HD on a Budget - MSI G41TM-E43 (Intel G41)

The Intel G41 Express Chipset

For home theater enthusiast leaning towards the DIY path, assembling a home theater PC (HTPC) to act as the media hub or player for their movies, music and TV programs certainly ranks highly among their to-do lists. Despite the proliferation of third party media centers, with even hard drive manufacturers like Western Digital getting into the act, the lack of customization and the reliance on these vendors for support and updates may not be the best solution.

After all, media formats come and go, which means that nothing quite beats a custom PC for its versatility, though more work is required to maintain the system. And of course, the task of building this HTPC in the first place. Hardware manufacturers too are aware of this market, albeit relatively niche and have designed chipsets and motherboards for this purpose.

One such motherboard designed for HTPCs arrived in our lab recently, the MSI G41TM-E43. This microATX board even touts itself as being HTPC ready on its packaging. At its heart, it uses Intel's G41 Express chipset, which is a step down from the G45 Express chipset that we had seen during our Intel integrated graphics chipset showdown. Below is the chipset block diagram for the G41 chipset, which is usually paired with the older low cost ICH7 Southbridge (or ICH7R).

The Intel G41 Express chipset uses the company's X4500 Graphics Media Acceleration (GMA). This differs from the X4500HD that's found in the G45. What's the difference? Well, while the X4500 provide hardware video decode acceleration, it lacks H.264 and VC1 variable length decode acceleration. There's only full decode acceleration for MPEG2. The table below from Intel's documentation provides a clear picture of what's missing in the G41.

What this means for those intending to use a G41 chipset to power their HTPC systems, is that you're likely to get higher CPU utilization than with the G45. Since it's only partially hardware accelerated by the graphics chipset, the remaining workload has to be shouldered by the CPU. Hence, it will not alleviate the need for a decent processor and we highly recommend a dual-core at least.

As for the general graphics capability, the X4500 appears to be similar to the X4500HD, with support for DirectX 10, Shader Model 4 and OpenGL 2.0 and unified shader architecture with 10 shader processors. Total memory allocated can be assigned up to a maximum of 512MB. Unlike the G45 however, the PCIe x16 slot for a separate discrete graphics card option is only the first generation PCIe standard, and not the common PCIe 2.0 in more performance oriented systems. Thankfully, the first generation PCIe standard is still plenty fast for most add-in graphics card needs.

Another interesting nugget here is that HDMI support is not included in the G41 Express chipset, though of course, MSI has implemented that in the G41TM-E43 via the spare SDVO interface from the integrated graphics. Using a Pericom PI3HDMI415ZDE HDMI transmitter IC, it combines the uncompressed and copy-protected video and audio data from the onboard graphics and the Realtek ALC889 HD CODEC respectively to output a single HDMI compliant signal. Without this implementation, one would be hard pressed to claim the motherboard as HTPC ready, but MSI has made the best out of this economical board. Finally, the original G41 Express chipset was certified Windows Vista Premium Ready and MSI was quick to assure us that the G41TM-E43 is similarly certified for Windows 7.

MSI included the following accessories in the packaging:

• 1 x IDE cable
• 1 x SATA cable
• I/O shield
• Utilities and Drivers DVD
• User manual

The MSI G41TM-E43

With the limited PCB space on this mATX board, MSI had to maximize the features onboard while maintaining a decent, usable layout. Overall, we deem it a success as we did not spot any mistakes that affected the usability of this motherboard. Connectors and ports are shunted to the edge of the board to reduce cable clutter and even the SATA ports are aligned facing outwards. There is ample space between the expansion slots, though the floppy drive connector and the last PCI slot could have been better positioned.

The rear panel has all the outputs and connectors that we expect from a HTPC ready motherboard, including three different outputs, VGA, DVI-D and HDMI. We could do with more USB 2.0 ports than the four included here but together with the PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports, it should be sufficient. Besides, users can hook up another four USB ports through the onboard headers. Finally, there's a single Gigabit Ethernet port, powered by a Realtek 8111DL chip.

You can install any of Intel's dual and quad-core processors that use the LGA 775 socket, including those with a FSB of up to 1333MHz. But we'll recommend a Core 2 variant at least for HD video playback, given the capabilities of the GMA X4500. We don't see any difficulties with installing larger third party coolers if that's what you prefer, but retail chassis for mATX boards, especially the HTPC segment generally tend to favor lower profile coolers.

Moving onto the ICH7 Southbridge onboard, the maximum number of SATA 3.0Gbps ports supported is relatively few at just four. MSI has not added any extra ports, though by default IDE/PATA and floppy drive connectors are provided. With only four SATA ports, it does limit the number of storage devices and you may even consider having an IDE optical drive instead of SATA, if only to maximize the SATA ports for the hard drives.

MSI has included a very decent HD audio CODEC from Realtek, its ALC889 CODEC for up to 8-channel audio support. There's no S/PDIF output at the rear, so if you need that, you'll have to use the onboard header. Like the G45, this board is capable of 24-bit 8 channel lossless LPCM audio output over HDMI that enables one to enjoy Blu-ray movies in all its audio glory.

A sign that the G41TM-E43 is one of MSI's newer efforts is the presence of features like Active Phase Switching and the Easy OC Switch. Green Power is also supported, with options to enable it in the BIOS. While Green Power and the Active Phase Switching work together to improve the power efficiency for this board, we again have to find the Easy OC Switch (which allows for the FSB to be adjusted in fixed intervals, up to 400MHz) a rather redundant feature. More so for a board of this segment, where users are unlikely to try overclocking and when there are no voltage adjustments in the BIOS.

BIOS Settings

Obviously, we weren't expecting the BIOS to have options for overclocking and other tweaks, but to our surprise, MSI included its Cell menu in this BIOS. A closer examination revealed that indeed, most of the overclocking settings are missing. For instance, there's no way to adjust the voltage at all. We did however find some of the more common adjustments, like changing the FSB to DRAM ratio, FSB settings and the CPU ratio:

• FSB Settings: 200 to 700MHz
• FSB/DRAM Ratio: Auto, 1:1.25, 1:1.50, 1:1.67, 1:2.00, 1:1.00, 1:1.20
• CPU Ratio: 6 to 9.5 (CPU dependent)
• PCIe Frequency: 100 to 115MHz
• 
  

Test Setup

Since our last roundup of Intel's IGP solution featured the NVIDIA GeForce 9300 mGPU (ASUS P5N7A-VM) and Intel's G45 (DG45ID), we'll be using these two similarly competitive chipsets to compare against the Intel G41 Express. To ensure a level playing field, all the integrated graphics on the three motherboards were set to 256MB for their frame buffer.

The MSI G41TM-E43 was installed with Intel's driver version 14.37.1.5029 and INF 9.1.0.1007. The ASUS GeForce 9300 was installed with NVIDIA chipset driver version 20.08 while the graphics driver was ForceWare 178.24. For the Intel G45 board, the drivers used were 14.36.3.4990 for the graphics and INF 9.1.0.1007 for the chipset.

We encountered some compatibility issues for the MSI G41TM-E43 when it came to the memory and we could not run our usual Kingston HyperX DDR2-800 properly without crashing, even at higher timings. In the end, we used a pair of Aeneon DDR2-1066 memory downclocked to DDR2-800. Another point to note is that the MSI board did not have AHCI support due to its simpler ICH7 Southbridge while the other two boards were configured to use AHCI for their hard drives as supported by the respective boards. The rest of the test setup is as follows:-

• Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (3.16GHz)
• 2 x 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR2-800 @ 5-5-5-16 (for Intel DG45ID and ASUS P5N7A-VM)
• 2 x 1GB Aeneon DDR2-1066 @ DDR2-800 and 5-5-5-18 (for MSI G41TM-E43)
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA HDD 80GB
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 and DirectX 9.0c
• 
  

Benchmarks

The following benchmarks were used to evaluate the performance of the motherboards highlighted here:

• BAPco SYSmark 2007 Preview
• Futuremark PCMark05
• SPECviewperf 9.0
• AquaMark3

For 3D gaming performance, we used the following:-

• Quake 4 (ver 1.3)
• Unreal Tournament 3 (ver 1.1)
• Futuremark 3DMark06 (ver 110)
• 
  

Results - SYSmark 2007 Preview

As usual, we started our benchmarking with a system benchmark, SYSmark 2007, to find out how the MSI G41TM-E43 performed in a number of everyday applications. While the Intel G45 and NVIDIA 9300 mGPU boards were essentially tied in performance, the MSI was about 6% behind. Its main weakness was in the Productivity segment, which was directly attributed to its hard drive performance of the less capable non-AHCI Southbridge of the ICH7 chip. Besides this segment, the MSI was on par with the rest.

Results - Futuremark PCMark05 Pro

PCMark05 mostly confirmed our earlier results, with the overall system score for both the G41 and G45 motherboards coming out level. Both were significantly slower than the NVIDIA board. While the G45 and the MSI boards were equal for most segments, the graphics and hard drive sections favored the G45, the latter more so, which we had previously attributed to the ICH7 Southbridge.

Results - SPECviewperf 9.0

While the ASUS motherboard ran away with the bragging rights in this benchmark, the two Intel based motherboards were closely matched, with the slightest of leads for the MSI G41TM-E43.

Results - AquaMark3

Surprisingly, the MSI board produced a CPU score in AquaMark3 that was higher than the other boards. Its graphics performance however was similar to what we had seen so far, which was slightly below that of the G45.

3D Gaming Performance

So far, we have seen the G41's graphics performance to be similar to the G45, with a slight advantage to the G45. Our 3D gaming benchmarks however found both integrated graphics chipset to perform identically, with MSI edging it in two of the three benchmarks. The fact that the MSI board was running a newer driver version could account for the slight differences seen here. Overall, both Intel solutions were outmatched by its NVIDIA competitor. Note that they do not compete in the same price range but are shown here nevertheless for comparison and analytical purposes.

Blu-ray Playback Performance

Next, the important test for any HTPC system, playing high definition media. In this case, we hooked up an external Blu-ray drive and ran it through our Blu-ray movie clips, measuring the average CPU utilization during playback. This test was conducted in Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1 using CyberLink PowerDVD 8.0 Ultra. The MSI was installed with driver version 15.11.5.1624 while the Intel G45 was on 15.11.3.1576.

Without full hardware acceleration, we had expected the MSI board to produce higher CPU utilization numbers and this was indeed the case. The H.264 test involving Black Snake Moan had a higher average bitrate, thus consuming more CPU cycles for both Intel boards. However, the G41 was up to 25% more CPU intensive than the G45. This margin was narrowed in the VC-1 example but it was still about 15%. Still, this shows that even the Intel G41 based motherboards are adequately capable of tackling high-bandwidth HD content with a reasonably fast CPU.

Of course, if low CPU utilization was what you're after, the NVIDIA GeForce 9300 mGPU is unmatched here. Again take note that this naturally comes at a premium and is more apt for demanding users or multi-taskers needing to squeeze more out of their system.

Temperature

When it came to the temperature test, the MSI G41TM-E43 felt a bit warmer than the G45 but both chipsets should perform similarly. Perhaps the slightly larger heatsink on our Intel G45 sample made the difference. Here was also where the NVIDIA chipset appeared vulnerable, with its temperature readings very much higher than the Intel chipset based solutions.

Power Consumption

Here was another area where the Intel boards had the advantage. However, it was only a slight one for the G45, something that the MSI G41TM-E43 had improved on, what with the company's Green Power and dynamic phase switching technologies. For both idle and peak, you can expect the MSI to turn in better results than the reference Intel G45 motherboard.

Ideal for a Simple HTPC

Despite its label as a HTPC ready motherboard, the MSI G41TM-E43 falls slightly short of achieving full HD hardware acceleration. That honor has to go to the Intel G45 and the NVIDIA GeForce 9300 mGPU. It doesn't mean that it won't be able to play your Blu-ray or other HD material. It just means that one needs to have a decent processor to ensure that playback remains smooth.

Our testing found that certain higher bitrate Blu-ray movies will give the GMA X4500 graphics core on the MSI G41 board a stern test. That however is the slight compromise one makes when opting for the lower SKU of Intel's 4 series chipsets, but fortunately, it still managed our HD video testing well. 3D graphics performance did not appear to be affected though, with the results for the G41 similar to the G45. Again, the Intel boards were unable to come out of NVIDIA's shadow here, with the GeForce 9300 mGPU the superior solution for a little more money.

It was not till the power and temperature testing that one finds the advantage with these Intel chipsets. Lower power consumption was all very nice but it was the much lower chipset temperatures recorded that tilted these boards heavily for Intel. For a HTPC setup where heat and power are very valid concerns, it could be a compelling reason to make do with the less powerful Intel chipsets in order to stay cool and quiet.

Therefore, it boils down to what you're planning to do with your system and also how you're assembling it. A chassis with very good ventilation will alleviate some of the heat issues for the NVIDIA chipset as some users plan to do much more in the background than just watch movies on their systems. With this board, MSI has produced one that's easy to use and filled with the right features. The active phase switching in particular works well though others like the Easy OC Switch is definitely a miss.

At around US$70, the MSI G41TM-E43 is not going to bust your wallet. It however does find quite a lot of competition in this price range, with similar integrated graphics solutions from other vendors. If a fuss-free setup, low power consumption and consistent performance is something you value, then the MSI board will be a good choice.

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