MSI 945GT Speedster-A4R supporting Core Duo Mobile

Final Thoughts

Intel's Core architecture is now the technology of the present and future. Intel has done a magnificent job in order to unify its CPU architecture for Server, Desktop and Mobile.

As for Mobile on Desktop, while it may be cheaper for a Core 2 Duo over a Core Duo processor for your gaming needs, as for power consumption and performance per watt, where a laptop or HTPC are concerned, Core Duo has the goods.

However, while the MSI 945GT plus Core Duo mobile offer good gaming performance, the overall platform is quite expensive and you'll be able to get yourself setup with a relatively good Intel P965 based motherboard and Core 2 Duo E6400 at slightly a better price, which should offer similar performance in most cases.

MSI has done a reasonably good job in its first Core architecture board however we would like to see a more robust overclocking setup to consider it a desktop contender.

For now, it's good as a Workstation board, but more suited to the HTPC niche with plenty of good features to satisfy most of these types of users.

- Pros

Supports all Core Duo, Solo and upcoming Core 2 Duo 478 CPU

Dual Gigabit LAN

Onboard Video

Onboard digital audio output

Plenty of expansion slots

Quiet operating

DDR-2 support

Mild overclocker

Firewire

ATX or Micro ATX compatible

- Cons

Needs better overclocking support

Overall platform not so good value for money

- Latest Pricing

Rating - 8.5 out of 10