Product Listing

MSI P6NGM (NVIDIA GeForce 7150/nForce 630i)

By Zachary Chan - 13 Oct 2007

Conclusion

Conclusion

Despite the NVIDIA GeForce 7-series mGPU chipsets being the new kid on the block, our expectations for the MSI P6NGM were modest. As with most entry-level and mainstream motherboards, the P6NGM is a no-frills entry. 'What you see is what you get' is the topic of the day, and MSI pulls it off with ease here. Simple and unassuming, the MSI P6NGM will fulfill almost all the needs of an average user with a decent array of storage options, connectivity, networking and entertainment features.

Graphics performance for the P6NGM was a little erratic and while the GeForce 7150 was the overall better performer, Intel's GMA X3000 wasn't that far behind in DirectX benchmarks. It really depends on what application you will be running. NVIDIA still has one of the best OpenGL driver support though, as is evident through SPECviewperf. Looking at the big picture, the performance premium of a GeForce GPU - even if it is just an IGP - cannot be denied and in the Intel market, a GeForce part will obviously have the better universal compatibility. The P6NGM has a HDMI port with HDCP support, making the board ready for media center tasks, but without a proper array of A/V connectors, the P6NGM is more suited to be a desktop workhorse.

The memory subsystem performance of the P6NGM also received mixed results. For the most part, the board proved that NVIDIA's souped up single-channel memory controller is indeed better than the competition. However, the results weren't consistent as SYSmark 2004 attested to. We would have no doubt that the GeForce 7150 would have been the clear cut winner if NVIDIA had implemented a dual-channel memory controller. NVIDIA's concerns on this aspect were to bring about a more affordable and efficient mainstream mGPU. Instead of being the latest must-have IGP chipset for the Intel market, the GeForce 7150/nForce 630i seems to be merely a contender to the Intel G965/G33 in terms of desktop productivity performance.

The MSI P6NGM is a worthy mainstream motherboard that can take on almost any role, in the office, at home or as an entertainment center.

Bottom line, the MSI P6NGM is a well implemented mainstream motherboard, our chipset gripes notwithstanding. Like the MSI G965MDH, the design is clean, comes fully featured and stable enough for everyday use. We wouldn't necessarily recommend the P6NGM over the G965MDH however; both boards (or more appropriately, both chipsets) are equally on par for different reasons, but note that the G965 boards are already exiting the market. The NVIDIA GeForce 7150 lends the P6NGM an advantage in terms of graphics that cannot be denied, and if you're a heavy multimedia user, your choice might then be skewed towards the P6NGM.

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