You now need motherboards based on different chipsets for Intel's midrange and high-end Core i7 variants. The X58 is a speed demon that commands a price not everyone can afford, while the P55 serves a slightly lower-end market. Msl's P55M-GD45 supports the lower Core i7 as well as current Core is CPUs. It's also one of the cheapest P55-based boards available.

The Msi P55M-GD45 has a mini ATX form factor and supports Intel's latest LGA1156 socket processors. The board supports a maximum of 16 GB of DDR3 memory running at 1333 MHz, 14 USB ports, six sATA ports, IDE port and B-channel audio out. CrossFire is also supported but at a crippled x4 speed.

Considering that the P55M-GD45 is a micro-ATX board its layout is neat when compared to other boards in the same category. The CPU area is also free of too many capacitors thereby giving you the freedom to install a larger heatsink. The board features all solid capacitors and comes equipped with a 5-phase power design. An APs (Active Power Switching) system that dynamic.ally controls the power provided to the CPU, memory and chipset is also integrated. Apart from the 10 USB ports that the rear panel sports, the P55M-GD45 is also equipped with two esATA ports. The only downside of this board is the proximity of the RAM modules and PCIe slot.

VERDICT: A budget P55 board that will blow your socks off.

FOR: Decent layout, good performance.

AGAINST: Proximity of RAM modules and PCle slot, crippled CrossFire support.

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