MSI's hottest release in the high-end segment is the X38 Diamond. The X38 is undoubtedly the best Intel chipset enthusiasts can get their hands dirty with, especially along with the new 45 nm quadcore Penryn CPUs and some high-end DDR3 memory.

So far MSI's Diamond series of motherboards has always met enthusiasts' expectations with a slew of features and superior performance. Let's find out how much this one glitters. A JS The MSI X38 Diamond supports all Intel processors in the LGA775 package, including the new generation of 45 nm processors.

As a feature of the chipset, the board supports 8 GB of DDR3 memory and features two x16 PCle 2.0 slots with support for CrossFire in full x16 + x16 mode. In addition to this there are two more x16 PCle slots enabling a massive multi-monitor setup comprising eight displays. However, due to the presence of another two PCle slots, there's only one PCI expansion slot.

There are plenty of features that make the X38 Diamond board stand out from the crowd. The board features solid capacitors
all over and 8-phase power circuitry for rock solid stability while overclocking. Even though an 8-channel ALC888T audio codec is present, you have the option to use a Creative X-Fi module which comes bundled with the motherboard.

Finally, there are enough LEDs on the motherboard to light up a dark room! LAYOUT: The motherboard is dominated
by copper heat pipes interconnecting the Northbridge, Southbridge and voltage regulators. The components are laid out pretty well, except that you won't be able to use large CPU coolers because of the proximity of the heat pipes to the CPU socket. The SATA and IDE ports are placed perpendicular to the board at the lower right corner. To ease header connections, MSI has provided header connector blocks for the front panel USB, FireWire and also for the audio ports.

PERFORMANCE: The lavish feature set translates into stellar performance. However, you need high-end components to do justice to this motherboard. We could easily overclock the Intel OX9650 CPU from 3 GHz to 4 GHz (FSB 333 x 12). The peak FSB speed of the board is 440 MHz-so far the Asus Maximus Formula is the leader of the pack, topping out at an astonishing 450 MHz FSB.

VERDICT: The X38 Diamond is an excellent pick for high-performance systems. But we suggest an SLI motherboard for multiGPU setups.
FOR: Good cooling, four PCle slots, Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi included. AGAINST: None

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TEST BED
Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme OX9650, 3.00 GHz
Memory: 2x 1 GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1333
Graphics card: Galaxy GeForce 8800 GT Hard drive: Western Digital WD740 GD.

Specifications
Form factor: ATX; CPU socket: LGA 775; Chipset:
Intel X38 Express; Memory support: DDR3-1333 Imax 8 GB); LAN: dual gigabit Ethernet; SATAI PATA: 5/1; USB ports: 1212 via headers); Audio: 8-channel ALC888T and Creative X-Fi; Expansion slots: 4x PC Ie x15, 2x PCle xl and lx PCI.