MSI Neo-F V3
Published by Codrut Nistor, on May 23rd, 2008, in the categories: Mainboards
Today, I have chosen a special subject to write about - my own motherboard. Why do I call it special? Well, it took some time until I got completely happy with it, but it was worth the wait. I will tell you about this, and why would you use the MSI K9N Neo V3, also known as MSI NEO-F V3, to build a computer, while giving you the technical specifications and features at the same time, so get ready!
Let's start with my story... I had to choose between an ASUS motherboard, and the MSI NEO-F V3, and despite my previous (all positive) experiences with MSI products, I was thinking about buying the M2N-E instead of the NEO-F V3. There was also a Gigabyte board to think about, but in the end I decided to go with the NEO-F V3.
Basically, this is a budget board, but you get a lot of things for your money, especially the 3 years warranty and the all-solid capacitor build, which promises to deliver a very long life to your computer (obviously, you may end up seeing a system based on this board in a museum around 2020, since my old MSI motherboard has some inflated capacitors on it and has been running 24/24 for almost 2 years this way - and it's not dead yet!).
Due to the chipset limitations, you won't be able to run Windows 98/ME on a computer using this montherboard, but I don't think this should be a problem. After buying it, I noticed that a lot of options were not in the BIOS. "OK, this is a new board, so we'll update the BIOS," I said, but I ended up with more options, and a little disaster - memory performance went down the drain. Fortunately, the version 2.5 of MSI NEO-F V3's BIOS solved that issue, and now this baby runs fast as a shark, but I'll get to that part a bit later.
My suggestion is to use this board for a low-end gaming system, since it has decent overclocking capabilities, but there are already a lot of great new ones available, and processors with a TDP over 89W are not supported.
As you can see in the image above, the PCI Express x16 slot is placed below those two PCI Express x1 slots(which you won't use for sure), and a video card with a larger cooling system won't allow you to use properly any of the 3 PCI slots, without any overheating risks. Even more, a video card that's a bit longer may be a problem when you are going to use the SATA ports, but let's get to the good parts, shall we?
If a big video card may lead you into dropping the idea of using any PCI card, it's good to know that the onboard network adapter and the HD sound, both from Realtek, do their job wonderfully. As a side note, the network and sound parts on the mainboard are the only ones not using solid capacitors, but that shouldn't be such a big deal.
Now, let me tell you a few words about performance and overclocking. Last month, when I built a computer using a budget ASUS board, I was shocked to see that I wasn't able to set memory timings manually, so I ended up with a system running 4-4-4-12 DDR2 memory at some default (and really lame) timings. Congratulations, ASUS, you (don't) rock!
Speaking for myself, I managed to easily push my AMD X2 4000+ processor from 2.1GHz to 2.4GHz by increasing the FSB to 230MHz on default voltage, but I heard about people achieving stable 250MHz FSB on this board. Anyway, I am not crazy about reaching the limits, I simply overclocked enough to have my memory run at 800MHz. Regarding the memory, I have to tell you that the maximum voltage that can be set in the BIOS is 2.3V, and this could help some people achieve tight timings or pretty high frequencies.
Getting back to the features, I should also mention that RAID is supported, but Firewire is missing. These being said, I guess it has come the time to draw the conclusions...
...so here we go: the MSI NEO-F V3 is a great budget board, with good overclocking capabilities, uses solid capacitors, and performance is very good, no matter if you want to overclock or not. On the negative side, I must quote the uninspired board layout, and the lack of Firewire connectors, because I can't think about anything else bad, at this time.
At last, if you were wondering...this board is Vista certified, but I must give you one last advice - be sure to get the latest drivers from the official page, and don't use the included software overclocking utility. If you have any problems, I'll be sure to help you, and if I can't help you, there's always the official MSI user forum.
Since currently this great board can be found for as little as $78, I think the MSI K9N Neo-F V3 still has some time left until becoming obsolete, although you won't build any record breaker using it. After all, we're not all trying to run Crysis at 1080p resolution, or get insane scores in 3D Mark...
Later edit:
Let's start with my story... I had to choose between an ASUS motherboard, and the MSI NEO-F V3, and despite my previous (all positive) experiences with MSI products, I was thinking about buying the M2N-E instead of the NEO-F V3. There was also a Gigabyte board to think about, but in the end I decided to go with the NEO-F V3.
Basically, this is a budget board, but you get a lot of things for your money, especially the 3 years warranty and the all-solid capacitor build, which promises to deliver a very long life to your computer (obviously, you may end up seeing a system based on this board in a museum around 2020, since my old MSI motherboard has some inflated capacitors on it and has been running 24/24 for almost 2 years this way - and it's not dead yet!).
Due to the chipset limitations, you won't be able to run Windows 98/ME on a computer using this montherboard, but I don't think this should be a problem. After buying it, I noticed that a lot of options were not in the BIOS. "OK, this is a new board, so we'll update the BIOS," I said, but I ended up with more options, and a little disaster - memory performance went down the drain. Fortunately, the version 2.5 of MSI NEO-F V3's BIOS solved that issue, and now this baby runs fast as a shark, but I'll get to that part a bit later.
My suggestion is to use this board for a low-end gaming system, since it has decent overclocking capabilities, but there are already a lot of great new ones available, and processors with a TDP over 89W are not supported.
As you can see in the image above, the PCI Express x16 slot is placed below those two PCI Express x1 slots(which you won't use for sure), and a video card with a larger cooling system won't allow you to use properly any of the 3 PCI slots, without any overheating risks. Even more, a video card that's a bit longer may be a problem when you are going to use the SATA ports, but let's get to the good parts, shall we?
If a big video card may lead you into dropping the idea of using any PCI card, it's good to know that the onboard network adapter and the HD sound, both from Realtek, do their job wonderfully. As a side note, the network and sound parts on the mainboard are the only ones not using solid capacitors, but that shouldn't be such a big deal.
Now, let me tell you a few words about performance and overclocking. Last month, when I built a computer using a budget ASUS board, I was shocked to see that I wasn't able to set memory timings manually, so I ended up with a system running 4-4-4-12 DDR2 memory at some default (and really lame) timings. Congratulations, ASUS, you (don't) rock!
Speaking for myself, I managed to easily push my AMD X2 4000+ processor from 2.1GHz to 2.4GHz by increasing the FSB to 230MHz on default voltage, but I heard about people achieving stable 250MHz FSB on this board. Anyway, I am not crazy about reaching the limits, I simply overclocked enough to have my memory run at 800MHz. Regarding the memory, I have to tell you that the maximum voltage that can be set in the BIOS is 2.3V, and this could help some people achieve tight timings or pretty high frequencies.
Getting back to the features, I should also mention that RAID is supported, but Firewire is missing. These being said, I guess it has come the time to draw the conclusions...
...so here we go: the MSI NEO-F V3 is a great budget board, with good overclocking capabilities, uses solid capacitors, and performance is very good, no matter if you want to overclock or not. On the negative side, I must quote the uninspired board layout, and the lack of Firewire connectors, because I can't think about anything else bad, at this time.
At last, if you were wondering...this board is Vista certified, but I must give you one last advice - be sure to get the latest drivers from the official page, and don't use the included software overclocking utility. If you have any problems, I'll be sure to help you, and if I can't help you, there's always the official MSI user forum.
Since currently this great board can be found for as little as $78, I think the MSI K9N Neo-F V3 still has some time left until becoming obsolete, although you won't build any record breaker using it. After all, we're not all trying to run Crysis at 1080p resolution, or get insane scores in 3D Mark...
Later edit:
Detect networking problems earlier with network assessment services which can diagnose for potential issues.
VIA’s Tiny x86 Platform
Published by Codrut Nistor, on May 20th, 2008, in the categories: Mainboards
While VIA retreated from the desktop processors business, it still has a strong position on other markets, and now they even managed to break a world record! No, we're not talking about any performance record, but size, because they just succeeded in creating the smallest x86 computer platform, coming in the pico-ITX form factor!
"Pico-ITX, what is that?" Well, what do you think about 10cm x 7.2cm? Small enough? Daniel Wu, vice president of Via embedded platform division, said "The introduction of the Via Epia PX5000EG elevates the Via Epia range of innovative embedded solutions to new heights of thermal and energy efficiency in an extremely miniaturized form factor. The Via Epia Pico-ITX form-factor continues to evolve, addressing the embedded industry's needs for greater efficiency and miniaturization."
A computer inside a pack of cigarettes, how's that? The Via Epia PX5000EG uses a fanless 500MHz processor from VIA, the Eden ULV, with a TDP of only 1W, supporting up to 1GB of DDR2 memory. The Via VX700 system media processor delivers graphics by using the Via UniChrome Pro II integrated 3D/2D graphics core with MPEG-2/-4 and WMV9 hardware decoding acceleration, as well as pin support for LVDS, DVI and VGA display configurations.
At last, you should know Serial ATA and Parallel ATA connectors are also present, and even an integrated 100/10 Fast Ethernet port was fitted on the tiny board. Even more, there are connectors included to support PS/2 keyboard and mouse, external TV-out, video capture port interface & LPC interface (add-on card required), 1 audio connector for line-out, line-in, mic-in, S/PDIF in and 5.1 channel audio output and 1 Pico-ITX power connector.
These being said, I will repeat the size, so you won't forget - 10cm x 7.2cm, that's the smallest x86 platform available in the world as we speak, and it's really astonishing to think about the fact this may be more powerful than the desktop computers we were using a decade ago!
"Pico-ITX, what is that?" Well, what do you think about 10cm x 7.2cm? Small enough? Daniel Wu, vice president of Via embedded platform division, said "The introduction of the Via Epia PX5000EG elevates the Via Epia range of innovative embedded solutions to new heights of thermal and energy efficiency in an extremely miniaturized form factor. The Via Epia Pico-ITX form-factor continues to evolve, addressing the embedded industry's needs for greater efficiency and miniaturization."
A computer inside a pack of cigarettes, how's that? The Via Epia PX5000EG uses a fanless 500MHz processor from VIA, the Eden ULV, with a TDP of only 1W, supporting up to 1GB of DDR2 memory. The Via VX700 system media processor delivers graphics by using the Via UniChrome Pro II integrated 3D/2D graphics core with MPEG-2/-4 and WMV9 hardware decoding acceleration, as well as pin support for LVDS, DVI and VGA display configurations.
At last, you should know Serial ATA and Parallel ATA connectors are also present, and even an integrated 100/10 Fast Ethernet port was fitted on the tiny board. Even more, there are connectors included to support PS/2 keyboard and mouse, external TV-out, video capture port interface & LPC interface (add-on card required), 1 audio connector for line-out, line-in, mic-in, S/PDIF in and 5.1 channel audio output and 1 Pico-ITX power connector.
These being said, I will repeat the size, so you won't forget - 10cm x 7.2cm, that's the smallest x86 platform available in the world as we speak, and it's really astonishing to think about the fact this may be more powerful than the desktop computers we were using a decade ago!
Asus Crosshair II Formula
Published by Bogdan Alex, on May 3rd, 2008, in the categories: Mainboards
Asus has recently released a new Republic of Gamers product based on AMD’s AM2+ socket. Thus, the new Crosshair II Formula motherboard is compatible with AM2+ Phenom FX / Phenom X4 / Phenom X2 / Athlon X2 / Sempron and legacy AM2 processors and integrates HyperTransport 3.0 technology, allowing the latest quad-core system to achieve 5200 MT/s.
Crosshair II Formula also includes several new features that can instantly boost up particular components. ASUS CPU Level Up technology improves the CPU performance without additional costs. Users are now able to enhance their CPU performances in three simple steps: first of all, you need to enter the feature-packed BIOS, then you have to choose the processor you wish to overclock from a predefined CPU list, and finally you reboot and the BIOS applies the best and most stable overclocking specs.
If you feel your graphics card doesn’t quite provide the extra edge you need in the latest games, feel free to use the Hybrid SLI support with HybridPower and GeForce Boost features. The Hybrid SLI is a dual-graphic solution that utilizes the integrated graphics processor to assist discrete graphics cards for boosted performances. It can even save power by switching off discrete graphics while running lower requirement games. Moreover, you also get support for NVIDIA's 3-way SLI configurations in PCI-E 2.0 mode.
On the hi-fi sound side, Asus introduced the SupremeFX II separate sound card, which features unique virtual surround audio innovations for gamers' headphones, allowing them to easily spot enemies in 3D environments during game play.
No word on the actual price, but from what we’ve seen with previous RoG products, these mobos aren’t cheap at all.
Crosshair II Formula also includes several new features that can instantly boost up particular components. ASUS CPU Level Up technology improves the CPU performance without additional costs. Users are now able to enhance their CPU performances in three simple steps: first of all, you need to enter the feature-packed BIOS, then you have to choose the processor you wish to overclock from a predefined CPU list, and finally you reboot and the BIOS applies the best and most stable overclocking specs.
If you feel your graphics card doesn’t quite provide the extra edge you need in the latest games, feel free to use the Hybrid SLI support with HybridPower and GeForce Boost features. The Hybrid SLI is a dual-graphic solution that utilizes the integrated graphics processor to assist discrete graphics cards for boosted performances. It can even save power by switching off discrete graphics while running lower requirement games. Moreover, you also get support for NVIDIA's 3-way SLI configurations in PCI-E 2.0 mode.
On the hi-fi sound side, Asus introduced the SupremeFX II separate sound card, which features unique virtual surround audio innovations for gamers' headphones, allowing them to easily spot enemies in 3D environments during game play.
No word on the actual price, but from what we’ve seen with previous RoG products, these mobos aren’t cheap at all.
Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H
Published by Codrut Nistor, on April 23rd, 2008, in the categories: Mainboards
If you're looking for a mainboard to build a low cost PC, having an all-onboard solution is the best choice, and if we talk about that, choosing one with the AMD 790G chipset is the only thing to do, but what if your budget is very low? Well, in that case, you can easily go with the previous chipset from AMD, the 690G, and today I will tell you a few things about the Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H, a motherboard that proved to be one of the best ones using the 690G.
The Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H is a mATX board, so it's going to fit well inside smaller cases, but its layout is not brilliant at all. Why? Because the PCI Express x16 slot is located below the PCI Express x1 one, and if you want to add a video card, the 2 PCI slots may become unusable (or you may risk to fry your new video card, because the lack of space for proper cooling), as you can see in the image above.
This mainboard can work with Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core / Athlon 64 / Sempron processors, and the Integrated ATI Radeon X1250-based graphics chip can handle old games pretty well, and even some of the new ones at low settings and resolution, but that's not why would you build a system using this board.
Realtek is the producer that took care of the networking and audio of this board, which incorporates the ALC889A Audio Codec and RTL8110 Gigabit Ethernet. I got them on my MSI board, and I must confess both work above my expectations, especially the onboard sound!
The maximum amount of memory that can be installed on the Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H is an insane 16GB! Obviously, dual channel is supported, and you can install anything from DDR2 400 up to DDR2 800 (obviously, DDR2 1066 may also work, but don't bet on clocking it that high!).
While the board has 4 SATA2 connectors, there's only one IDE connector available, so you'd better move on to SATA devices.
At last, here's what can be found on the Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H, when talking about connectivity with external devices: 1x PS/2 keyboard port, 1x PS/2 mouse port, 1x D-Sub port, 1x DVI-D port, 1x HDMI port, 1x Optical SPDIF Out port, 1x IEEE 1394a port, 4x USB 2.0/1.1 ports, 1x RJ-45 LAN port, and 6x Audio jacks, with 6x USB2.0 aditionals and 2 IEEE 1394a connectors.
Oh, one more thing - if the above is not enough, look at what others say about the Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H, namely those at TestFreaks.
The Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H is a mATX board, so it's going to fit well inside smaller cases, but its layout is not brilliant at all. Why? Because the PCI Express x16 slot is located below the PCI Express x1 one, and if you want to add a video card, the 2 PCI slots may become unusable (or you may risk to fry your new video card, because the lack of space for proper cooling), as you can see in the image above.
This mainboard can work with Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core / Athlon 64 / Sempron processors, and the Integrated ATI Radeon X1250-based graphics chip can handle old games pretty well, and even some of the new ones at low settings and resolution, but that's not why would you build a system using this board.
Realtek is the producer that took care of the networking and audio of this board, which incorporates the ALC889A Audio Codec and RTL8110 Gigabit Ethernet. I got them on my MSI board, and I must confess both work above my expectations, especially the onboard sound!
The maximum amount of memory that can be installed on the Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H is an insane 16GB! Obviously, dual channel is supported, and you can install anything from DDR2 400 up to DDR2 800 (obviously, DDR2 1066 may also work, but don't bet on clocking it that high!).
While the board has 4 SATA2 connectors, there's only one IDE connector available, so you'd better move on to SATA devices.
At last, here's what can be found on the Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H, when talking about connectivity with external devices: 1x PS/2 keyboard port, 1x PS/2 mouse port, 1x D-Sub port, 1x DVI-D port, 1x HDMI port, 1x Optical SPDIF Out port, 1x IEEE 1394a port, 4x USB 2.0/1.1 ports, 1x RJ-45 LAN port, and 6x Audio jacks, with 6x USB2.0 aditionals and 2 IEEE 1394a connectors.
Oh, one more thing - if the above is not enough, look at what others say about the Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H, namely those at TestFreaks.
NVIDIA 790i Problems
Published by Codrut Nistor, on April 21st, 2008, in the categories: Mainboards
According to NVIDIA, the mainboards based on their 790i chipset "provide the perfect combination of price and performance for 1600 MHz FSB Intel CPUs. With an arsenal of SLI® technology, high-bandwidth DDR3, unmatched DirectX® 10 gaming, and extreme CPU overclocking, you will smoke the competition." So far, so good, but I don't think they thought people would find themselves in smoke, instead of smoking others...
Fortunately, no 790i-based board caught fire because of overcloking, as far as I know, but a lot of problems involving data corruption appeared, and now even NVIDIA admitted it, posting in its technical forum the following message:"Nvidia has received reports of data corruption when using certain high speed memory and overclocking the front side bus. Our engineers are currently investigating this issue and as soon as we have more information, we will provide an update to this knowledge base article."
Finally, someone admitting such a problem! I am sure this is not the first time, but in most cases, early boards with problems had their issues fixed by later BIOS updates, all being done pretty quietly. Finally, someone is honest. Be sure we'll let you know as soon as more details about this problem arise - hopefully the information that NVIDIA managed to fix it...
Fortunately, no 790i-based board caught fire because of overcloking, as far as I know, but a lot of problems involving data corruption appeared, and now even NVIDIA admitted it, posting in its technical forum the following message:"Nvidia has received reports of data corruption when using certain high speed memory and overclocking the front side bus. Our engineers are currently investigating this issue and as soon as we have more information, we will provide an update to this knowledge base article."
Finally, someone admitting such a problem! I am sure this is not the first time, but in most cases, early boards with problems had their issues fixed by later BIOS updates, all being done pretty quietly. Finally, someone is honest. Be sure we'll let you know as soon as more details about this problem arise - hopefully the information that NVIDIA managed to fix it...
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