Value Dual Socket-370 Motherboard Roundup - August 2001

MSI 694D Master-S

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The 694D Master-S, successor to the original 694D Pro, provides more features and will fit the needs of a variety of different users. The 694D Master-S is equipped with an Adaptec AIC-7899G SCSI controller, supporting two 68-pin and one 50-pin connectors on the board.

Adaptec SCSI controller and the three connectors.

Besides the SCSI version, there is also the 694D Pro2, 694D Pro2-R, and the 694D Pro2-IR, which contain different features like RAID and Firewire. Unlike ASUS, this plethora of models gives you more flexibility in finding a board that suits your needs best.

The 694D Master is also equipped with an AGP Pro slot for use with high-end graphic cards, another feature that makes the board ready for a high-end workstaton.

The AGP Pro slot on the 694D Master-S.

One downside of the board is performance, where the numbers are a little bit lower than the other boards. But in terms of stability, the 694D Master-S is incredible, matching other boards to be among the most stable. Overclocking is just the same as that for the 694D Pro, where the board topped out at 147MHz.

In short, the 694D Master-S is a very impressive board, and is ready if you need onboard SCSI. The board is very stable as well, with the only downside being the slightly below average performance. Fortunately, overclocking worked quite well, which could end up being the most important factor for some.