Before we start overclocking, we need some music, the Audigy SE software included with the motherboard offers plenty of options to let you enjoy gaming, music and movies at high audio quality levels.



Stable setting: Memory 1GBX2 DDRII 1083 CL4 4-4-12 2.3v



But that’s not the limit, increasing the FSB further (but reducing the HTT speed) allows a successful CPU overclocked of 2937Mhz (10x 293 FSB). With two ELSA 7300GT DDR3 cards overclocked in SLI to 525/750 the following 3DMark scores where obtained:







Summing up the K9N Diamond

Good stuff:

1. Very completely package, feature rich
2. Silent and cool North/Southbridge heat pipe cooling
3. Excellent power circuitry leads to stable voltages.
4. High quality on board audio through Audigy SE chip.
5. CPU the frequency may surpass to the 345Mhz scope
6. Able to run stable at DDRII 800 1T CL3 3-3-9 2.2v

Shortcomings

1. Compared to the older K8N Diamond series, the K9N is not particularly superior
2. Memory voltage setting only up to 2.3v
3. You need DDR2 1120~1160 capable memory to really reach full potential with this board
4. Was hoping for eSATA (external SATA) connector on this deluxe motherboard

The MSI K9N Diamond enters the crowded high end motherboard market at an affordable ~$210 price point. Overall features and overclocking abilities are quite good, only extreme enthusiasts should look elsewhere.

The rich multimedia features and high value for money make this board a good purchase for anybody looking to build an AM2 system.