MSI MS-6119 ATX BX2 Motherboard
Reviewed by Sim Kian Ann  (30 Dec 98)

Motherboard Specifications
Processor	Intel Celeron® Processor 266MHz-333MHz (66Mhz). Intel Pentium® II Processor 233MHz-366MHz (66Mhz). Intel Pentium® II Processor 350MHz-450MHz (100Mhz) Slot 1 Socket for Future Expansion.
Chipset	Intel 82440 BX AGPset
Cache memory	CPU Built-in 128KB/512KB L2 cache for Celeron/Pentium II Processor
System Memory	3 x 168-pin 3.3v DIMM sockets support  Supports 8/16/32/64/128/256 MB DIMM Module  Supports SDRAM PC66 & 100(Supports ECC, 72 bit)  Supports 8MB to 768MB DRAM Size  Supports 50/66/68/75/83/100/103/112/133 MHz System Clock Speed Setting Supports 1.5-6.0 Multiplier Setting
PCI IDE	2 X PCI Bus Master UDMA/33 IDE ports (up to 4 ATAPI Devices)  Supports for PIO Mode 3, 4, UDMA/33 IDE & ATAPI CD-ROM
I/O Interface	1x floppy port (360KB-2.88MB)  2x serial ports (16550 high-speed)  1x parallel port (SPP/EPP/ECP)  PS/2 Keyboard  PS/2 Mouse  2x USB
Expansion slot	4 x PCI 32-bit slots, PCI 2.1 compliant  3 x ISA 16-bit slots  1x AGP (1x & 2x Mode,66/133MHz) slot  Supports Creative PCI Sound Card SB-Link™.
Power Management	Power On by LAN, RTC Alarm, Modem ring on, Keyboard & Mouse & Soft-Power Switch  Power Off by Windows® 95 Shut down & Soft-Power Switch  Supports 3 Level ACPI LED
Form Factor	ATX Form Factor, 4 layer PCB  Fits in Regular ATX Case  ATX Connector on Board  Double Deck ATX Back Panel
BIOS	1Mbit (128kb) / 2 Mbit (256KB) FLASH RAM  Award PCI BIOS with Green, PnP, DMI, INT13 (HD>8.4)and Anti-Virus Functions  LS120, ZIP, ATAPI CD-ROM, IDE #1, #2, #3, #4 Bootable

<Introduction><The Good><The Bad><Conclusion><Rating>

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Introduction

Microstar is a well known brand  & is a Top-10 motherboard manufacturer. Microstar's LX board has already received already many recommendation, and Microstar is carrying on its success in building fast and reliable Pentium II boards this board certainly live up to its expectation in terms of speed.

However,the board is not as easily overclockable.

But until very recently, Microstar boards were not easily available in the local market but now it is easily acquired..

The contents of the box include the following: 1 MS - 6119  motherboard, 1 packet of FDD & HDD cable, 1 Drivers, 1 Utility containing virus scan -CD & 1 motherboard-manual.

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The Good

The board is designed in a slightly old 4/3/1(PCI/ISA/AGP) expansion slot configuration. Most needed connectors like the FDD, HDD, various LED connectors & the 3 DIMM slots are all easily accessible as they are located in front of the board. All the above mentioned connectors are easily accessible even when all components have been installed in the casing.

There is a green heatsink  which covering the 440BX chipset. This helps to dissipate heat better & is even better if one is overclocking the board. For cooling purposes, there are three 3-pin power connectors for CPU, Power & Chassis fan installation these no only provide the power supply for the fan but also monitor the speed the revolution of the  fan. Should you need the SB-link connector for some PCI sound-cards, you'll be content to know that one is provided, although the Creative PCI sound-cards (which the SB-link was 1st intended for usage) are engineered in a different way that you don't require this connector to get full DOS sound support.

A nice feature of the motherboard is that it detects the kind of CPU you have and automatically tries to set the right cpu speed. Going into the BIOS, you can manually select predefined settings for the CPU or choose th FSB & multiplier settings yourself for overclocking. It is a big plus point by itself! t recognizes the CPU FSB clock, so that you can either choose between 66/68/75/83 or 100/103/112/133 MHz in the BIOS setup menu. The good thing is that you won't require any fiddleing with jumpers, the CPU setup is completely done via the BIOS setup. Changing settings from the BIOS is really easy & straightforward.

This board is certainly thumbs up in providing monitoring services for example it shows the voltage and fan speed when booting up, unlike many mother board which these datas can only be access through the bios or external program. Also from the bios the board can monitor fan-speed & failure, Cpu-temp & overheating, Incoming voltage & fluctuations. It also provide CPU overheating warning andc hassis intrusion detect. One thing I would like to mention is that unlike most motherboard this mother board provide the most accurate CPU temperature as the detector is raised to the level of the heatsink and is place very close to the heat sink. Please look at the picture below:

The Manual is to the point & quick in it's explanations. It has got step-by-step pictures for installing the processor. However, the manual provided is a bit outdated as the hardware did not corresspond to the specification of the hardware. This is because the manual still inform the user that the speed is set using jumper but it is actually set using the bios now.

The CD provides ALL the manuals for its motherboards. So are the drivers. This is very useful for system integrators rather than to the end-user.

On boot-up the Bios detects your hardware, checks with the current Bios settings and displays some helpful information such as your the voltage and the temperature  of the CPU. This is useful as one does not need to enter the Bios to find out these information as with other board.

The Test

The processor used for this test is a P2-300 (0.25 micron ver.) which is very overclockable. But I'm heavily limited in my processor speed choices as it is multiplier-locked at 4.5x  At 103MHz, the system furiously restarted after loading windows. I attribute this to inadequate cooling for the chip(300 to 450 is already great & you want 463 to work perfect!? Not so much a chance!).

Wintune 98 Result for Intel Pentium II 300 Mhz @ 4.5 x 66 Mhz

Wintune 98 Result for Intel Pentium II 300 Mhz @ 4.5 x 100 Mhz

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The Bad

The MS-6119 does not have any CPU voltage settings in the Bios nor does it have a jumper so that it can be change , thus although it is very fast it is not a very good board to recommend for overclocker. Currently, the CPU core voltage is automatically detected using the Pentium II VID function. The ATX Power connector is located behind the Slot-1 connector & will definitely block the processor's air-flow path & contribute to an untidy interior.

It recognizes the CPU FSB clock, so that you can either choose between 66/68/75/83 or 100/103/112/133 MHz in the BIOS setup menu. The good thing is that you won't require any fiddleing with jumpers, the CPU setup is completely done via the BIOS setup.

The manual is too sparse & the manual is outdated the manual on the CD is needed for detailed info.

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Conclusion

A fairly good board. It is a very fast board as compared to other motherboard. But for those who like to try fiddling with overclocking, it is a let down as there are no way to change the the voltage.

MOTHERBOARD RATING

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