MSI 990FXA-GD65 is proposed as high-end motherboard for AMD AM3+ CPU, so compatible with the upcoming AMD Bulldozer. Powered by the AMD 990FX chipset, it has nice features, that we will discuss during this review.

[VERSIONE ITALIANA]

Conclusions

MSI with the model 990FXA-GD65 has done a great job. Ordered layout, rational allocation of slots and ports. We would prefer an active chipset cooler with connecting heatpipes for better cooling. The card seemed to us very robust; comprehensive the department of the sensors though with irregularities in the voltage reading that we hope will be fixed in future BIOS releases and tools updates. Compared to competing motherboards it lacks the connecctor for older P-ATA (EIDE) devices, but at least the USB ports are quite numerous. Excellent response in terms of transfer rate on USB ports and stable overclock. A card of this class, built with components of military origin will certainly not disappoint if charged with heavy overclocking with liquid nitrogen cooling. We would have liked to find on the PCB for voltage reading points, very useful for extreme overclocking. The BIOS is very complete although less evolved than competing brand cards that have adopted the standard and graphical interface of the UEFI technology. The price on the market to bring home the 990FXA-GD65 is very good. At the time of writing we can buy it starting from 115 Euros. We are proposing it certainly both to the average user and to an high end user attentive to the budget. 

PROs:

CONs:

• Lack of display for diagnostics
• Passive cooling

We thank MSI for the sample provided for this review.

Translated by Marco Comerci