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

[JAH]

I'm having some trouble installing Windows XP Media Center Edition and I?ve tried searching Anandtech forum and specifically this thread about this problem, but didn?t find any answer.

Here?s my set-up:

MSI K8NGM2-FID
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2/1G
Zalman CNPS7700-CU
Antec NSK2400 Case
BenQ DW1650 DVD-R/W
Samsung SP2504C HDD
AuzenTech HDA X-Plosion 7.1 DTS Connect Sound Card

Everything is installed and POST successfully. I put the Windows XP Media Center Edition installation CD and it boot up successfully and goes through all its routines (loading drivers, options to install, F8 to license agreement).

I chose the full format option for the hard drive and after it finished formatting, Windows begin to copy the files. Here?s where things went wrong. The files would copy but then it would just stop at certain percentage and nothing else happened (I?d tried several times and it would stop at a random percentage, the highest % I got was 66% before the DVD drive would stop spinning).

When this happened, it requires me to hit the reset switch to get everything going again. Interestingly enough, after I hit the reset switch, the board would not detect my HDD. I have to do a hard shutdown and reboot before the HDD was detected again.

Any idea what is preventing the files from being copy? I?m thinking it?s either the DVD drive or the HDD.

If it?s the DVD drive, would it be possible for me to install Windows from a USB drive? I have a 4GB thumb drive and was thinking of copying the CDs contents to it and try to install it from there.

Thanks.

 

[RjG]

Check your hard drive for any "compatibility" jumper that you might be able to set.

I suppose you can also put your HD in another computer and set up two partitions, and copy the install CDs to there if you wanted.

You might want to figure out what the problem is before wasting any more time on it though.
(It's not MCE2005, it installed on my FID without issues)

Are you sure it's stopping because of the file copy process? If it has already started to load some drivers, maybe be the installer is having trouble with interrupts or some other conflict, having the two sound cards in there (onboard, and your X-Plosion).
Maybe try again without the extra sound card in there.

 

[renethx]

JAH,

Clear CMOS
Run Memtest86

 

[EliteRetard]

CANT OC AT ALL?! MSI FID MOBO (BIOS 3.4 updated drivers), AMD 3500, 1GB Corsair DDR500, 350watt 24pin PSU, 1xDVD Drive, 100GB SATA

OK...so I was atempting a fairly budget computer that still has some processing horsepower. Gaming wasnt so important, so I got a MOBO with a 6150. The MSI K8NGM2-FID has settings up to 250MHz (2.75GHz max with 3500) so I figured I should be able to hit at least 2.5-2.6GHz. Went with a single stick of RAM (origionally 512MB Kingston Value then 512MB Corsair value) ended up with a 1GB stick of Corsair XMS 4000PT. There is no way in hell the RAM is the issue (Ill admit I cant memtest the RAM...but three bad sticks?! no way). The only other item that should be of importance is the PSU...its pretty decent 350watt with correct/stable voltage.

Temps seem to be more than fine...system temp never goes over 32C and CPU never hits over 38C even after long periods at 100% load. I dont know what the NB or other chips are at though, and I heard the NB chipset gets hot. Could this be the issue? How can I tell and/or is there a way to fix this? I dont know how/if I could get a fan to stick to it or where to get a fan that size that would actually do anything.

Anything over stock 2200MHz even using memclock 100MHz ends up giving me the same stability issues. Almost no issues at 2300MHz but it does hang ocassionally. 2400MHz more frequent issues not always prime95 stable passes 8M superpi 100%. 2500MHz can pas 8M superpi 100% of the time as well, but almost immediately hangs in Prime95, hangs probably 33% of the time logging in or running programs (just freezes no errors nothing) 2570MHz can get into windows but even if the user can log in opening any programs causes it to hang. Same issues everytime with all three sticks or RAM tested at any speed. Tried voltage from 2.5-2.7 (2.7 only on the DDR500 only tried 2.6 on the value 512MBs).

Is it possible I just got a really really really ****** processor? CPUz says its a revison DH-E6, stepping 2. Not sure if that means anything. Is it possible that my OS is acting up? Its a fresh install of Win2K (was a bitch to install cause it doesnt recognize SATA drives, had to do it on a new IDE and then copy it over).

Anyone? Please and thank you.

 

[renethx]

EliteRetard,

Is there a reason why you can't test your memory modules? Even if your memory modules are not defective, memory errors can occur in Athlon 64 systems. Flashing to BIOS v3.13 and raising CPU voltage by +0.05V may help improve overclocking. Did you slipstream SP4 to Win2K before installing OS? If not, that could be the cause of failing to recognize SATA drives. You don't have to worry about NB temperature unless your case ventilation is too bad. You may attach a 30mm fan to the NB heatsink by screws or epoxy adhesive or use a CPU cooler with 120mm fan (Thermalright SI-120 or Zalman CNPS7700).

It is a good idea to gather your system configurations just in one place, for example in Profile > Signature, instead of scattering them in the post. What are missing are CPU HS/fan model, GPU model (GeForce 6150 or a PCI-E card?), PSU model number, HDD model numbers, OS service pack number. Although they may not be important for your questions, it is certainly helpful to analyze your problems.

 

[juninjesus]

I have tested 1080p video file.. No problem. WMV HD 1080p play back is very smooth. Quick time is a little bit painful. You may need dual core. According to my test, average fps is 11~17fps during quick time playback. Of course, I used built in 6150 video card.

 

[JAH]

Originally posted by: renethx
JAH,

Clear CMOS
Run Memtest86

I bought a new HDD (Seagate 500GB) and it allow me to install Windows on it, but I also ran Memtest86 on the Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2/1G and it didn't even get through the first pass before crasing...with 1853 errors!

So now I don't know if the Samsung HDD is defective or was it the Kingston ram that preventing it from installing Windows. However, the Kingston ram did allow me to installed Windows on the Seagate drive. In any case, I'm returning both the Samsung HDD and the Kingston ram.

 

[renethx]

JAH,

If you have not returned them yet, do both of the following:

1. If your BIOS is v3.20 (this is the default BIOS; press Pause key to pause POST and see the version number; press Enter to resume POST), then select
   • BIOS Setup > Integrated Peripherals > USB Device Legacy Support: [Disabled]
   and run Memtest86. If errors still occur, then flash BIOS to v3.40 and run Memtest86.
   
2. Run HUTIL (The Drive Diagnostic Utility).
   

   In fact of the drives returned to Samsung, a large percentage are NTF(?No Trouble Found?) after testing. So it is strongly recommended to test the drive if it is truly defective by a few fundamental troubleshooting of Hutil first, to avoid user?s unnecessary effort and inconvenience of replacing a good drive.

   Ultimate Boot CD includes HUTIL. If the drive passed the test, it is non-defective.

 

[subcodec]

I'm curious about other people's experiences with Nvidia drivers on this motherboard. Since I've gotten my board, I've mainly used the 8.22 drivers. I tried using the 8.25 drivers from MSI's website, but I was getting random errors in Windows and general instability. Recently, I added 2 more hard drives so I could run a total of 4 drives in RAID-5. When I reinstalled Windows, I thought I'd give the newer 8.26 drivers from Nvidia's website a try. I didn't have any luck with them either. Within a couple minutes after installation and reaching the desktop, my RAID-5 would get an error. I thought it could've been a hard drive, but they all tested just fine. I reformatted and used the 8.22 drivers, and it's been running very stable since.

Here is my current setup:
Antec Overture ATX Case w/380 watt PS
MSI K8NGM2-FID motherboard (of course )
Opteron 170 @ 2.4 GHz
2x1 gig Patriot memory
Kworld ATSC 110
4x320 Gig hard drives @ RAID-5 (894 Gig usable)
Samsung DVD-R/RW
Westinghouse 32" LCD Display (connected via DVI)
Logitech Z-5500 (connected via analog + digital coaxial)
Logitech Keyboard and cordless optical mouse
Snapstream Firefly Remote

Overall, this system is working quite well as an HTPC. It has been very stable and is quite easy to setup and configure. The only upgrade I have planned at this point is adding a video card. Looking at something like the Nvidia 7600GT or similar.

 

[renethx]

subcodec,

Was NCQ enabled with Version 8.25 and Version 8.26? If so, that could be the cause of instability.

 

[subcodec]

I never checked to see if NCQ was enabled, but from what I've read in this forum, NCQ is enabled by default in the newer driver versions. So that could've been the problem. The drives I'm using are 2xWD 3200KS and 2xSeagate 7200.10. I know you should really use 4 identical drives, but I got a good deal on the Seagates.

 

[JAH]

Originally posted by: renethx
JAH,

If you have not returned them yet, do both of the following:

1. If your BIOS is v3.20 (this is the default BIOS; press Pause key to pause POST and see the version number; press Enter to resume POST), then select
   • BIOS Setup > Integrated Peripherals > USB Device Legacy Support: [Disabled]
   and run Memtest86. If errors still occur, then flash BIOS to v3.40 and run Memtest86.
   
2. Run HUTIL (The Drive Diagnostic Utility).
   

   In fact of the drives returned to Samsung, a large percentage are NTF(?No Trouble Found?) after testing. So it is strongly recommended to test the drive if it is truly defective by a few fundamental troubleshooting of Hutil first, to avoid user?s unnecessary effort and inconvenience of replacing a good drive.

   Ultimate Boot CD includes HUTIL. If the drive passed the test, it is non-defective.

Thanks for all the help renethx!

Anyway, I did what you suggested and updated my BIOS to 3.4 and the memory ran stable and without any errors through Memtest86 for over six hours that I left it on. So I'm keeping them.

I also ran the Samsung HUTIL to check the SP2504C drive. Took over two hours of testing and the utility did not find any error with the drive. So I decided to give it another shot of installing Windows MCE on it. Still no luck, and this time Windows got through 22% of copying files before stopping. I thought it might be my MCE disc that is the problem, so I put in my Windows XP Pro disc and try to install that. No luck. XP Pro installation stops copying files at 5%.

So now I?m perplexed, and I think there might be a compatible issue with this board and this Samsung drive. Of course with only one sample to test, that might not be an accurate statement. Either that or there is something wrong with the board (SATA controller perhaps? Since the my IDE Seagate drive works perfectly in there), or the PSU is crapping out (default PSU that came with the Antec NSK2400 case)? Anyway, I got too much headache with it and I'm just going to return the Samsung drive and eat the 15% restocking fee.

Again, thanks for the suggestions, renethx. You've been great. Now I just need to figured out why Windows MCE won't recognize my USB mouse on startup until I unplugged and replugged them.

 

[renethx]

JAH,

I forgot to mention one important thing. I wrote in the first post:

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 SATA (3.0Gb/s) drives (model number 6Vxxxxx). OS cannot be installed in this drive. Need to change the jumper from "Normal Operation (3Gbps)" to the "Limit Data Transfer Rate (1.5Gbps)". (Confirmed by MSI.) (Section 8. Choosing Components, Hardware Compatibility Issues, Hard Disk Drives)

This remark may apply not only to Maxtor but also to other SATA 3.0Gb/s drives. As a matter of fact one user was told by MSI Tech Support that the only SATA 3.0Gb/s drive whose compatibility with the MSI board was confirmed was Seagate. If the transfer rate is changed to 1.5Gbps by jumper, installation of OS may be done successfully.

Edit

After reading the entire thread I noticed that several people are using Samsung SpinPoint series drives without problems...

 

[JAH]

Originally posted by: renethx
JAH,

I forgot to mention one important thing. I wrote in the first post:

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 SATA (3.0Gb/s) drives (model number 6Vxxxxx). OS cannot be installed in this drive. Need to change the jumper from "Normal Operation (3Gbps)" to the "Limit Data Transfer Rate (1.5Gbps)". (Confirmed by MSI.) (Section 8. Choosing Components, Hardware Compatibility Issues, Hard Disk Drives)

This remark seems to apply not only to Maxtor but also to several other SATA 3.0Gb/s drives. As a matter of fact one user was told by MSI Tech Support that the only SATA 3.0Gb/s drive whose compatibility with the MSI board was confirmed was Seagate. Perhaps if the transfer rate is changed to 1.5Gbps by jumper, installation of OS will be done successfully. Moreover performance difference between 3.0Gbps and 1.5Gbps is not so big.

I'd set the jumper to 1.5Gbps mode and Windows still failed to installed. And since the drive isn't defective, eWiz can't take it back, so I'm just go to use it as a additional storage drive in my main PC.

 

[subcodec]

Originally, I ran a pair of Western Digital 3200KS hard drives running RAID 0 at the 3.0GB/s and Windows XP, MCE, etc all installed fine on it. Now I added a pair of Seagate 7200.10 (took jumper out for 3.0GB/s mode) and have all 4 in a RAID 5. Other than one small problem (see post above), I had no problems installing.

One suggestion I have would be to use the minimum hardware when installing Windows. Try disconnecting any peripherals, PCI cards, etc. when installing Windows. You could also go into the BIOS and set the "Fail-Safe" defaults.

Did you have Windows installed on this computer before you purchased the memory and hard drive? Other culprits could also be the CD/DVD drive or even the power supply.

Good luck.

 

[pctwo]

hi. What is "burst length" in BIOS. options are 2, 4, or 8. I have a x2 3800+ and corsair value ram ddr400, if that matters.

 

[renethx]

Manual, page 3-11
Burst Length
This setting allows you to set the size of Burst-Length for DRAM. Bursting feature is a technique that DRAM itself predicts the address of the next memory location to be accessed after the first address is accessed. To use the feature, you need to define the burst length, which is the actual length of burst plus the starting address and allows internal address counter to properly generate the next memory location. The bigger the size, the faster the DRAM performance. Setting options: [8 Beats], [4 Beats] and [2 Beats].

JESD79E (JEDEC DDR SDRAM Specification), Page 8
Burst Length
Read and write accesses to the DDR SDRAM are burst oriented, with the burst length being programmable, as shown in Figure NO TAG. The burst length determines the maximum number of column locations that can be accessed for a given READ or WRITE command. Burst lengths of 2, 4, or 8 locations are available for both the sequential and the interleaved burst types.

 

[FireTech]

Any sightings of the K9NGM2 in the wild yet? Seems the K8NGM2-FID won't appear here in Oz but the K9 will, sometime...
I'd ideally like to set one up as part of a PVR & RAID 5 server combined - feasable?

 

[avi85]

BIOS v3.5 is now available here.

Let people know how it works if you try it!

Edit: their is also a new sound driver v1.41 available here.

 

[Mark9]

I tried to post to this thread previously but wound up on the general motherboard thread.. This time I should have the right area, hopefully:

I just put a K8NGM2-FID together using a 3800+, 2 gigs of Corsair ddr3200 memory, Maxtor 300 gig PATA for the C: drive, a 300 gig Maxtor SATA for the spare drive and a NEC DVD burner. CPU cooler is the stock AMD unit that came in the retail package. CPU-Z shows core speed at 2411.0 mhz, multiplier at x12, and HTT 200.9 mhz. The system runs very well and the on-board graphics are great (I don't use this system for gamming).

I'm trying to find some software that will give me temperatures on the CPU and the chipsets. In the past I've used "SpeedFan" but it seems not to have been updated to work with this motherboard. Does anyone have a recommendation for software that will work with this board to give temp readourts??? (I tried Motherboard Monitor but it doesn't support this board.)

Also, this new system is the first of two replacement for THREE!!! failed ChainTech motherboards (in two different systems). I have another K8NGM2-FID's coming this week based on how well this current board has performed.

Which brings up another point: Over the past year I have had 1 BioStar fail and the previously mentioned Chaintech failures, out of the 12 systems on my network. All systems are UPS protected so the failures seem due to poor quality of the boards themselves. How well do MSI boards hold up??? Specifically, has there been many failures of this board (I read about some DOA's from some members)...

Thanks for any help!!

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: avi85
BIOS v3.5 is now available [L=here]

The Update seems to introduce a new function:

"Add safety recover function to revert BIOS into default setting when system unable to boot due to overclocking.
To enable the function please press the reset button or power button 3 times."

Speaking of overclocking, renethx, I would like to apply one of your quick recipes to my 3700+, but only to raise it from 2.2 GHz to 2.4 GHz (I really wanted a 4000+ but found it overpriced). I understand this would give a Memclock of only 181 MHz, vs the 200 MHz stock setting.

I don't think there is any way to get a 2.4 GHz frequency on the processor with a 200 MHz Memclock value. Do you have an idea as to how the 181 MHz Memclock would degrade performance? Is it still worth it to do the modest overclock I am contemplating?

I know I could try to go for the highest stable overclock on stock voltage, but for now, I would rather not do the testing involved. I think I have a very good chance of getting a stable 2.4 GHz on the first try. And the new BIOS recovery function in version 3.5 gives me an insurance policy.

Thanks

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: Mark9

I'm trying to find some software that will give me temperatures on the CPU and the chipsets. In the past I've used "SpeedFan" but it seems not to have been updated to work with this motherboard. Does anyone have a recommendation for software that will work with this board to give

As for SpeedFan, please read instructions in Section 14 of renethx's Master (First) Post of the present thread

SpeedFan now supports the board in version 4.29 beta 7

 

[renethx]

Mark9,

MSI PC Alert 4, SpeedFan 4.29 beta and EVEREST Ultimate Edition 2006 v3.0 work with this board. The former two are explained in the first post (Section 13. Tweaking the System II. System Monitoring). There seems to be no thermal sensor in the NB and SB chipsets.

My two K8NGM2-FID systems have been running fine 12/7 since December 2005.

 

[renethx]

BernardP,

To achieve 2.4GHz CPU frequency, you need to raise CPU-LDT Frequency to

2400MHz/11 = 218MHz.

But then you don't have lower Memclock. Just set Memclock to [200MHz] (or Auto). In this case

CPU frequency = 218MHz x 11 = 2398MHz,
memory frequency = 218MHz.

The maximum stable frequency of many value RAMs is around 220MHz. Try these settings and run Memtest86 and Prime95. If they failed, raise DDR Voltage slightly and run them again. DDR Voltage up to 2.70V should be OK.

In case your RAM cannot run at 218MHz stably, there are two workarounds.

1. Lower Memclock to [166MHz]. In this case
   
   CPU frequency = 218MHz x 11 = 2398MHz,
   memory frequency = 2398MHz/14 = 171.29MHz.
   
2. Lower CPU-LDT Frequency slightly while keeping Memclock to 200MHz until your RAM runs stably. For example suppose that your system runs stably at CPU-LDT Frequency = 210MHz. Then
   
   CPU frequency = 210MHz x 11 = 2310MHz,
   memory frequency = 210MHz.

Which choice is better depends on the nature of your applications (CPU intensive or memory bandwidth dependent). Test yourself.

 

[aylai]

Can anybody confirm if ForceWare v91.31 properly supports component out? Or does one have to upgrade to v3.4 of the BIOS as well?

Thanks