MSI P67A-GD65 Sandy Bridge Motherboard Preview

A while ago, we previewed ASUS’ entries into the Sandy Bridge motherboard market and some of Gigabyte’s own products received similar treatment as well. Not to be outdone by their competitors, MSI will be introducing no less than ten 1155-based boards in the coming months of which some are still in their beta stages while others will be available right alongside Intel’s new processors when they launch.

The subject of today’s preview will be the P67A-GD65; a mainstream product that has some big-time features. Priced at $180, this may not seem all that affordable but when you consider the $200 and higher SRPs similarly spec’d boards from the likes of Gigabyte and ASUS, MSI seems to be out for blood.

The $150 to $175 price point has always been highly competitive and these days, it really is amazing what you can get for what amounts to be a relatively minor investment. On the GD65, USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gbps are both supported and dual GPUs are a possibility for those who want to give their budget-friendly rig an edge in gaming. MSI has even followed in others’ footsteps by including features like dual BIOS chips and an all-new UEFI BIOS that gives users the ability to navigate through its menus with a mouse. Overclocking plays a significant role as well with straightforward tools that beginners can use to get the absolute most out of their system.

MSI does seem to have an excellent combination on their GD65 so let’s take a closer look at the board itself along with the rest of their upcoming lineup.