Labs

We weren't taken by MSI's budget K9A2 CF this month, but the X48 Platinum is a different creature entirely - a serious motherboard that aims high and largely gets there.

Based on Intel's high-performance X48 chipset, it's a board that can push the FSB right up to 1,600MHz - a feat only otherwise attained by the Asus Striker II Extreme - and drive DDR3 RAM at the same frequency. It's CrossFire X compatible, too, offering two PCI Express 16x slots plus two 4x slots.

Other connectors include six SATA channels, eight rear USB ports and twin

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Gigabit Ethernet ports. eSATA and FireWire don't hurt, either.

Also on the backplate there's a button for clearing the CMOS, which will make enthusiasts happy. Power and Reset buttons are mounted on the board, too, although they're just bare switches and look cheap next to Asus' stylish illuminated buttons.

A four-character LED readout displays useful POST information, but, again, it isn't as swish as Asus' external device.

The BIOS is usable enough, letting you set the CPU frequency and ratio and displaying interesting system information, including your CPU's cache configuration. MSI's Dual CoreCenter app lets you monitor and tweak the system within Windows, and with dynamic overclocking the software can raise component speeds automatically when load is high.

There's really nothing to criticise about the X48 Platinum, but next to the Asus Maximus Extreme it loses a little of its lustre. Although its idle power consumption of 103W was distinctly lower than either of Asus' high-end boards, in the high-performance market it's hard to get worked up about 10W here or there, and the Maximus is more stylish.