Tuesday, December 04, 2001

Introduction

The Micro-Star 845 Pro 2 R is a member of the new generation of Socket 478, Pentium 4-compatible motherboards introduced by Intel. As its name indicates, it's based on the Intel i845 chipset, and thus supports PC133 SDRAM, rather than the Direct RAMBUS memory used by i850 boards. Two other noteworthy features, however, are the 845 Pro 2 R's integrated RAID controller, and C-Media CMI8738, 6-channel audio-card.

So, let's have a closer look, shall we?

Audio

The 845 Pro 2 R's audio circuits are based around the C-Media CMI8738. The CMI8738 supports 5.1 configurations, with 4 to 6 audio-outs, including a central base-line.

Unfortunately, the 845 Pro 2 R does not provide the appropriate jacks that would allow users to treat digital optical signals .

From a sound standpoint, the C-Media¨ CMI8738 has very little to envy of other audio-chips. It supports up to 32 polyphonic voices, EAX effects, and supports both Microsoft DirectSound 3D, and Aureal A3D.

Clearly, the CMI8738 is head and shoulders way above the audio circuitry typically included as part of most VIA chipsets, and its sound reproduction is simply excellent. Whether you're playing MP3s, CDs, or 3D games, the sound quality will often surprise you with its fidelity.

Configuration

Configuration of the 845 Pro 2 R is an entirely jumperless affair; not a single on-board jumper relates to the CPU.

A function within the BIOS, however, allows users to modify the clock-multiplier. That said, that particular feature won't be of use to most users, as most Intel CPUs include multiplier locks.

Another function also allows users to adjust the Vcore voltage, as indicated by the table above.

The memory-bus frequency can also be set to either 100MHz or 133MHz, and a number of memory-timing options can be tweaked from within the "Advanced Chipset Features" menu.

Next: Technical details