Anyone know where I could get an SPDIF bracket in Canada for this board? I know Asus sells one but the mobo connector doesn't appear to be the same. Anyone mod it or have been able to find one that seats properly?
Edited
ASUS is 4-pin connector, while MSI is 3-pin connector with a special shape. If you can find the 3-pin connector at an electronics parts store, perhaps you can modify the ASUS bracket (I can't guarantee it works, though). The hardest part is find an appropriate 3-pin connector. In US, Digi-Key.com is a large parts store. It seems that it is also available in Canada.
Thanks for the quick response renethx. I read someone had done exactly that but I wanted to see if there was one sold that didn't require modding. Seems odd MSI wouldn't have the part more readily available. Just noticed you edited your previous post. Are you now saying the audio connector isn't compatible? Great thread by the way
The CD audio connector has a similar shape, but it is 4-pin, so cannot be used. I confirmed that HEADER CONNECTOR 1 X 3 fits the SPDIF-out connector of the MSI board. FRONTX offers free shipping to internatinal address.
renethx, just wanted to thank you for all this work and information. It's been a huge help in getting my system to run stable. Absolutely LOVING this mobo, and setup. Running rock solid now.
I am glad to hear that. BTW from your signature, your CPU is San Deigo 3700+ and it runs at 2750MHz, right? Is it Prime stable at default voltage? If so, perhaps I should rewrite the subsubsection "Venice 3200+ vs the Rest (Venice 3500+/3800+, San Diego 3700+/4000+)" in the section "Choosing Components".
San Diego, correct. HTT x4, 250 mhz x11, 415mhz on the ram (2.65v). Prime 95 for an hour, memtest86, 10 hours combo of BF2 and CS:S, no issues. CPU never broke 45c, using a Zalman 7000c.
No. That's the subject of Angry_Games' artilce, I guess:
tight timings? loose timings? dividers? 1T or 2T? 754 or 939? (read here!)
renethx -
Great post. Its been a big help building my system. Thanks for taking the time to put everything together.
I've got all the hardware assembled and I'm in the process of installing drivers, updates, etc, etc. So far, so good - no problems.
I didn't see this mentioned anywhere (but it probably was) - if you use the Zalman 7000 series, make sure you install the memory first. If you're using an Aspire X-QPack, make sure you plug in the molex connector attached to the front panel (I didn't and the system wouldn't power-up).
An Enermax Noisetaker 485W PSU fits fine in the X-QPack with a Plextor PX-716SA burner. It was a little tight with the data cable, but it fits. A Thermaltake A2018 120mm fan works as a good replacement for the noisy Aspire case fan.
I couldn't find the PC Alert utility you mentioned at MSI's website. Is it included in the Liveupdate utility?
Thanks again for your help.
Ivan
Great post. Its been a big help building my system. Thanks for taking the time to put everything together.
I've got all the hardware assembled and I'm in the process of installing drivers, updates, etc, etc. So far, so good - no problems.
I didn't see this mentioned anywhere (but it probably was) - if you use the Zalman 7000 series, make sure you install the memory first. If you're using an Aspire X-QPack, make sure you plug in the molex connector attached to the front panel (I didn't and the system wouldn't power-up).
An Enermax Noisetaker 485W PSU fits fine in the X-QPack with a Plextor PX-716SA burner. It was a little tight with the data cable, but it fits. A Thermaltake A2018 120mm fan works as a good replacement for the noisy Aspire case fan.
I couldn't find the PC Alert utility you mentioned at MSI's website. Is it included in the Liveupdate utility?
Thanks again for your help.
Ivan
Renethx, not sure if you've read this month's issue of CPU mag but they do a review on this mobo and he claims the PSU (which was a 520w OCZ powerstream) wouldn't start when he added a PCI-E card. Claims the 5v rail light stayed lit and wouldn't run. Any truth to this or any problems when using pcie video and not the onboard? He was using bios 3.10.
I cannot speak of the truth of the story, but so far no (= zero) problem has been reported when using pcie video card.
a snag: the IDE controller on mine is bad. Could not get the board to detect any (known working) IDE device. Yes, IDE is enabled in BIOS. I tried both IDE1 and IDE2. Had to RMA. I have not seen anyone else with this problem so I gues I'm just really unlucky. SATA works fine.
One thing I'm disappointed about: the onboard video 6150 produces noticeably worse text than my old ancient Geforce3 Ti200. Hard to describe, but the Ti200 has deeper black text that's just easier to read. The difference is sort of like the difference b/t having font smoothing on vs off (with off being worse to my eyes). I'm using XP SP2 on both machines hooked to a HP f2105 (21" WS LCD) w/ font smoothing on. I tried both methods of font smoothing and with it off. At first I thought it was b/c I had the 6150 on VGA, but switching to DVI, the text still looks better on the Ti200 on VGA. Hard to believe. I thought nVidia is supposed to have improved 2D. I don't think it's b/c it's onboard video. I mean, it's 2D! It's probably identical to any GF6 card. Maybe it's MSI's implementation. I don't know.
One thing I'm disappointed about: the onboard video 6150 produces noticeably worse text than my old ancient Geforce3 Ti200. Hard to describe, but the Ti200 has deeper black text that's just easier to read. The difference is sort of like the difference b/t having font smoothing on vs off (with off being worse to my eyes). I'm using XP SP2 on both machines hooked to a HP f2105 (21" WS LCD) w/ font smoothing on. I tried both methods of font smoothing and with it off. At first I thought it was b/c I had the 6150 on VGA, but switching to DVI, the text still looks better on the Ti200 on VGA. Hard to believe. I thought nVidia is supposed to have improved 2D. I don't think it's b/c it's onboard video. I mean, it's 2D! It's probably identical to any GF6 card. Maybe it's MSI's implementation. I don't know.
Sorry to hear about your IDE problems.
Silly question, are you running the monitor at its native resolution?
Silly question, are you running the monitor at its native resolution?
This may not be correct. I will do some more testing in the future.
Unknowingly, I feel victim to the infamous "X-QPack Power Switch shorting out against the frame" syndrome. I kept having wierd problems with the system not powering up. If I released the catch holding the plastic front to the frame and pressed the button, she'd turn on. So I had to pull the front panel off far enough to get at the pins of the power switch. There's one unsused pin that Aspire let bare. This one was touching the frame. I bent it forward a little and for S&G I put a small piece of electrical tape on the back of the switch.
yes 1650x1080, and lower res'es too. just to be sure it's not my eyes, I had someone else look at it (I can switch b/t the two PC on the fly on the monitor) and he picked the Ti200 (not knowing what he was picking).
I've also adjusted gamma, brt, cont, etc.
The reason this is a big deal for me is I don't plan on buying any video card until they actually have working HDCP. apparently almost no video card on the market now supports HDCP, despite what nvidia and ati advertise.
I am sorry to hear your IDE problem. Did you use a USB DVD drive to install OS?
Again I am sorry to hear your text problem. To be fair, I would like to add two comments regarding onboard video.
- I did a comparison test of image quality from GeForce 6150 and GeForce 6600 (a PCI-Express video card). As my system is in the dual monitor mode, I can compare both images side by side. I tested with both BIOS v3.00 and v3.13 and with both DVI and VGA. The quality of text and 2D graphics from GeForce 6150 was perfectly equivalent to that from GeForce 6600. Text from GeForce 6150 was as crisp and had as deep black as GeForce 6600.
- There are about 1200 posts in three major threads on MSI K8NGM2-FID:Fortunately there is zero report on the quality problem of text from GeForce 6150.
renethx,
I've just built a system with K8NGM2-FID motherboard, and it really seems a fantastic board. As you are the "Master" of this board, maybe you could help me with my two doubts.
First doubt:
I don't know how to connect the frontal panel audio connector (JAUD1). My case has the following connectors:
1st group:
MIC-POWER
MIC-IN
GROUND
2nd group:
L-RET
R-RET
L-OUT
R-OUT
GROUND
There are a total of 8 individual connectors. They are similar to these: http://www.babooforum.com.br/idealbb/vi...ewtopic&topicID=229603&num=20&pageNo=1
Where should I connect each of them?
Second doubt:
I have a Athlon 64 3000+ venice processor (revision E3) and I want to raise its frequency to reach the best stable performance possible for a daily use.
I was wondering if setting the CPU-LTD frequency at 250MHz would give me a good boost. I've seen people with the same processor reach a CPU frequency of 2500MHz at default voltage.
I plan to use a dual channel DDR400 memory kit (2 x 512MB of value ram ). I know it is not easy, but I wanna try to reach 225Mhz on them (DDR 450). What do you think?
I'm still using the 3.00 BIOS version.
How should I configure my BIOS to reach the best stable performance?
CPU to NB Frequency ?
NB to SB Frequency ?
CPU to NB LinkWidth ?
NB to SB LinkWidth ?
CPU-LDT Frequency ?
Processor Frequency Multiple ?
Memclock Value ?
There is anything else I should change in my BIOS?
After making all this changes which programs should I run to check te stability of my system?
I've just built a system with K8NGM2-FID motherboard, and it really seems a fantastic board. As you are the "Master" of this board, maybe you could help me with my two doubts.
First doubt:
I don't know how to connect the frontal panel audio connector (JAUD1). My case has the following connectors:
1st group:
MIC-POWER
MIC-IN
GROUND
2nd group:
L-RET
R-RET
L-OUT
R-OUT
GROUND
There are a total of 8 individual connectors. They are similar to these: http://www.babooforum.com.br/idealbb/vi...ewtopic&topicID=229603&num=20&pageNo=1
Where should I connect each of them?
Second doubt:
I have a Athlon 64 3000+ venice processor (revision E3) and I want to raise its frequency to reach the best stable performance possible for a daily use.
I was wondering if setting the CPU-LTD frequency at 250MHz would give me a good boost. I've seen people with the same processor reach a CPU frequency of 2500MHz at default voltage.
I plan to use a dual channel DDR400 memory kit (2 x 512MB of value ram ). I know it is not easy, but I wanna try to reach 225Mhz on them (DDR 450). What do you think?
I'm still using the 3.00 BIOS version.
How should I configure my BIOS to reach the best stable performance?
CPU to NB Frequency ?
NB to SB Frequency ?
CPU to NB LinkWidth ?
NB to SB LinkWidth ?
CPU-LDT Frequency ?
Processor Frequency Multiple ?
Memclock Value ?
There is anything else I should change in my BIOS?
After making all this changes which programs should I run to check te stability of my system?
Please follow the pin assignment as in the picture you cited, then follow the instruction in my first post (Case > Front Panel Audio).
Athlon 64 3000+ is multiplier x9. So the max possible frequency in this board is 250MHz x 9 = 2250MHz. The comment in "Choosing Components > CPU > Venice 3200+ vs Opteron 144" applies also to Athlon 64 3000+. Value DDR400 RAM cannot run at 225MHz. I added the section "Quick Overclocking Recipe" > "Overclocking Venice 3000+/Opteron 144" to my first post. Please read it for overclocking Athlon 64 3000+.
First, thanks to renethx for this amazing compilation and contribution!
I have several questions on the bios settings, and one issue regarding front panel audio.
I've built many computers, although not many in the last few years. I've never been one for overclocking, mainly because I figured it wasn't worth the risk of component damage for the relative minimal gain I would be comfortable with. However, the components seem to able to handle moderate overclocking without too much issue, so I'ld like to adjust what I can.
I've mainly used ASUS boards in the past, and the settings for overclocking seemed pretty straight forward. I've used the MSI board for this build and I'm a little confused by some of the available settings. I've either been "out of the game" for too long, or the settings are not very descriptive and I'm not recognizing what they will alter.
Some of the settings I am not familiar with: BIOS 3.00
in ADVANCED CHIPSET FEATURES:
Memclock Mode - Auto or Limit
MCT Timing Mode - Auto or Manual, and then the host of options that are available with manual:
---CAS Latency
---TRAS
---TRP
---TRCD
---TRRD
---TRC
---TRFC
---TRWT
User Config Mode - Auto or Manual, and then the options:
---Read Preamble
---Asyc Latency
---CMD-ADDR Timing Mode
Bank Interleaving
Burst Length
Hardware Memory hole
TCG/TPM Support
Soft. Physical
TPM Disabled
TPM Deactivated
TPM Owner
CPU-LDT Frequency, MHz
PCI-Express Frequency, MHz
I understand the "Hyper Transport Configuration" section
in CELL_MENU (what the heck does "Cell" mean?):
Voltage Control Function - I'ld prefer not to alter voltages, as this seems to be asking for trouble (more likely to do damage?)
Spread Spectrum
---CPU Spread Spectrum
---PCIE Spread Spectrum
---SATA Spread Spectrum
in CPU Frequency Configuration:
---FID Change
I know there are a lot of things I listed here, and I'm sure many of them I don't need to worry about. However, if someone could explain the items I need to know about, that would be wonderful. I'm most interested in improving the performance of the video capabilitles (onboard), if that's possible. I'm still conservative regarding overclocking, so I don't want to "push it to the limits", but a little improved performance seems reasonable.
Also, I'm having issues with my front panel audio. I have the Antec Sonata II case. The auto jack detection does not seem to work on the front. Headphones will not work unless I disable the auto jack detection, however this also disables the option for turning off the rear jacks when headphones are plugged in. This would be very handy as I often need to use headphones during nighttime computer use, and disabling the normal speakers when headphones are plugged in would be perfect. As it is now, sound plays through the headphones AND main speakers, which defeats the purpose of headphones...
Thanks a lot for the help!
My system:
MSI K8NGM2-FID
AMD64 3700+
2 X 512 Corsair XMS DDR 400
LITE-ON DVD DL (SHW-160P6S)
IDE HDD
Antec Sonata II case
I have several questions on the bios settings, and one issue regarding front panel audio.
I've built many computers, although not many in the last few years. I've never been one for overclocking, mainly because I figured it wasn't worth the risk of component damage for the relative minimal gain I would be comfortable with. However, the components seem to able to handle moderate overclocking without too much issue, so I'ld like to adjust what I can.
I've mainly used ASUS boards in the past, and the settings for overclocking seemed pretty straight forward. I've used the MSI board for this build and I'm a little confused by some of the available settings. I've either been "out of the game" for too long, or the settings are not very descriptive and I'm not recognizing what they will alter.
Some of the settings I am not familiar with: BIOS 3.00
in ADVANCED CHIPSET FEATURES:
Memclock Mode - Auto or Limit
MCT Timing Mode - Auto or Manual, and then the host of options that are available with manual:
---CAS Latency
---TRAS
---TRP
---TRCD
---TRRD
---TRC
---TRFC
---TRWT
User Config Mode - Auto or Manual, and then the options:
---Read Preamble
---Asyc Latency
---CMD-ADDR Timing Mode
Bank Interleaving
Burst Length
Hardware Memory hole
TCG/TPM Support
Soft. Physical
TPM Disabled
TPM Deactivated
TPM Owner
CPU-LDT Frequency, MHz
PCI-Express Frequency, MHz
I understand the "Hyper Transport Configuration" section
in CELL_MENU (what the heck does "Cell" mean?):
Voltage Control Function - I'ld prefer not to alter voltages, as this seems to be asking for trouble (more likely to do damage?)
Spread Spectrum
---CPU Spread Spectrum
---PCIE Spread Spectrum
---SATA Spread Spectrum
in CPU Frequency Configuration:
---FID Change
I know there are a lot of things I listed here, and I'm sure many of them I don't need to worry about. However, if someone could explain the items I need to know about, that would be wonderful. I'm most interested in improving the performance of the video capabilitles (onboard), if that's possible. I'm still conservative regarding overclocking, so I don't want to "push it to the limits", but a little improved performance seems reasonable.
Also, I'm having issues with my front panel audio. I have the Antec Sonata II case. The auto jack detection does not seem to work on the front. Headphones will not work unless I disable the auto jack detection, however this also disables the option for turning off the rear jacks when headphones are plugged in. This would be very handy as I often need to use headphones during nighttime computer use, and disabling the normal speakers when headphones are plugged in would be perfect. As it is now, sound plays through the headphones AND main speakers, which defeats the purpose of headphones...
Thanks a lot for the help!
My system:
MSI K8NGM2-FID
AMD64 3700+
2 X 512 Corsair XMS DDR 400
LITE-ON DVD DL (SHW-160P6S)
IDE HDD
Antec Sonata II case
Rock Hydra
Diamond Member
- Dec 13, 2004
- 6,466
- 1
- 0
Right now front audio ports of all the PC cases are compliant with only AC'97. It still works with Intel HD Audio front panel analog header if you disable the auto jack detection, but with some restrictions as you described. We have to compromise until PC cases become fully compliant with HD Audio front panel header design. I added a new section "Case" > "Front Audio Panel" regarding this topic.
Most BIOS items you listed are explained in detail in
- The Memory FAQ in PC Perspective Forums
- Overclocking links in PC Perspective Forums
- Quick and dirty A64 clocking guide by Zebo
- Chapter 3 BIOS Setup of the motherboard's User's Guide
Your memeory (Corsair XMS) can run at higher frequency (around 230MHz). If you want to run your memory at this range of frequency, set Memclock Value [183 MHz] and raise DDR Voltage slightly. Before doing so, you'd better learn basics of memory and overclocking.
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