MSI nforce 420 flexATX MB for $38 + sh, USB cable $1

[OrionAntares]

I'm using a Thermaltake 1U HSF. But I replaced the fan with something quieter. Cools my SFF Athlon fine.

 

[JHeiderman]

Originally posted by: lbhskier37
So, what is everyone using for heatsinks in the netvista case? What should I use for a 1ghz duron.

I've got a GC-68 from SVC cooling my 1ghz duron and even though I don't have any problems with the cover on my Netvista this badboy runs entirely too hot for my liking. I had to mod the case so the powersupply faces the other way and pulls air in from outside just to cool it well. If I put my hand right next to the cpu/heatsink I can really feel the heat on the side of the case. My next step is going to be to put a hole right above the heatsink and put a fan cover on it so the Heatsink can pull in outside air to cool better.

- J

 

[lsman]

I have to sell mine....
see picture in the FS/FT thread
i did a blow hole upon the HSF (gc68), move the PS fan to the front with another blow hole.
SFDIF is connected but not sure if it works....nothing to check.

 

[OrionAntares]

Well, my final cooling solution was to cut a hole and point the PS fan outside the case, place an 80mm fan tilted by the the front usb ports so that the air rebounds and washes over the hard drive, DVD drive and lower mobo. I then replaveced the nfoce heatsink with a little 486 CPU HSF which does a really good job of cooling it and is extremely quite. And of course theres the the low profile HSF that I replaced the fan with a quietr one. I just wish I had thought of the idea to cut a hole over the cpu fan. That may have been a better idea then having the PS flipped, but, oh well.

 

[JHeiderman]

I just wish I had thought of the idea to cut a hole over the cpu fan. That may have been a better idea then having the PS flipped, but, oh well.

I have my power supply flipped out and I'm telling that with a 1ghz duron that badboy is running hot as hell. My concern is that the harddrive is going to take a dirt nap due to all the heat. I am going to do the hole right above the heatsink and see if that helps lower temps overall.

- J

 

[lbhskier37]

about that ttl, to spdif circuit diagram that was posted, could someone please describe in english, or with a picture how that goes together. I dont know how to read circuit diagrams. Mainly, what are the triangle shaped components. Also, which pin is which in the connector on the board? I really wish i could read circuit diagrams.

 

[OrionAntares]

Well, I've been testing my system temps and the system runs around 42 degrees and the CPU runs at 52 degrees. I tested it by running 4 different divx movies at the same time for 2 hours.

I just tested a DVD movie, and it's running a little cooler than with divx movies, I'm going to try an intensive game later and see what happens with that.

 

[lbhskier37]

Ok, I almost got this circuit deciphered. I know what the triangles are, but what pin on the board is what? Which is ground, ttl, and what is the third pin? Every source I have found has only 2 pins for a ttl signal. What do I do with the third?

 

[OrionAntares]

The middle pin is the spdif signal and the other 2 are ground and 5v.

 

[lbhskier37]

which one is ground, and which is 5v?

 

[lbhskier37]

anyone? which is ground? And what is the correct pinout for the USB?

 

[gsiener]

Correct pin out for usb can be found in this thread, near the beginning there is a pic that's commented. All you need to do is pull out the white plug if you're using the netvista case. Hope that helps.

 

[lbhskier37]

whoo, hooo I got the USB to work. All that is left is the spdif. I still have to buy the components to put it all together, but I dont know which pin on the board is ground and which is 5v. Who has put it together and figured that out. Or actually how could I figure it out myslef, I am not very good with electronics.

 

[rstanchak]

I'm selling my MSI and SFF Athlon if anybody is interested.
I couldn't fit the darn thing in any cases, so I ended up building a custom plexiglass case that is available as well.
I have the mobo and cpu on ebay, but if anyone is seriously interested, I'll pull it.

The auction

the case

email or pm
romanATandrewDOTcmuDOTedu

 

[Dagar]

I finally got the mobo to work with a non-mobile 1800XP. Odd as it didn't work a couple of months ago. And I found a home for the 1800xp... at Shuttle SK41.

 

[vladgur]

I got an impulse to buy an epia-m mobo, so Im selling my nforce cpu/mobo....
If anyone is interested, checkout my signature

 

[lbhskier37]

damn am I missing something with my board? Everyone seems to be dumping theirs. I love mine. Blows the pants off them EPIA boards. Anyways, someone has to know which pin is the 5v and which is the ground in the spdif circuit. I havent started building the circuit, but I would really like to know before I start puting stuff together.

 

[vladgur]

where are you housing your board?
Id just like to put the board and a dvd-rom inside a tight case like netvista, but with this board its nearly impossible

 

[Dagar]

I ended up puting mine in an ATX tower case. I'll save my little NetVista case for an ITX P4.

 

[Dagar]

It is a nice board, just the fact that the funky size (my Asus A7N board is narrower) makes it a bloody pain to work with @#@%@. Actually, given the current prices those boards are fetching on eBay, they're not worth it (not $70-80, as I only paid $45).

 

[vladgur]

Originally posted by: Dagar
I ended up puting mine in an ATX tower case. I'll save my little NetVista case for an ITX P4.

thats the problem, it wont fit into netvista without sacrifices. I decided that if I dont sell it for the asking price, ill put it into an atx case and save netvista for future endeavors...

 

[OrionAntares]

i dunno, i got mine into my case without much sacrificing

 

[yodayoda]

same here. i dropped the msi board in a netvista, removed the fan from the power supply, and it fits quite nicely. i got a little paranoid, so i put a 150W PSU in there instead and Zip-tied it down to the case. i don't have a CD drive there, just a hard drive and a fan drive. it is really doing great as a little kitchen computer for my mom. i will take some pics for you guys too when i get a chance.

 

[vladgur]

LOL, does your mom really need a computer in her kitchen?

 

[tryanasaurus]

Quote

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by: Dagar
I ended up puting mine in an ATX tower case. I'll save my little NetVista case for an ITX P4.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



thats the problem, it wont fit into netvista without sacrifices. I decided that if I dont sell it for the asking price, ill put it into an atx case and save netvista for future endeavors...

I ended up putting my mb in a regular atx case and it's been running like champ. I used the netvista case to house my Asus p4s333-vm and it is perfect for the case. I have a 1.6a 512MB ddr, 60 GB 7200, and it runs flawlessly on the stock PSU. Most micro atx boards don't fit the netvista case but this board sits in there perfectly without any real shoehorning. The onboard video is adequate for anything except gameinig.