New BIOS Version 3.1 available for MSI K8NGM2-FID
- Thread starter BernardP
- Start date
I installed the 3.1 bios last night, upgrading from 3.0.
S-Video out appears to be fixed (very dim with 3.0). However I haven't been able to get the image to fill the screen properly yet. I end up with two small black regions at the top and bottom. I have left the bios set to Auto for TV type.
This may be a Nvidia driver issue, but I can not switch from Analog Monitor to TV out if a video is playing. If I stop the video (In MyTheatre ), the NVidia software will let me switch to TV out.
You can select Cool n Quite in the bios, however it does not appear to do anything.
I have selected 1000 MHz for both HT settings. No problems so far.
I didn't try any OC settings.
I'm running OCZ Premier Series PC-3200 Dual Channel (1G total)
Here's the PC Wizard 2006 screen for memory:
(forum wont let me inline image)
screen shot
S-Video out appears to be fixed (very dim with 3.0). However I haven't been able to get the image to fill the screen properly yet. I end up with two small black regions at the top and bottom. I have left the bios set to Auto for TV type.
This may be a Nvidia driver issue, but I can not switch from Analog Monitor to TV out if a video is playing. If I stop the video (In MyTheatre ), the NVidia software will let me switch to TV out.
You can select Cool n Quite in the bios, however it does not appear to do anything.
I have selected 1000 MHz for both HT settings. No problems so far.
I didn't try any OC settings.
I'm running OCZ Premier Series PC-3200 Dual Channel (1G total)
Here's the PC Wizard 2006 screen for memory:
(forum wont let me inline image)
screen shot
Thanks for the info. Do you mean that Cool'n Quiet is not working? Have you tried checking processor frequency with CPU-Z? Is the AMD Cool'n Quiet driver installed and is it enabled in Windows?
As for TV-Out, if you have small black bars at top and bottom, but not at the sides, do you notice some picture distortion? Is the aspect ratio of the picture squashed vertically?
Doh, no haven't installed any drivers. I did install the AMD dashboard... but no Cool n Quite drivers specifically. I have used the MSI Live UpDate and according to it all drivers are up to date.
CPU-Z shows 2009.X MHz, Multiplier x10.0
As I type this. Just web browsers open. CPU Is at 7%.
3200+ Athalon64 CPU, stock heatsink and fan, fan speed ~3000rpm. Using PC Alert (MSI App comes with board) shows CPU temp 31C, Sys Temp 32 C (I have the cover off). VCore 1.34.
For the TV, even though I am using S-Video I have it hooked up through an S-Video to Componsite connector to work with my older TV, that may be part of the problem. I haven't played around with the bios/Nvidia/MyTheatre settings to try and fix it yet.
CPU-Z shows 2009.X MHz, Multiplier x10.0
As I type this. Just web browsers open. CPU Is at 7%.
3200+ Athalon64 CPU, stock heatsink and fan, fan speed ~3000rpm. Using PC Alert (MSI App comes with board) shows CPU temp 31C, Sys Temp 32 C (I have the cover off). VCore 1.34.
For the TV, even though I am using S-Video I have it hooked up through an S-Video to Componsite connector to work with my older TV, that may be part of the problem. I haven't played around with the bios/Nvidia/MyTheatre settings to try and fix it yet.
After flashing 3.1 i can use only the BIOS DEFAULT SETTING.
When i change settings in the BIOS or load the Optimized Settings in the BIOS and leave the BIOS with SAVE AND EXIT, then i get an error message while booting:
CMOS checksum wrong, F1 for setup, F2 for Default settings.
I tried CMOS Reset and only small changings in the BIOS, but nothing works.
I flashed back to 3.0, then everythings works well.
Greetings
VOlker
When i change settings in the BIOS or load the Optimized Settings in the BIOS and leave the BIOS with SAVE AND EXIT, then i get an error message while booting:
CMOS checksum wrong, F1 for setup, F2 for Default settings.
I tried CMOS Reset and only small changings in the BIOS, but nothing works.
I flashed back to 3.0, then everythings works well.
Greetings
VOlker
I posted "BIOS v3.10 Experience", some overclocking results with BIOS v3.10, in the thread NV GeForce 6150 Board Shootout. My conclusion is that v3.10 is the worst!
Thanks renethx for your comments.
At this stage, I am not too worried about overclocking. I only want the board to be stable and have all standard features enabled and working, with a BIOS I can get through normal update process.
I am thinking of pairing this board with a 3700+ San Diego. Later on, with a more mature BIOS, I would possibly try to bump this processor to 2.4 ghz on stock voltage and cooling, so as to get myself a cheap 4000+
I am glad to know that Live Update is working.
I feel a bit embarrassed to ask you more questions about BIOS 3.1, as you already have flashed back to 3.13
So, with BIOS 3.1, any issues with memory and HT speeds?
Is Cool'n Quiet working for you with 3.1?
About NB to SB LinkWidth, looking in the manual (Section 3-11), I see that it relates to Hyper Transport configuration, but I don't know what it does and what is the impact on performance of this item having disappeared.
Have you noticed high temps on the Southbridge/Northbrige heatsinks, as mentionned by a number of reviewers on NewEgg?
Any other problem?
Again, Thanks
At this stage, I am not too worried about overclocking. I only want the board to be stable and have all standard features enabled and working, with a BIOS I can get through normal update process.
I am thinking of pairing this board with a 3700+ San Diego. Later on, with a more mature BIOS, I would possibly try to bump this processor to 2.4 ghz on stock voltage and cooling, so as to get myself a cheap 4000+
I am glad to know that Live Update is working.
I feel a bit embarrassed to ask you more questions about BIOS 3.1, as you already have flashed back to 3.13
So, with BIOS 3.1, any issues with memory and HT speeds?
Is Cool'n Quiet working for you with 3.1?
About NB to SB LinkWidth, looking in the manual (Section 3-11), I see that it relates to Hyper Transport configuration, but I don't know what it does and what is the impact on performance of this item having disappeared.
Have you noticed high temps on the Southbridge/Northbrige heatsinks, as mentionned by a number of reviewers on NewEgg?
Any other problem?
Again, Thanks
BernardP,
With v3.1, the system became unstable, often leads to lockups or BSOD at higher CPU clock speeds, that has never happened with v3.00/3.13. It's cleary related to memory or HT (=LDT) speeds.
As for C'n'Q, I don't know. AMD has not yet released X2 driver for Win2K. I confirmed that C'n'Q worked with 3200+ Venice with v3.13, but I don't know with v3.10.
You don't have to too much worry about NB to SB LinkWidth. It may affect performace but only a little, I guess.
Again you don't have to too much worry about temperature of NB/SB. The system should be stable even if it became 60 deg C. You would feel very hot and your finger may be burnt when touched at 60 deg C, I guess.
Flashing BIOS is relatively easy with Live Update. Try all three versions or you may want to wait for the next BIOS release v3.20.
With v3.1, the system became unstable, often leads to lockups or BSOD at higher CPU clock speeds, that has never happened with v3.00/3.13. It's cleary related to memory or HT (=LDT) speeds.
As for C'n'Q, I don't know. AMD has not yet released X2 driver for Win2K. I confirmed that C'n'Q worked with 3200+ Venice with v3.13, but I don't know with v3.10.
You don't have to too much worry about NB to SB LinkWidth. It may affect performace but only a little, I guess.
Again you don't have to too much worry about temperature of NB/SB. The system should be stable even if it became 60 deg C. You would feel very hot and your finger may be burnt when touched at 60 deg C, I guess.
Flashing BIOS is relatively easy with Live Update. Try all three versions or you may want to wait for the next BIOS release v3.20.
Thanks renethx for the info
The fact is I was hoping for decisive improvements in a new BIOS version before buying the K8NGM2-FID. I am disappointed that 3.1 doesn't seem as good as 3.13 beta. Not surprisingly the official 3.1 release does not seem to include every improvement in 3.13,
If I go out tomorrow and buy the board, I will probably get one with v 3.0 and then try to get v 3.13 or a later beta from MSI, but not all people are managing to get a reply from MSI.
If v 3.0 is stable enough, in the worst case, I can bide my time until the next official BIOS release. The board itself is a winner, and people are not having hardware problems with it.
There is a price drop anticipated for next week on AMD processors and I will then decide which one to use with the board.
The fact is I was hoping for decisive improvements in a new BIOS version before buying the K8NGM2-FID. I am disappointed that 3.1 doesn't seem as good as 3.13 beta. Not surprisingly the official 3.1 release does not seem to include every improvement in 3.13,
If I go out tomorrow and buy the board, I will probably get one with v 3.0 and then try to get v 3.13 or a later beta from MSI, but not all people are managing to get a reply from MSI.
If v 3.0 is stable enough, in the worst case, I can bide my time until the next official BIOS release. The board itself is a winner, and people are not having hardware problems with it.
There is a price drop anticipated for next week on AMD processors and I will then decide which one to use with the board.
Beta BIOS is not posted in the MSI website, was available only from MSI Tech Support. As v3.10 was released officially, perhaps MSI Tech support will ask you to use v3.10.
Good question...
On the MSI Forum, they recommend not to use Live Update
But renethx, our K8NGM2-FID resident tweaker, tell us, at the bottom of this page that Live Update works without problems
I prefer flashing BIOS in DOS mode. However I cannot flash BIOS to v3.10 in this mode somehow. I asked other users' experience in various places, but nobody has replied. Anyway, MSI Live Update is very nice and safe to flash BIOS.
renethx: I'm having a similar problem with flashing from a Win98/DOS floppy. I have tried to flash using the stock 3.0 and 3.1 BIOS. And all I get is the "Unknown Chipset" message.
all: Has anyone else besides renethx noticed this problem? Seems he discovered that the EXE that ships with the older BIOS releases only works under Windows, but the one that ships with 3.13 works under DOS. If so, I can just use the 3.13 EXE to burn any of those versions? I'm going to download/test my theories tonite.
all: Has anyone else besides renethx noticed this problem? Seems he discovered that the EXE that ships with the older BIOS releases only works under Windows, but the one that ships with 3.13 works under DOS. If so, I can just use the 3.13 EXE to burn any of those versions? I'm going to download/test my theories tonite.
sorry for the OT, but can someone tell me whether I can boot from an external USB DVD writer. That's how I plan to install XP; I have no internal CD/DVD drive at all.
Regarding stability, I have 2G (2-1G GSkill DIMMS) that are supposed to run at 2.6-2.75 volts, along with an Althlon64x2 3800. Note my board hasn't been flashed yet, due to the "unknown chipset" problem. However, just wanted to let everyone know that the BIOS defaulted to 2.55 volts. Once I increased to 2.7, things started working better.
FYI
Before I increased the voltage, the system was completely unreliable. This is a new system, so no OS is installed. I tried to boot the Win2k install CD, but all it did was BSOD. I have several Linux distros, and none of those would boot from CD either. Much less install.
Anyway, I checked the voltage settings, increased them to 2.6 - then 2.7. Once I hit 2.7, I was able to boot my Linux install CDs. In one test, I booted my FeatherLinux CD, started with the option that pre-loads the entire CD to RAM, and messed around with the machine for awhile. I was able to run editors, alter the disk partitions, and so on. Much more reliable. And I never got a single kernel panic (unlike before). Also, with the entire distro cached in RAM, things ran very fast.
However, when I try the Win2K install CD, all it does is BSOD. I'm hoping that the BIOS upgrade fixes this problem. I haven't done any research on Win2k/hardware issues yet.
But if I can't get past the "unknown chipset" problem, then I'm going to have to assume that this motherboard needs to be RMA'd.
FYI
Before I increased the voltage, the system was completely unreliable. This is a new system, so no OS is installed. I tried to boot the Win2k install CD, but all it did was BSOD. I have several Linux distros, and none of those would boot from CD either. Much less install.
Anyway, I checked the voltage settings, increased them to 2.6 - then 2.7. Once I hit 2.7, I was able to boot my Linux install CDs. In one test, I booted my FeatherLinux CD, started with the option that pre-loads the entire CD to RAM, and messed around with the machine for awhile. I was able to run editors, alter the disk partitions, and so on. Much more reliable. And I never got a single kernel panic (unlike before). Also, with the entire distro cached in RAM, things ran very fast.
However, when I try the Win2K install CD, all it does is BSOD. I'm hoping that the BIOS upgrade fixes this problem. I haven't done any research on Win2k/hardware issues yet.
But if I can't get past the "unknown chipset" problem, then I'm going to have to assume that this motherboard needs to be RMA'd.
BIOS can recognize "USB Storage". If USB DVD writer is considered as USB Storage, it should be fine. But I can't tell you for sure.
As I wrote before, flashing BIOS v3.10 works only in Windows mode (as far as I know). If you try to flash in DOS mode, you will get the error "unknown chipset". I confirmed it in three K8NGM2-FID boards. The following is cited from my post titled "Which BIOS version should you use?" in the thread NV GeForce 6150 Board Shootout.
"To flash to v3.10, install MSI Live Update 3.74, launch it (it works only with Internet Explorer), select Live BIOS and follow the instruction (choose Windows mode! DOS mode won't work). You don't have to download BIOS beforehand. To flash back to v3.00, turn on the computer and hold Ctrl + Home until the success message appears."
"BIOS v3.13 is posted in p. 19 of this thread in AVS Forum (7207v313.zip). Registration is required to download it. Thanks for the link, egarrard and BernardP. Flashing to v3.13 works only in DOS mode. You can't update beta BIOS from Live Update, so you need a FDD, a blank FD and a bootable FD. On the other hand nobody in AVS Forum seems to have succeeded in flashing to v3.10 in DOS mode too.
Perhaps v3.13 is the best BIOS right now."
So you have not installed Windows yet because of BSOD. It sound like a memory problem. Have you tried one stick of memory? As flashing to v3.13 works in DOS mode, you may try it to see if it fixes the BSOS problem.
All I meant from the previous post was my theory is the following:
Download a copy of 3.0 or 3.1, use that EXE for a Windows BIOS burn.
Then download a copy of 3.13, and use that EXE for DOS burn.
Using one of those two EXEs, combined with one of the BIOS files (3.0, 3.1, 3.13, etc)
allows you to burn the BIOS you want. Using this technique, you aren't limited to "Windows only" or "DOS only" for a certain BIOS release.
And I agree, could be the RAM. Just trying to determine the source of the problems. Hard to say right now, since things are working well with several OS'es. Just not Windows.
If I can get the burns to work from DOS, I'll probably try FreeDOS as well. The nice thing about FreeDOS is that you can boot that from a CD, and keep your BIOS updates on CD as well.
So you don't need to burn using floppies.
Download a copy of 3.0 or 3.1, use that EXE for a Windows BIOS burn.
Then download a copy of 3.13, and use that EXE for DOS burn.
Using one of those two EXEs, combined with one of the BIOS files (3.0, 3.1, 3.13, etc)
allows you to burn the BIOS you want. Using this technique, you aren't limited to "Windows only" or "DOS only" for a certain BIOS release.
And I agree, could be the RAM. Just trying to determine the source of the problems. Hard to say right now, since things are working well with several OS'es. Just not Windows.
If I can get the burns to work from DOS, I'll probably try FreeDOS as well. The nice thing about FreeDOS is that you can boot that from a CD, and keep your BIOS updates on CD as well.
So you don't need to burn using floppies.
I understand. If I were you, I would download v3.13 immediately, flash BIOS to it and see if the system becomes stable. As you mentioned, you can use MSDOS or other DOS' available free.
My MSI mobo is coming today and I'll be building my rig (first time) this weekend.
What's the proper sequence for installing the mobo as far as drivers go? I hear I should avoid the firewall and IDE driver? I'm using onboard video for now.
I have BIOS 3.13, which seems to be best right now. Should I try flashing that right off the bat?
I also need to install the hotfix for my X2 3800+. Should that be done last? thanks
What's the proper sequence for installing the mobo as far as drivers go? I hear I should avoid the firewall and IDE driver? I'm using onboard video for now.
I have BIOS 3.13, which seems to be best right now. Should I try flashing that right off the bat?
I also need to install the hotfix for my X2 3800+. Should that be done last? thanks
pctwo: What hotfix for x2 3800+ are you referring to? Is it for hardware, the OS (Windows), or something else?
I tested my MB, which also has x2 3800+. Tested Win2k, 2003 Server, and several Linux distros.
All OSes worked fine, except for Win2k. It BSODs with an INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error. Usually means a drive or drive controller is acting up. Sometimes motherboards have controller logic that Win2k doesn't like, so I assume that's all it is.
Anybody else getting this BSOD error when trying to install Win2k with their MSI board?
Unfortunately, I had to RMA my 2G of RAM. One stick was bad. So all my testing is stopped for awhile.
I tested my MB, which also has x2 3800+. Tested Win2k, 2003 Server, and several Linux distros.
All OSes worked fine, except for Win2k. It BSODs with an INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error. Usually means a drive or drive controller is acting up. Sometimes motherboards have controller logic that Win2k doesn't like, so I assume that's all it is.
Anybody else getting this BSOD error when trying to install Win2k with their MSI board?
Unfortunately, I had to RMA my 2G of RAM. One stick was bad. So all my testing is stopped for awhile.
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