MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: Worked fine for 2 years.

Cons: POST hangs at "Initializing USB controllers... Done". Keyboard doesn't work either, so can't enter BIOS setup. Tried bunch of things including removing all usb devices, extra ram, cmos battery, etc. nothing helped. Called their customer support, they asked me to file an RMA. Not being able to use my computer for possibly months, all the hassle of removing the motherboard, packing and shipping costs, everything says I should have spent a couple bucks more on an ASUS/gigabyte motherboard.

Other Thoughts: I'm never buying MSI again.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issues that you are having with this product.
Have you tried unplugging USB devices one at a time and determine which USB device had caused the symptom?
Have you also tried updating the BIOS to the latest version?
http://www.msi.com/product/mb/870A-G54.html#/?div=BIOS

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with our tech support team directly at 626.271.1004 for assistance during regular business hours from M to F, 9am to 6pm Pacific Time.
Or you can email us at usreview@msi.com, thank you.

Best Regards,
MSI Review Team | usreview@msi.com

Pros: I've had very good luck with MSI motherboards and that includes this one. I have used this motherboard for over 12 hours a day for over 2 years without a glitch.

Cons: none

Pros: Lasted for two years. Worked well. Did not overclock or mess with stock voltage settings. Until...

Cons: Boots fine and runs for about 10 minutes. The System blinks off, but the CPU fan is still running and lights are still on.
The red Over Clock button light is on / lit and the mobo stops functioning. There is still power to the board, but it is completely non-functional.

Other Thoughts: Suspected that this is OCP, or Over-Current Protection. The Power Phase, Choke, and MOSFETs all seem to be okay.
Cannot find documentation regarding the use of the OCP button/light with over-current protection. Either way, dead mobo.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issues that you are having with this product.

Please kindly visit the URL below to set up a RMA with the following information.
http://service.msicomputer.com/msi_user/rma_form_new.aspx

1. Full name (first, and last)
2. Telephone #
3. Physical address
4. Email address
5. Serial number (located on the box, or underneath the motherboard, eg 601-xxxx-xxxBxxxxxxxxxx)
6. Symptoms you are having onto the Special Remark section (as detailed as possible)

Once your information and warranty coverage are verified then we can proceed with this RMA for you.
Our turn-around time is typically about one week and our system will notify you automatically at every stage of your RMA process.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the product, received the unit back from RMA but are still having issues, please do not hesitate to contact us directly at usreview@msi.com and we will be more than happy to assist you, thank you.

Best Regards,
MSI Review Team | usreview@msi.com

Pros: Good basic options, great OC options, great components

Cons: no USB 3.0 header, no firewire, no RAID rebuild options

Other Thoughts: Good board for basic use with simple single-drive operation. I recently built a RAID 5 configuration and it kept dropping one of the drives out of the RAID array. Unfortunately there is no auto-rebuild array option, so if your array fails you have to completely reinitialze the array, losing your data and defeating the point RAID 5.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Regarding RAID rebuild options, it is done in the OS using AMD RAIDXpert utility.
It is a web-based engine that you can use to view, change, plus many more features.

RAIDXpert can be obtained through the URL below:
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/raid_windows.aspx#1

RAIDXpert user manual can be obtained below:
www2.ati.com/relnotes/AMD_RAIDXpert_User_v2.1.pdf

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the product, please do not hesitate to contact us directly at usreview@msi.com and we will be more than happy to assist you, thank you.

Best Regards,
MSI Review Team | usreview@msi.com

Pros: Meets all of my expectations, needs and wants. The back of the box says if you over clock, the board will last a little under ten years. If you don't overclock it, it says it should last forty years. Supports chosen CPU, the pair of USB 3.0 ports was a bonus when I got this two years ago and are great to have for the one 3.0 peripheral that I do own.

Regular PCI slots alongside conjunction with your modern expansion slots!

Has cool lights.

If I was into tinkering beyond my understanding, the OC nob is an interesting toy. I like that on the occasions that I did play with the OC features and whatnot, if something didn't work right, the BIOS always self recovered to working state.

Cons: There was a control and monitoring utility for Windows that didn't work properly, but eventually MSI released an update that resolved the issue. This was a non-critical update since it didn't affect the normal operation of the board and it's reliability.

Other Thoughts: I opted for a Phenom II dual-core in a time where quad-cores were becoming an affordable option. This was because of the reduced heat output. This keeps my fan RPMs low, as well as reduces dust build-up. After a few years with a hot running Pentium D @ 3.0ghz, it was time to quiet it down a notch.

Pros: Had this mobo. for 2 years now with 0 problems. Sound works great! I've upgraded my ram and went from an HDD to a SSD since installing this board and still no problems.

Cons: none

Other Thoughts: This is a really good board, you just get bad apples from time to time, it's the nature of the (mass produced) beast

Pros: Great support for Linux never had any problems with it, with my PC running for days at a time

Cons: None

Pros: Working great for over a year now no issues.
CPU AMD Athlon II X2 260 not even fully upgraded yet.
I have had my CPU (OC) for a year at 3.68ghz Zero issues.

Cons: Some said thet got a DOB dead out of Box mine worked right out of the box.

Other Thoughts: I will be upgrading my CPU here soon probably to a x8 core or a x4 not sure yet.

Only problem i have right now is the heat.

I keep the CPU cool with a Aftermartket cooler i keep it at 74F while its not on use and while gaming it barely hits 85F

The only thing i need to do now is get a Aftermarket cooler for my Video card.

A lot of people complained about the DOB i guess i was one of the few who did not get a DOB or i just know what i am doing.

Pros: All pro's of this motherboard nullified with the lack of MSI support for their product. what good is the board if no one is around when something does go bad?

Cons: Contacting customer support to get it RMA virtually impossible. Sent two emails and called the 1-626 number, voicemail the first time and put on hold then disconnected the second time.

Problem like many others, computer would not boot to windows. I swapped out processors, ram, power supply, video card and still the same result. windows orbs comes up the my screen goes blank and the OC dial, and Knob lights come on

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued MSI Customer,
“Please contact MSI customer service/RMA Team: Customer Service / RMA: 1-626-271-1004 Press 2 usrma@msi.com with your case details. Thank you.”
Best Regards,
Customer Service/RMA Team

Pros: good overclockabilty features,great reliability,no probs yet other than xfire

Cons: no crossfire x, the board boasts about xfire i have yet to see it thats why i knocked an egg off. Ive spent six months tryng everything reading forums process of elimination still nothing. probs with pcie multiplyiers it reads at pcie v1.1 all the time even when im playing skyrim not even noticable performance. :(

Other Thoughts: im actually thinking about the ud5 gigabyte honestly. if you want a reliable board that doesnt crossfire the msi 870a-g54 is for you