The *Official* MSI K8NGM2-FID GeForce 6150 Motherboard Thread

[cool]

Originally posted by: pctwo
Are you using an Antec psu by any chance? I know many people have no problem with antec and this board, but I tried 2 NeoHE 430 and 1 smartpower 500W and none would boot. Tested fine with a no-name compusa ps. I am now using a $40 fortron ax-400 with no issue (fan a bit noisy for me so I replaced it).

Thx for the reply, pctwo!
No, I'm using an Enermax EG375AX-VE PSU (a.k.a. Noisetaker 375W).

 

[RjG]

Originally posted by: pctwo
...
I was confused. The differenetiator is not that, but Cool n Quiet being enabled. I've tested it several times now....
This could very well be a nividia driver issue and not a board issue.

I tried for a couple days to make Cool n Quiet stable. No way for me, blue screens and weird issues all over the place. No matter what I tried. So I gave up on that forever.... This box was rock solid before C&Q, and rock solid ever since I turned it OFF, LOL.

 

[avi85]

Hi Everyone,
First of all, awesome thread!!! way to go renethx!!!
Now to my question, I was wondering if anyone has attempted to cool the northbridge chip, any and all suggestions (but preferably from experience) are welcome.

 

[RjG]

My experience is that it doesn't require additional cooling... is yours overheating?

 

[cool]

The nforce4 chipset can operate at temps between 0 and 90°C. This has been mentioned in the big A8N-E thread in this forum. So passive cooling should be enough...

 

[avi85]

Originally posted by: RjG
My experience is that it doesn't require additional cooling... is yours overheating?

I wouldn't call it overheating, but it's too hot for comfort (probably as hot as everyone elses here based on the posts)

 

[fred9000]

hello everyone !
i have a k8ngm2-fid in my htpc , i want to know if it's possible to boot with usb dvd
with this board ?

thank you

 

[pctwo]

Originally posted by: RjG
I tried for a couple days to make Cool n Quiet stable. No way for me, blue screens and weird issues all over the place. No matter what I tried. So I gave up on that forever.... This box was rock solid before C&Q, and rock solid ever since I turned it OFF, LOL.

CnQ does take 2C-3C off my idle temp, but I guess I can live w/o it.

btw, does anyone know where the temp sensor is for SYSTEM in PCAlert? For that matter, where ecactly is the CPU temp sensor?

 

[imported_jonblaze]

Originally posted by: renethx
___________________________________________
12. Tweaking the System I. BIOS and Memory
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Tweaking BIOS

If you are not interested in overclocking, the default settings will be fine with a few exceptions described below.

• If you don't use the onboard video, then set "OnChip and PCIe VGA selection" to "Disable Onchip VGA if have PCIe VGA" in "Advanced Chipset Features" as already mentioned because OnChip VGA always use part of the system memory.
  
• If "CPU to NB Frequency" or "NB to SB Frequency" in "Advanced Chipset Features" is 400MHz (this is the default in v3.10/v3.20), the performance of onboard video will degrade. Raise them at least 800MHz.

• 
  
  Does this mean that if we're not using onboard video, should we leave the "CPU to NB Frequency" and "NB to SB Frequency" at the defaults?

 

[renethx]

Originally posted by: jonblaze

Originally posted by: renethx
___________________________________________
12. Tweaking the System I. BIOS and Memory
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Tweaking BIOS

If you are not interested in overclocking, the default settings will be fine with a few exceptions described below.

• If you don't use the onboard video, then set "OnChip and PCIe VGA selection" to "Disable Onchip VGA if have PCIe VGA" in "Advanced Chipset Features" as already mentioned because OnChip VGA always use part of the system memory.
  
• If "CPU to NB Frequency" or "NB to SB Frequency" in "Advanced Chipset Features" is 400MHz (this is the default in v3.10/v3.20), the performance of onboard video will degrade. Raise them at least 800MHz.

• 
  
  Does this mean that if we're not using onboard video, should we leave the "CPU to NB Frequency" and "NB to SB Frequency" at the defaults?

• 
  No. the higher "CPU to NB Frequency" and "NB to SB Frequency" are, the better the system performance is.

 

[pctwo]

renethx: I think you should mention in your guide to set S3/STR mode before installing Windows. This ensures S3 works properly.

And perhaps recommend loading optimized defaults (F6) as a base before doing additional tweaks.

 

[aeroguy]

I'm using this board for a HTPC running Windows MCE 2005. I have digital coax going to my reciver and analog line out to my TV (I like to use the receiver and my wife would rather just listen via the TV, one less remote she has to use).

In the setup, I set MCE for 5.1 configuration and both audio streams work fine when I'm watching TV (via Hauppauge PVR-500) or surfing the internet, but once I pop in a DVD, I can only hear the the audio through the receiver. Now if I run throught the setup for MCE and tell it I only have 2 speakers, I again get both audio streams for TV/internet, but only get DVD audio to my TV. The only way to change this is to run through the MCE setup, even if I try to chage the nvidia decoder from SPDIF passthrough to stero while watching a DVD, it defaults back to SPDIF passthrough.

I've tried everything I can think of to get it to output DVD audio to both TV and receiver, but nothing works. Is this a limitation of this board or Windows MCE? I know it's possible because I have my stand-alone DVD player outputting dual streams (analog to TV and Digital Optical to Receiver).

Just wondering if anyone has done this successfully, or if I'm the only one who's tried.

 

[renethx]

pctwo, I added a brief comment in Installing Windows > Remarks. Thanks.

 

[chup]

NCQ is enabled with the latest driver (SATA Driver 6.54 WHQL) from MSI!
http://cweb.msi.com.tw/program/support/.../dvr/spt_dvr_detail.php?UID=702&kind=1

Tested with FID + Barracuda 7200.7 NCQ enabled so far so good.

Download here:
http://66.96.84.4/support/dvr_exe/mbd_dvr/NV61xx-Chipset_8.25_2kxp_WHQL.zip

 

[RjG]

Originally posted by: chup
NCQ is enabled with the latest driver (SATA Driver 6.54 WHQL) from MSI!
http://cweb.msi.com.tw/program/support/.../dvr/spt_dvr_detail.php?UID=702&kind=1
...[/L]

http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce_nf4_430_410_winxpmce_8.22.html

Why is the MSI WHQL driver version 6.54, when Nvdia's
official WHQL driver is version still 6.22?

 

[cool]

Originally posted by: RjG
Why is the MSI WHQL driver version 6.54, when Nvdia's
official WHQL driver is version still 6.22?

This is "normal". Mainboard manufacturers get updated versions of the nforce chipset driver in advance to test them on their nforce products. If they feel "comfortable" with these drivers, then they appear on the download page. Nvidia on the other hand is not obligated to offer nforce drivers on its own homepage. They are "just" delivering the chipset...

 

[avi85]

I want to get a tv card to use with this board and I was wondering what other people are using and what there experiences are.

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: chup
NCQ is enabled with the latest driver (SATA Driver 6.54 WHQL) from MSI!

An update dated April 25. Hopefully a precursor of a new official BIOS release. The 3.2 version available on the MSI web site is dated February 8. I am waiting for 3.3 before flashing from 3.0

 

[krick]

I'm trying to help my friend build a new system based on the MSI K8NGM2-FID motherboard.

The first hurdle we encountered was the Neo HE 430W power supply in his new Antec P150 case. The board simply refused to boot.

We replaced the Neo with a Seasonic S12 and it boots now, but only if his DVD-ROM drive is not connected. When we connect the DVD-ROM drive, it hangs mid-post.

I'm trying to determine if there's any known problems with ATAPI drive compatability with this board or if we possibly have a bad motherboard that needs to be RMA'd.

Any thoughts?

 

[RjG]

I built a system a month ago with an Asus/intel board that wouldn't boot with a Lite-on burner , no matter what combinations master/slave/cable select on the burner and hard drive I picked. It would boot if you didn't connect any hard drive at all. It w orked just fine with a Pioneer or NEC burner though. Was very weird. Liteon makes junky burners anyway

My MSI FID board IDE has Maxtor 300g primary master / WD 160 slave, with a Pioneer 110 burner Sec master, with a Maxtor 160 slave. Before that I had a Pioneer 108 burner on the Sec master, and also a Liteon plain DVD ROM installed on the Sec master.
I guess since I've had three different optical burners in there in the last month, I can say it likely doesn't have any general issues with ATAPI drives

 

[cool]

I - hopefully - solved my cold-boot issue. I disconnected pin 11, 12, 23 & 24 from the ATX power plug (using only 20pins, see page 2-9 in manual) and the system booted yesterday and this morning immediately. Before that the system wouldn't cold boot for 5 days in a row and one time it wouldn't even restart...

@renethx: If it stays this way, then you could add this finding to your guide. I'm using the Enermax EG375AX-VE PSU (a.k.a Noisetaker 375W). Let's just wait a couple of days to be 100% sure... *keeping fingers crossed*

 

[notareal]

Originally posted by: krick
I'm trying to help my friend build a new system based on the MSI K8NGM2-FID motherboard.

The first hurdle we encountered was the Neo HE 430W power supply in his new Antec P150 case. The board simply refused to boot.

We replaced the Neo with a Seasonic S12 and it boots now, but only if his DVD-ROM drive is not connected. When we connect the DVD-ROM drive, it hangs mid-post.

I'm trying to determine if there's any known problems with ATAPI drive compatability with this board or if we possibly have a bad motherboard that needs to be RMA'd.

Any thoughts?

You are not alone...
Both Neo HE and Seasonic S12 seems to be picky about the +12V line load. You might want to add some more load to +12V line. If you don't have a mid to high end GPU, you can add some resistor that gives you around 1A load. Look closer at the the SilentPCReview forum. NeoHE is from my understanding made by the Seasonic, so similar problems may exist.

 

[gman81]

That's 12W (a pretty large 12 ohm resistor). Switching supplies are known to have a minimum load current to achieve regulation. So, you may be right, but that sure is a lot of current. I'd measure the DC voltage under no load. If you read under 11V or above 13V, I'd say the supply is not good.

On a different note, has anyone run Vista on the -FID board with 6150 int. graphics?

 

[jfern]

The K8NGM2-L is used in the Emachines T6528 and T6532.
It does not support the overclocking features of the FID, I didn't find any very exciting things you can change in the BIOS.

 

[Raydur]

Originally posted by: jfern
The K8NGM2-L is used in the Emachines T6528 and T6532.
It does not support the overclocking features of the FID, I didn't find any very exciting things you can change in the BIOS.

I wonder if you could flash the e-machine board with a standard MSI bios?