Is the 875P Neo-FIS2R a bad mb?

Question

Like the title says:
Is the 875P Neo-FIS2R a bad motherboad? I can understand that tis is a place where you will find more problems then anything else. But I mostly see motherboard specific problems, that occur on many mb's of the same type. I find that a bit disturbing...
A friend of mine never had any troubles with it, then again, he might not tell me, or he is lucky. But based on his 'good' experience I have a 875P lying here right now.
I cannot use it yet since I am missing a graphic card to go with it, I expect that to arrive next Tuesday. Im a bit nervous now.....
Another question while I'm at it: will both controllers (the Intel and the Promise) work, or are the mutual exclusive. So I guess I mean is: do I have 3 P-ATA connectors on my mb or either 2 or 1??
If it is the latter option, that would be lame, then I would have to insert my PCI card with a pomise controller....

Answer 1

I have to say the 875P is definitely NOT a bad motherboard as long as you have approved components. It works very well for "standard" usage. It has all of the top features from Intel - 875P chipset, 10Gbit CSA, ICH5R, ADI audio, firewire, etc.
I am concerned with some things MSI could/should have done better in the first place:
1. Wrong NB temp (and it seems to be affected by NBFAN)
2. No SFAN speed monitoring though it wouldn't have cost more to put it in ... X(
3. Slow frequency of BIOS release or update fixes vs other "top tier" motherboard manufacturers
4. More issues than others with popular memory modules
5. Confusing or "poorly documented" BIOS features/interface leave tweakers less in control
6. Corecell, DOT & MAT, BIOS are still a work in progress
When you start looking for topnotch performance and stability via tweaking OR major overclocking - that is where it falls short - contrary to what their marketing says.
Read this thread  where an 875P owner compares his new Asus P4C800E Deluxe (after his 875P Neo failed and had to go for RMA). I summarize his "review" here:
Quote
Criteria on MSI 875P Neo-FIS2R vs ASUS P4C800E DeLuxe
Ease in setting up P4C800E
Memory compatibility P4C800E
Overclocking
- setting options Neo
- higher performance P4C800E
- lower temperatures P4C800E
- lower voltages P4C800E
Video card compatibility Neo
Hard drive performance Same
Benchmark scores Est. 5% better on Asus vs MSI
Extra Goodies:
ASUS - ability to use USB ARMD devices and emulate them as floppies, HDD, and even CD-ROM
MSI - AUTO overclocking (Captain, etc. on the Neo boards - 5%, 10% etc on the Asus boards) works much better
quote:
... the Asus is much less of a problem child when setting up. So my final ruling is, don't expect much more from the ASUS board, but if you are fed up with your 875P Neo, or are returning/RMA-ing your board anyway, you might be pleasantly surprised with what the ASUS P4C800/E/Deluxe can do for you.
I think you'll find similiar comparisons from 865PE Neo2 users who had tried the P4P800...
So far many have said they're still keeping their MSI boards when RMA comes back
Conclusions:
- Good HW but FW/SW satsifactory~needs_improvement.  :]
- If you don't do major tweaking , and want stability + full features, the 875P is a GOOD board overall, IMHO.  8)