K9NGM2-FID or M2NPV-VM

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noee
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K9NGM2-FID or M2NPV-VM

Post by noee » Tue Aug 29, 2006 5:30 am

So I'm building a budget semi-quiet HTPC/Media center system around the NSK2400 and obviously, a mATX mobo.

Lots of info out there about the FID (albeit in the 939 version), I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with these two AM2/6150/DVI-out versions?

This will be a dedicated machine and use will initially be 80% music, 20% DVD and I'll be driving some sort of 1080P unit. My audio system is in a different room than this system, but my video setup is in the same room so I want it to be quiet.

My thoughts were to spend a little more on the Seasonic 430 and then keep the OEM AMD HSF and even undervolt the vCore. In addition, I was thinking a cheaper single-core 3500+ or 3800+ would be suitable.

Thanks.

Greg F.
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AM2

Post by Greg F. » Tue Aug 29, 2006 5:42 am

My understanding is that the AM2 version has no, or very limited, OC capability and no RAID. For myself, I am wondering if RAID isn't a thing of the past and will go to NAS in very near future.

Nice Marmot
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Post by Nice Marmot » Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:43 am

The AM2 version of the FID no longer includes the TV-out bracket (it must be purchased separately), and does not allow for manually adjusting the vCore (though CnQ should be supported).

The M2NPV-VM also has no vCore option. It includes the TV-out bracket, but lacks a SPDIF bracket. It also has a reputation for being buggy.

There's a lot more info on this Anandtech thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview ... erthread=y

I'm pretty annoyed with the state of AM2 mATX boards right now. I've put my HTPC plans on hold to see what the ABIT NF-M2 nView or the DFI Xpress 1150 boards look like.

nutball
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Post by nutball » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:22 am

I'm intrigued by the Jetway M2GT3-PTD. I have another Jetway board (S939 based) which does allow undervolting even though the manual doesn't explicitly mention it.

charger2000
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Post by charger2000 » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:57 pm

I've just build an "experimental" PC/HTPC based on the M2NPV-VM, and frankly yes, it's buggy, it doesn't give me the right feeling, I have to do some more testing, but I don't like all those red and yellow signs under System Events, too many for a freshly installed OS (WMCE 2005), I'm curios to get an MSI...

:?

Mats
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Post by Mats » Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:25 pm

Check out the M2NPV-VM user reviews at newegg. IIRC, a lot of people were complaining.

Mikey
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Post by Mikey » Wed Sep 06, 2006 4:05 am

Yeah, most of those seemed to be memory issues though.

Maybe the bios isn't as stable as it could be?

I'm considering buying this to put in a HTPC for myself... looks to be a fairly good solution. Pity there isnt' anything really comparable for Core2Duo as i'd probably rather go that route.. :?

Feanor
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Post by Feanor » Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:57 am

I found the MSI TV-out bracket on this site.

http://www.vidabox.com/shop/index.php?m ... ucts_id=47

I hope this helps some of you.

Longwalker
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Post by Longwalker » Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:34 pm

There are...issues...with both of these boards. Poorly thought out component placement renders one of the PCI slots on the MSI board unusable. As for the M2N, it's really picky about memory. This board cannot supply more than 1.8 volts to the DIMM slots. This rules out using much of the cheaper DDR2-800 RAM available, most notably OCZ memory, as it requires 1.9v for stable operation.

winguy
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Post by winguy » Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:29 am

The Abit NF-M2 nView does seem good, less the non-existent TV-out connector.

From AnandTech - The *Official* MSI K8NGM2-FID GeForce 6150 Motherboard Thread:
Originally posted by: renethx
ABIT NF-M2 nView (Global site) or ABIT NF-M2 nView (USA site) looks good.
  • Memory: DDR2 800/667/533 ECC and non-ECC, un-buffered memory, max 8GB
  • Audio: ALC883 7.1 Ch. HD
  • No onboard TV-out connector
  • Back Panel: 1 x VGA and 1 x DVI. No parallel port. Instead it comes with 7.1 Ch. HD audio connectors and optical S/PDIF in and out.
  • BIOS: Adjustable CPU External Clock, K8<->NB HT Speed, NB<->SB HT Speed, CPU Core Voltage, DDRII Voltage and Chipset Core Voltage
  • Accessories: unknown
  • AMD LIVEâ„¢ ready
If you don't need analog TV-out (all newer TVs have DVI-in), the board may be ideal for HTPC.

From ABIT NF-M2 nView New Release! - Universal abit USA Forums:

Image


From the downloadable manual, one can see FanEQ for CPU and SYS fan headers, which is sorely missed in mATX boards. :D

sleepygenius
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Post by sleepygenius » Sun Sep 17, 2006 6:52 pm

I'm also interested in the Abit motherboard as it provides more fine tuning than the MSI board of the same chipset. I've read of some people complaining of the 6150 chip being hot. Maybe the Abit heatpipe solution will solve that. This is one board where I will be buying the initial batch that will become available. It will be a far more better purchase than the A7V8X board that I bought when i built my first computer (It was right before the A7N8X received the positive reviews and how it infuriating it was at that time to be stuck with the A7V8X).
Last edited by sleepygenius on Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

tempeteduson
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Post by tempeteduson » Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:22 pm

That Abit board looks promising. I like Abit's new blue/black color scheme, and heatpipes on an mATX board are nice to have. It would be perfect if not for some minor problems, including:

(1) No TV-Out (or even headers, I believe). I understand the heatsink at the end of the heatpipe needs to dump its heat wave out the back (barring any I/O ports above the SPDIF connectors), but it would be nice to have headers for connecting an expansion bracket.
(2) Floppy connector is on the bottom of the board. This is not a problem for me, though.

If it had offered undervolting options with CnQ enabled (I don't think it does?) like the DFI Infinity, so much the better. But that feature is becoming less important with the availability of EE and EESFF X2s (albeit at a price premium).

The important thing here is that it becomes widely available, that it is stable, and that its features work as advertised. If it can do that, I'll be satisfied.

line
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Post by line » Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:08 am

This board is nice, but it could use a better integrated audio chip.

Even ASRock, the budget king, has decided to go with no less than top of the line ALC888 for its recent motherboards. ASRock says ALC888 passes Windows Vista Premium hardware requirements whereas ALC883 does not (link).

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