P45 Platinum Software And Accessories

With its P45 Platinum, MSI includes its Dual Core Center overclocking utility, Live Update 3 BIOS utility, and Efenity Extras HDD Backup utility. The hard drive backup utility runs from CD, but posted a statement that the motherboard model wasn’t supported.

Dual Core Center launches with a small interface, with buttons to open advanced controls.

CPU fan speed and FSB are both adjustable on the first page of the CoreCenter advanced menu.

CPU core, memory, and northbridge voltage are adjustable on the second page. Voltage changes worked well for us, but any attempt at overclocking under Windows Vista caused our system to lock up.

MSI GreenPower Center also provides voltage controls, but its aim is to conserve power. CPU and DRAM memory controller phases can also be reduced, since selecting fewer components allows added efficiency.

The P45 Platinum includes an excessive amount of documentation but a rather ordinary set of hardware. Two things that stand out are the ATI CrossFire bridge and M-Connect quick connector kit.