What You Get

The first thing you'll notice about the MSI 845 Ultra retail box is the snazzy silver trim and an overall high-end look and feel. Like the previous MSI K7T266 Pro 2 and K7N420 Pro, this is a box that the even salespeople will comment on. Along with the MSI 845 Ultra motherboard, the retail box contains one FDD cable, two ATA-66/100/133 EIDE cables, a driver CD, a user manual and a USB 1.1 bracket. If you are buying the 845 Ultra-ARU, then you will also get a quad-USB 2.0 bracket.

The included documentation, with a matching shiny silver cover, is a 76-page hardcopy user manual. We've always liked MSI manuals and this one is no exception. Superb organization, clear, concise descriptions, excellent diagrams and a familiar look and feel make this one of the better manuals MSI has produced. For the RAID models, a manual is also included that details the various settings and options for IDE RAID.

In terms of included software, the driver CD features a wide array of applications and utilities. These include Fuzzy Logic (software overclocking utility), the standard MSI LiveBIOS and LiveDriver applications, PC Alert II (diagnostic, voltage, fan speed, heat, etc.), and a PC-Cillin bundle.

Live BIOS is a program that can update your system BIOS directly through the web. You simply log onto the MSI website, install a MSI BIOS Detection Program, then have the software detect and update your system BIOS as required. MSI has also updated the service to include video cards and system drivers as well. While a nice feature for new users or those who can't navigate a DOS screen, it may be safer to update the BIOS the usual way if possible.

MSI has also continued to add some panache to their retail package by including a nifty "Geared by MSI" holographic sticker for use on the outside of your PC case. Since MSI started this up a few years ago, we've noticed other motherboard companies doing the same.