Features continued.
The revised Intel Brookdale E Southbridge, the I845E, officially supports the newer Northwood B processors which operate on a native 533MHz FSB. Rather than simply add 533MHz support, Intel have decided to add USB2.0 support. 6 USB2.0 ports are available with two running off the rear backplane, two off the revised D-Bracket2, and another two by an optional USB2.0 backplane (one of which is shared with Bluetooth). USB2.0 is slowly becoming an accepted hi-speed standard so its inherent inclusion is viewed with appreciation here at Hexus.
RAID is provided by the popular Promise PDC20276 chipset. The downside to the particular one on offer is that it is identified as the MBFastTrack Lite 133. Although it supports up to four hard drives, only two can be used in either RAID 0 or RAID 1 modes. Therefore, it supports RAID 0, RAID 1 but not RAID 0+1.
Another major drawback of this controller is the limitation of strip size to 64KB. I would have preferred the Highpoint RAID controller for its flexibility, and more specifically, the Highpoint HPT374 8-channel controller as found on the ABIT IT7
Keeping with the deluxe nature of the MSI 845E Max2 BLR, we see that the reliable Realtek ALC650 sound chip is included. This usually vies with the CMI 87xx range of CODECs for premium on-board sound on most motherboards. Both are good but I'd personally give the nod to the latter. The ALC650 is an 18-bit, full duplex AC'97 2.2 compatible stereo audio CODEC. It natively supports full surround sound 5.1 configuration with a maximum of 6 separate or discrete channels (Left, Right, Center, SL, SR and Sub). It also supports S/PDIF out (which is provided). From basic listening, it appears as if it's more than capable of basic Windows duty. The only downside of on-board sound is that it inevitably takes a toll on absolute performance.
The backplane is only irregular due to the inclusion of an Intel 10/100 LAN. This is also powered from the busy Southbridge. We see the regular assortment of connectors, no legacy-free here.
Features-wise, the 845E Max2 BLR is very similar to the 645DX Max2 that I reviewed recently. Both motherboards are blessed with ATA133 RAID, ALC650 sound, 3 DDR DIMM slots, USB2.0, on-board ethernet, infrared support and Bluetooth connectivity. The 845E Max2 BLR takes the lead by providing a superior Bluetooth package, a true value-adding extra. Whilst not being quite as all-inclusive as the ABIT IT7, this motherboard is well specified, fully justifying its deluxe tag.