These functions are present in most BIOSes but not this one.

The Frequency/Voltage Control menu contains all of the overclocking options such as multipliers, FSB adjustments, voltages, memory divisors, and AGP/PCI clocks. The first option in this menu is titled Dynamic Overclocking. This neat feature will overclock the system automatically when running applications. When the system is in an idle mode, the system setting will be restored to default in order to save power and lower temperatures. This is a excellent function to have for users who are not interested in overclocking their system manually.

The FSB can be adjusted up to 500MHz in 1MHz increments. This is the highest we have seen so far for a P4 motherboard. Of course, nobody will make it that high but at least it is there. The voltages for the VCore can go as high as 1.8V while the VDIMM can be adjusted up to 3.3V. Generally the latest Pentium 4 processors do not work well with voltages over 1.75V unless serious cooling is involved. So we find that 1.8V is good for almost any overclocker. The 3.3V VDIMM option is plenty for the memory that is currently available on the market. We do not recommend running over 3V for 24/7 use, but there are going to be a few power users who will.