The "Official" MSI K7N420 Thread (nForce 420 chipset)

[Funky303]

uups forgot the Memory Benchmark:

Int ALU/RAM Bandwith : 598 MB/s
Float FPU/Ram Bandwith : 860 MB/s

Unlucky for me Sandra 2001te does not have yet listed a VIA KT266A or SIS 735 chipset, but for now I am lucky enough to have my system running stable.

now it's time for some 50x 3DMark looptest

 

[sprockkets]

I feel your dilema. That's why I went with the Chaintech Sis 735 board cause it's small, I had a GF2 with tv out already, then a $26 CMedia card finished the deal. No stability issues with this at all so far.

Or get a Soyo Dragon, since it has built in ethernet, but make sure you have a good power supply, strongly recommend getting a InWin S500 series case that has a Sparkle 300w ps (if it says 250 don't worry, they seem to put 300 in them now), or at newegg.com it's $30 separately. I would have gone for this but like having a small case. $13 for a quiet Thermaltake Volcano 6cu is excellent too, and the thermal stuff on it comes off easy.

 

[digason]

<< Fed up with reviews these days. I really don't care how many FPS I get in Q3 or whatever, what I want to know is can I play the games I want to play without feeling like the video card is slowing me down.
>>



I don't see what all the fps fuss is all about either. All you really need is a frame rate that doesn't drop below 30fps. Why is it that people complain if a game's rate is 30fps, but when they watch a high action movie they never think about the fact that it's 30fps? The only difference is that one is interactive.

 

[trikster2]

>All you really need is a frame rate that doesn't drop below 30fps

LoL

I was playing Quake III on a PPro 180 at 13FPS ... and liking it!

Perhaps the integrated MX NFORCE graphics are just the ticket to satisfy my low standards.

It would be nice if reviewers just made a grid:

low quaility medium quality high quality
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5


Then just put a checkmark if the game is playable with the card on a standard 1Ghz or so system (not a 2Ghz screemer).

 

[Athlon4all]

Has anyone downloaded and tried overclocking using the 2.1 BIOS? I'd love to hear your ocing results!

 

[Bingo13]

Athlon4all

My 1900+ is locked but I was able to go from the 137mhz fsb setting to 140mhz without any issues this time. Also one of the major improvements I found was proper DMA support for CD/CDRW/DVD drives. The memory scores stayed about the same but you now use slots1&2 for 128bit interface instead of 1&3. Overall a nice bios upgrade and to date my system is extremely stable.

 

[ftp4you]

Was wondering if anyone here has tried this board with a linux distro?

 

[kaytwo]

ftp4you:
via the msi forums, the board has worked marginally with linux, there are no drivers for the integrated stuff and as it's totally new, there are no previous drivers to hack up to make it work. However, linux has been running with the board... you'll have to check the msi forums (linkage) to find out more.
k2

 

[cyberized]

Has anybody here that owns this new board used the Live Update Feature to Flash the BIOS - - - - IF so did everything go smoothly? To use this feature do you actually download the new BIOS into a zipped EXE file and then go off line and open it and then it auto flashes the BIOS - is this how it works?
I am chicken to flash my BIOS by making DOS boot floppy etc. business and HOPE to find a good mobo that has dependable auto-flash utility.

Thanks, Michael

 

[Paul123]

HELP for a beginner...

Please help in establishing a config/setup guide for the MSI K7N420/nforce MB in Windows XP.

I am in the process of setting up a new system using the MSI nforce MB and would like help
in the steps needed to get it up and running under Windows XP.

Here the specs I am using:
Windows XP
MSI K7N420/nforce
AMD XP 1700
2x256 Crucial 2100ddr
all onboard options (video, lan, sound)
cdrom
40 gig HD

Please read and post any changes/updates I should add.
Let me know what worked for you.
What BIOS settings need changing...

--------------------------------

I have read a lot of posts/threads on this board and this is what I have come up with...

1. Check and setup pins on MB.
Anything specific I should check for?

2. Install CPU and fan on MB. Hook CPU fan to the CPU fan header on MB.

3. Install ram. If BIOS 2.0, use slots 1 and 3. If BIOS 2.1, use slots 1 and 2.

4. Hook up cdrom , HD, floppy, mouse, KB , speakers, and monitor.

5. Boot up to see what BIOS version is loaded. If 2.0, then update BIOS.

6. Update BIOS via floppy method..will work out steps later.
Anyone have any suggestions or tips for doing this?

7. Once BIOS is at 2.1...boot up into BIOS and make any necessary changes.
What settings should be changed?
What should 'PnP OS' be set at, yes or no? (most say off)
What should ACPI be set to?
What defaults should be changed?

8. Put Windows XP install CD into cdrom and boot and start loading windows.

9. When XP finished loading, put in the driver CD from MSI for the board and load the board drivers.

10. Then load the video drivers.
Do I use MSIs or standard nvidia driver set version 21.?? ?

11. ...

----------------------------------

Various concerns I have:

1. What BIOS settings need to be changed or set at?
2. What drivers do I need form MSI?
3. What video drivers do I use, standard nvidia 21.?? drivers or some from MSI?

---------------------------------

Once again, please help in setting up a Nforce FAQ setup/install guide.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[cyberized]

Paul,
GOOD questions - hope you find the answers and more, wish I could help, BUT I too would like to know exactly what the BEST setup is myself since I will soon be having one installed too.

Happy NEW Year!

 

[Gstanfor]

PAUL123:
Okay, first thing to note: I have not installed to V2.1 BIOS since I have not encountered any problems that would require me to. I suggest that unless you NEED to upgrade your BIOS you leave it as is.

The following is what I posted at ARS Technica to help a guy there get up and running. These settings work well for me.

****************
... I also installed under Windows XP and had no driver problems whatsoever.

Here is a quick rundown of how I set certain parts of the BIOS up (note I have the following key parts 1.1gig t-Bird, 1 x 256mb Samsung DDR2100 memory, Geforce2 Pro - nothing is overclocked or run outside of spec):

Advanced BIOS Features
APIC Mode disabled

Advanced Chipset Features
DDRAM Auto Precharge (W/R) enabled
CAS Latency Override auto
AGP Bus Driving Value auto
Frame Buffer Size disabled (I have a Geforce2 Pro in the AGP slot)

Integrated Peripherals
BIOS Protect disabled

Power Management Setup
IPCA Function disabled

PnP/PCI COnfigurations
PnP OS yes
Resources Controlled by auto

Frequency/Voltage control
CPU FSB/DDRAM/AGP Clock 100/266/66 (1.1gig T-Bird is a 200mhz DDR FSB cpu, not a 266.)
CPU Voltage Adjust auto

So far I have been very impressed and very happy with the board and the performance.

Hopefully the above info will assist you in setting your system up correctly.

Greg

 

[Funky303]

@ paul123

first thing to do is check the Clear/Keep BIOS Jumper. In the manual the jumper settings arre wrong. The real settings are:
Keep BIOS : short Jumper 2 & 3
Clear BIOS : short Jumper 1 & 2

Then install CPU & Fan, then built in your Memory using Slot 1 & 2, then install the OS & then upgrade the BIOS to 2.1.
BIOS Upgrade works best this way. Take a floppy, format it under windows using the format util & there selecting make system disk. Then make scandisk on that floppy. then extract the bios zip file & copy all files to the bootdisk.

Enter BIOS, select Floppy as first boot device. Save & reboot. then the bios update is made automatically.
Reboot, enter BIOS, load default settings, save & reboot.

Enter BIOS & Set all things needed. Date & Time, then Boot Devices. I prefer CD Rom, then IDE0. search other devices off. search & swap floppy off, then caching on to everything except the memory ranges.

MSI also has a new revision of their Manual for K7N420 Pro (MS-6373) found here 2,1 MB

My original Manual with the jumper error has the rev. 1.1 G52-MA00470, the new one does have the same, but has changed DDR memory bank Coonfiguration Appendix

The other BIOS settings I use will be posted later since I have to reboot to check them.
If you use a XP, have a look @ your CPU Mulitpilicator. if you get a wrong CPU clock on POST, but have set your CPU FSB to the correct mode in BIOS, chage the mutipilcator manually.

One can argue if the BIOS Update is necessary, but it has some really good new items like detecting CPU Coolers & beeping if the cooler does not work anymore. This can really save your CPU if the cooler should fail. There are lots of new/better menu improvements, esp. in the CPU submenu in the 2.1 BIOS.

at the moment I have installed the memory in slot 1 & 3, but running BIOS v.2.1. I'll run now Sandra2001 MemoryBench, then switch to slot 1&2 and do the bench again. results will be here soon.

 

[cyberized]

Yo FUNKY Person,
Thanks 4 your good input here - keep it UP!
BTW - - - are you saying that even in the revised version of the Manual they are showing the WRONG CMOS settings? And......stupid ?........the CORRECT setting would be?? SAVE CMOS - - - Right?

Happy NEW Year! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOODucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

 

[Paul123]

I have read different things as to what clear and keep should be. I have been told this:
being JBAT1 is
3
2
1

clear CMOS - short 1,2
keep CMOS - short 2,3

I have version 1.1 of manual and it has the opposite.

 

[Paul123]

@funky303

I was just told by someone on the MSI Forum, original 1.0 manual was wrong...they said..

---------------
1-2 is normal
2-3 is clear

It is like this on ALL MSI boards, just the manual mixed up a little
----------------------

 

[Gstanfor]

There seems to be heaps of confusion on the web about this, so I photographed the jumper in the normal (not cmos clearing) position.

go Here, and choose the Public Access folder. There will be a file called CMOS_Jumper.jpg inside it.

Note that if you do want to clear the CMOS on any MSI board, you should power the machine off, remove the power cord from the power supply, set the CMOS jumper to the clear CMOS position for 30 seconds, return it to its normal state, the plug the machine back in and boot up.

Greg

 

[sprockkets]

The pic looks like an x for me

Well after updating the AGP driver with SISAGP108 I now have 75fps in Unreal. Course from the score of 60fps earlier I now am using Asus beta drivers and winxp instead of win2k. So both platforms perform about the same.

Someone post a xmpeg encoding score. With my SIS735 Chaintech 7SID, a 1500+, and version 4.2a, Divx 4.12. idct DVD2AVISSE, SSEBicubic for filtering, MP3 audio at 512 by 368, YUV, got from 16fps to 20fps, but average is around 17. Did it directly from the DVD.

 

[Gstanfor]

You have to be a yahoo member for it to work properly. I thought most people would be. It's more convenient than uploading to my personal ISP webspace for me.



IMPORTANT TIP!
You need to use the thumbnail view for some reason or the image won't display properly. Don't ask me why.

Greg

 

[Funky303]

Hey hey happy new year !!!

I just swiched memory modules after BIOS Update to 2.1 from Memory port 1 & 2 to 1 & 3.

Here are the Sandra Memory Benchmark results:

BIOS ver. 2.1 with Memory in Slot 1 & 3:
Int ALU/RAM Bandwith : 598 MB/s
Float FPU/Ram Bandwith : 860 MB/s

BIOS ver. 2.1 with Memory in Slot 1 & 2:
Int ALU/RAM Bandwith : 836 MB/s
Float FPU/Ram Bandwith : 1088 MB/s

Thats quite a damn cool increase.

For the Jumper & MAnual Problem:

For clearing the BIOS you must shorten following pins: the pin which is closest to the CPU socket and the one under it (sorry for my english, I'm German

For a running system shorten the pin which is closest to the lower edge of the Mobo & the middle pin. thats it.

I have following manual:

on page one there is the MoboPic, then Version 1.1 G52-MA00470

On top of page 2 there is Manual Rev. 1.1
Release date: Oct. 2001

on top of page 3 there is

Edition
OCt. 2001

The UPDATED Manual on the Webpage

(link above) or here 2,1 MB

does have this on page 1:
Version 1.1
G52-MA00470

BUT on page 2 the have

Manual Rev: 1.1
Release Date: Dec. 2001

and on page 3:

Edition
Dec. 2001

The online manual has far more pages than the printed one I have, so even if your system is working nice & sexy , get it & print it. the only thing I have to mention is that the pictures in the online manual are not that good like the printed ones.

MSI has corrected the Keep/Clear BIOS Jumper settings in the December Manual, also they have added some new pages concerning the Audio Connections.

But the MOST IMPORTANT thing is the MEMORY APPENDIX. Here they have listed how to install the memory modules the right way. Just see my Benchmark results taken with Sandra.

I wish you a stable & sexy new year

 

[Athlon4all]

Can ppl post what Memory they're using in which slots in their K7N420 Pro's? Thanks!

 

[HawkeyeColt]

512 mb Crucial PC 2100 in slots 1 and 3. I'm not going to bother with the bios update. My machine is running great. Well except for the surround sound issue. But I have an old Santa Cruz laying around I might throw in.

 

[Gstanfor]

1 256mb stick of memory in slot 1.

Details: THL 256m/b PC266 D/S
chips used: Samsung 109 K4H28038B TCB0

Greg

 

[Funky303]

I'm using this kinda memory

2x 256 Double Sided DDR RAM from Samsung (with following nr. on it: M368L3313CT1-CB0)

they are placed in Memory Slot 1 & 2 and together with my 1,4 GHz Atthlon C @ 133 MHz CPU FSB & 133 MHz Memory FSB i get following Sandra 2001 Memory Benchmark results:

BIOS ver. 2.1 with Memory in Slot 1 & 3:
Int ALU/RAM Bandwith : 598 MB/s
Float FPU/Ram Bandwith : 860 MB/s

BIOS ver. 2.1 with Memory in Slot 1 & 2:
Int ALU/RAM Bandwith : 836 MB/s
Float FPU/Ram Bandwith : 1088 MB/s

 

[AGodspeed]

I just installed my MSI K7N420 Pro board, and I am a bit confused about 4.1 and 5.1 speaker setups, but I think I just may be reading the manual wrong or something.

But anyway, here's a press release from Nvidia today. Introducing the nForce Unified Driver Architecture. The only real "issues" were lack of perfect audio support, but they have been solved, as EAX and other audio drivers have been released and are now fully supported. Hooray!

Also, did you catch my thread about the nForce 415 chipset with no GeF2MX graphics and ocing features? Pretty cool if you ask me.