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Building a Core i7 PC is expensive, but motherboards such as MSI’s X58M – the cheapest Core i7 motherboard we’ve ever reviewed – make it a little easier on the wallet. As you’d expect from a performance motherboard, it has two PCI-E x16 slots with CrossFireX support, which will satisfy gamers who want to squeeze every ounce of performance from an already powerful system by using a pair of matching Radeon graphics cards. It’s a microATX board, so there’s less room for expansion slots than you’d find on a larger motherboard, but it has a PCI-E x4 slot and a PCI slot. If you fit only one graphics card, you can use the second PCI-E x16 slot for other expansion cards. Six triple-channel memory slots occupy a large part of the motherboard, and can handle up to 24GB of RAM. MSI still manages to find room for seven SATA ports and an IDE connector. The rear I/O panel is generously equipped with ports. It has six USB connections, a pair of PS/2 ports, eSATA and FireWire connections. If six USB ports aren’t enough, the motherboard comes with a USB bracket that can be connected to one of the three free internal USB headers.
If you’re planning to build a Core i7 PC, you’ll be concerned about speed, and the X58M has that in spades. It gave us one of the fastest benchmark scores we’ve ever seen. At £124, this board could never be described as a bargain but it’s incredibly cheap compared with every other Core i7 motherboard out there.
