MSI K9A2 CF review

Doesn’t do what it says on the tin

By TechRadar Staff
published
This motherboard’s got AMD written all over it

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Reasonably cheap

  • +

    Puts in a decent performance

Cons

  • -

    Is outperformed by cheaper rivals

  • -

    No support for Crossfire X despite its claims to the contrary

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There are two versions of AMD's latest chipset - the 790X and the slightly higher specced 790FX.

The only real difference is that the FX has more options for overclockers, as this features a slightly crippled version of Overdrive.

You get what you pay for

Weirdly, the box states that this board supports Crossfire X, the new four-way graphics set-up from AMD - which clearly, with only two PCIE slots, it can't.

As good value as it is, we can't help feeling a bit let down. AMD is supposed to be competing on price and yet for less money, the Gigabyte DS3L has more features and a P35 northbridge.

We don't expect performance with Phenom to be spectacular but when coupled with a cheap Athlon, it's passable as a budget system. However, it has far from won us over.

TechRadar Staff

The TechRadar hive mind. The Megazord. The Voltron. When our powers combine, we become 'TECHRADAR STAFF'. You'll usually see this author name when the entire team has collaborated on a project or an article, whether that's a run-down ranking of our favorite Marvel films, or a round-up of all the coolest things we've collectively seen at annual tech shows like CES and MWC. We are one.