Mega 180 - onboard soundcard is gone???

Hello there!
I've turned on my Mega 180 this morning,and the Windows couldn't see my onboard soundcard.
I've checked in the BIOS,it's turned on.
Last night everything was allright.
What could be this???

Quote from: gibbon75 on 29-July-05, 17:54:55
I disconnected the smaller CPU fan,and the northbridge fan,because the bearings are too noisy
My temps remain the same
Yes, I also removed the SYS fan (northbridge fan) and the temps remained the same (really rare, sure). If you have an AGP card or usually play games (using the onboards gfx), consider installing a little fan besides the radio module to extract hot air or your temps will dramatically raise.

Similar Messages

Mega 180 and onboard graphics problems!

Problem is this:
Primary graphics output of my Mega 180 is only displaying in Green, the secondary output is blurred and too bright, no amount of altering settings and installing drivers changes this situation.
Any suggestions.
Piers
Athlon 3000+
Windows XP Pro
Matched pair 512Mb 2700
Diamond Max 160Gb
Onboard Sound/Graphics/LAN

To isolate the problem you should try a different VGA cable and a different monitor.
If those don't help then the problem is with the computer.
Try unplugging it from the wall wait 10 seconds and plug it back in... This is kind of a cure all for many mega 180 ills.
The onboard graphics uses system memory. How much is allocated to it in BIOS. 128 MB is recommended for most home theater types of applications.
Have you tried resetting the BIOS settings to all defaults ?
If you've done all these things and nothing helps it sounds like the board may be bad.

Mega 180 LCD Screen gone PLEASE HELP

HELP!!
I have lost the LCD screen on my Mega 180 (Completely dead) I now know this is a known problem but MSI UK "Support" are VERY VERY unhelpful and suggested I put the connector on the other way around!!
I know there is a firmware patch / download for this but cannot find it anywhere can anyone please help
Andy B

Hi all. I finally have the firmware patch to restore the dead LCD on my Mega 180. I have tried the basic instructions in the info on this forum but I keep getting "bad filename messages. I have loaded this firmware onto a USB memory stick and it is the "E" drive on my machine. Can anyone give some step by step instructions as I seem to be doing it all wrong. One other question.... Does the LCD have a seperate power lead or is it powered from the black multipin??
Help will be much appreciated
Andy B

Mega 180 @#%%#!!!! Driver Problem

I'm writing more to vent than anything. I also want to see if anyone has the same problem I just had.
Well, I got the Mega 180 running perfectly. I mean this thing was running sweet. I just finished building it, loading all the software, etc. and have been running it for a few days w/o any problems. Then when running it I tried to boot an MP3 and I got an error that no sound card is detected - weird. I looked under properties and it showed that no driver was installed for the onboard sound (where did it go??).
So I tried a reboot and got the BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH (see other post for explanation on this). So I rebooted, entered via vga mode, uninstalled all nVidia drivers, rebooted, and reinstalled all the drivers. Guess what??? Still no sound and only VGA. I tried unloading and reloading several times to no avail. !!!!!!
Is it hardware??? Is it software???? Am I not doing a complete chipset driver uninstall???? Seems to me that after I reinstall the drivers and reboot, everthing should get recognized and installed? That's how it usually works but with the Beta 180, nooooo, not gonna happen. Instead, another mystery problem that I'm going to spend days solving.
I do this for a living (build PCs) and I've had nothing but problems with this thing. I've RMA'd it, it has burt out two 512mb sticks of RAM, I've wiped the disk clean and reinstalled everything. I figure I've lost around $700 on this thing (new RAM, my time, etc). I always use Shuttles but my customer wanted the Mega 180 ---- should've stuck to my guns and told her no!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I solved this nagging video driver problem. As you know, I've uninstalled and reinstalled both the chipset and video drivers many times and I've tried both the MSI drivers and those from nVidia's websits all to no avail. Well, I finally got the thing working - here's how:
1) Complete driver uninstall, chipset and video. Reboot.
2) Don't let Windows install any drivers upon detection. Instead, run DriverCleaner off of http://www.driverheaven.net It's a free driver cleaning utility.
3) I reinstalled the chipset drivers off of MSI's site, reboot, then installed the video driver off of nVidia's site. Reboot.
After that, everything worked just fine. My guess is that a pesky little chunk of a driver was not getting uninstalled during the normal driver uninstall and this little thing was screwing up all future installs.

Mega 180 and ATI trouble

Cheers,
Im having some trouble with my new Mega 180:
Im trying to get it working with an ATI All-In-Wonder Pro 128, however after inserting the card im unable to get any output from any vga plug (both the ATI and the onboard) its just completely black, no bios memory count, nothing. Still WinXP boots properly, there is no lockup of the machine, just no vga output.
First i thought it was a faulty ATI card, but it works fine in other machines, then i thought it might be a faulty agp slot on the 180, but other agp cards work fine.
My setup is as follows:
Mega 180
Athlon 2600+ Barton
512 Meg (2x256) Corsair XMS2700
ATI AIW Pro 128
Has anyone else been down this road and know why it doesnt work / how to fix it / why it will never work etc?
cheers,
Eivind Nag

Hmm...
I Guess i had the same problem, only i didn't take the AGP-card out to setup the BIOS: I Used the BIOS reset jumper, and with this i could boot with the Radeon 9600PRO with picture until i resetted or restarted the system. (could also install the catalyst drivers with no problem). But if you don't set the bios after you booted, the system CAN reset or turned on and off.
This trick worked every time when i resetted the BIOS. So it's clearly a problem in the BIOS. There would be a New BIOS version some weeks ago, but it seems like it's gonna take a while. We'll just have to wait......
Greetingz,
ShadowGuy

TV-Out on Mega 180 (Composite)

Hi there,
I just received my Mega 180 some days ago. So far I'm really satisfied. I just have one problem an perhaps you could help me.
I at first used the S-Video out from Mega to my S-Video-Scart-In of my TV. That worked without problems.
Now I wanted to use the Composite out instead of S-Video out from the Mega 180. So I connected a composite-adapter to the S-Video port and connected a composite cable to it. Now my TV only shows the picture black/white.
I know that this is an issue connected with S-Video. So I changed in nvidia-driver the automatic detection to manual (composite). But whenever I change this, I just get a complete black screen. I tried this with many nvidia driver versions. All the same.
And now the really misteryous thing: when I de-install the nvidia driver (graphic) and start windows with standard vga-mode, I have a colored picture with the mentioned composite out without having changed anything.
Anyone has an idea? Thanks in advance.
My Hardware:
- MSI Mega 180
- Athlon Sempron 2800
- WinTV 350 PVR
- 512 MB
- onBoard graphicscard

Quote
I at first used the S-Video out from Mega to my S-Video-Scart-In of my TV. That worked without problems.
Quote
I want to use composite instead of s-video because my tv doesn't support s-video. It only supports composite.
just re-reading this post has got me a little confused. are you now connecting to a different TV now?

Things to Know Before Building Your Mega 180

Some people have asked me for a list of tips so here is my attempt---I'll ask Wonk to sticky it if it turns out OK....
Feel free to PM me with more tips---I'll add as necessary....
TIP SHEET FOR THE MEGA 180:
So you bought that new Mega 180 and the docs leave a lot to be desired......Don't panic!! Take a look at this tip sheet. Should save you a lot of hours!
RAM AND PROCESSOR:
Several things here.....If you are going to use onboard video----you should NOT use higher RAM than PC 2700----waste of money to buy higher as the Nforce2 18G "Crush" was only designed to run no higher than with DDR333 RAM (PC2700). Nvidia warns against it on their site. I have personally experienced a LOT of problems when you try to run the onboard at DDR 400 (PC3200)----trashed Bios in most cases. Also---the 18G and to some extent---"Dual Channel" is picky about memory----try to get a matched pair of DIMMS----and if you REALLY want to be on the safe side----go to Nvidias site and look up the page that lists known, compatable memory with the NForce2 chipsetNforce2 compatable memory. I use A-Data 512 sticks---but they are hard to find.
If you are going to use a Vidcard---then higher memory is just fine----but if you are NOT planning on overclocking-----there is really NO need for higher than PC2700 as the default bus for Barton 2800+ and below is FSB 166 (DDR333---PC 2700).
Alyways run your RAM (Synch) 100%---do not play with dividers if you are using the onboard video. If you have no clue what I just said----you are fine as the defaults will take care of this----this last was for overclockers.
Processor----I like the cost of the Barton 2800+ right now----fast, cheap and even using the onboard and no overclocking----you have a fast machine that can do anything. The 2800+ also leaves the door open for a slight overclock (I have not tried this yet) without too much stress on anything.
LCD PANEL:
Do Not----I say again----Do Not use the "welcome.exe" program----or ANY other program on ANY disk or the MSI website to do ANYTHING to your front panel. That program is for the Mega 651 model and WILL TRASH YOUR LCD. The LCD panel works just fine----it doesn't need any updating.
If this advice is to late, the firmware fix is in here:
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threadid=46355&sid=
Do download and install the latest version of PC Alert MSI Mega 180 Downloads----works great with the front LCD panel and displays PC info nicely.
Use the EQ mode buttons while playing in the HiFi mode----changes the sound a lot and also the display changes------COOL!
OPTICAL DRIVE:
Use an MSI optical drive----basically anything from MSI will work fine---some other drives are reported to work fine like a NEC 2500A----but if you use an MSI drive----you can't go wrong. You might want to put the drive in another machine with a floppy first----and download and update that drive to the latest firmware (most will require a floppy to do that and the Mega 180 has none.)
CABLE MANAGEMENT:
Buy a dollar pack of cable ties and go to work-----make sure ALL cables are away from the front of the intake fan for the CPU----you want a very clear path to the cooler. Less clutter---better airflow. Better airflow----lower temps.
CPU INSTALL:
Get rid of the MSI thermal grease with some Goof Off or acetone-----and get some good Arctic Silver 3, AS5 or AS Ceramique. Clean both the chip top and the bottom of the HS with denatured alcohol before applying the thermal grease. You might also want to lapp the bottom of the HS which is not very well done----but I found it not necessary. The HS/Fan unit is very easy to install----just rotate your screw down points as perscribed by the sticker on the cooler----don't tighten one screw all the way down----then go to the next.
DRIVERS:
I found the drivers on the install disk to be non-functional---- get the latest drivers from the MSI website (you can use Live Update for this) or go to http://www.nforcershq.com and get the latest Nforce2 Driver Remix from Morpheus1 or Mwarhead.
DO NOT use the Nvidia SW IDE driver (say "No" when it asks you in the driver install) Only use the ITB (In The Box) IDE driver----it's the default driver. Your Optical device will probably not function correctly (eject, etc) with the Nvidia SW IDE driver.
Nforce2 SoundStorm Drivers are a tricky topic----there are TONS of versions out there.... I've had the best luck so far with Drivers 4.31 (Off Microsoft Windows Updates---it was a Driver Update) and Audio Control Panel 4.31. Nvidia has a driver update package now JUST for audio-----posted Here
If you are having problems with Media Center III crashing----it seems to be a conflict between the SoundStorm Drivers and Media Center III, Uninstall your Nvidia audio devices in the device manager (Three of them----there is one hidden---so go to view and "show hidden devices") then reboot and let Windows rerecognize your devices and reload drivers. This will solve most problems until Media Center II has another bad crash----in which case---you may have to do this procedure over again. You can tell if it's really hosed up because the radio sound will come on automatically at boot----or you will have lost the SoundStorm Control Panel Icon in the SysTray. I'm working on different versions of SoundStorm to see which works best---will update if I find anything new. (Update)----4.31 seems to be the best but I still can'ttotally eliminate the crashing in Media Center III.
Once you get your Lan device up and running (or your modem) Go to Windows Update and make sure you are completly updated with all latest window updates---If using WinXP-----you need to be at WinXP ServPack 1a when you are done.
Use Windows Cleanup and Defrag when you are done----ESPECIALLY cleanup---to get rid of any left over temp files in the Mega----To get the BEST and most optimised defrag----run windows defrag at least three times in a row----maybe more----it will REALLY optimise the drive.
TV CARD:
The main TV Card designed for the Mega 180 is the MSI 8606-40 Mega TV Card----be careful to get it vice the other version of the MSI 8606 which is the MSI 8606-10 TV@anywhere Master.
The Mega TV Card does not include a Radio while the 8606-10 DOES include a radio. Since your Mega 180 already has a radio----you absolutely don't need or want the 8606-10 TV@anywhere Master.
Do NOT use any drivers or software you receive with the Mega TV Card MSI 8606-40----just set the disks aside. You will ONLY uses the drivers off the Mega 180 Install Disk.
The Mega TV Card MUST be installed before the menu item for "Install TV Tuner Drivers" becomes visible on the Mega 180 install disk.
Make sure your TV Card is hooked into the line called "Remote Control" within the Mega 180 itself----there is a small 3 inch connecting wire in the TV card box.
The TV and Radio function well with the remote----but you must have MSI Media Center III installed. I could not get the TV or the Radio to work without Media Center III.
Upon initial setup of the TV within Media Center III---you may have to switch the source between cable and antenna to get the initial channels to auto scan. Once done auto scanning---switch back to cable as source (assuming you have cable).
Using the remote to force the TV screen to full screen: When you use the up/down arrows on the remote----watch the menu items on the screen----the various menu item buttons will highlight as you hit the arrows.
Once you have highlighted the little arrow button on the lower right of the screen----just below the TV display (it will turn green)----hit the ENTER key
It goes to widescreen----hit the ENTER key again------it goes to fullscreen
BTW, the remote works fine-----the trick is you HAVE to have Media Center III installed and available to be called for it to control the TV Card----Radio Etc. It will start up normally when you push the TV button on the remote.
BIOS SETTINGS:
The defaults will mostly work. One thing----to get BEST performance out of the NForce 2 Onboard video----set AGP to 128 and Set Frame Buffer to 128----I had crashes with almost any other video setting. I'm still playing with PCI clock, voltages, and some other settings to get better stability-----will let you know.....
6 CHANNEL SOUND
Use all three ports in the back of the Mega 180 and then configure it using the SoundStorm Control Panel----Use the "Speaker Setup Wizard". Check and adjust using the "Test Tone" button. I'm using an inexpensive set of Analog Altec Lansing 5.1s----the sound is excellent.
That's all for now----tell me what else you've found and I'll post.
John

My MSI MEGA 180 has a strange display on the monitor.
I opened the boxed removed all items.
Installed the CPU (supported on the CPU compatability list for the MSI MEGA 180), installed the heatsink & fan.
Installed the HD drive.
Installed the MSI DVD+/-RW
Installed 1 DIMM module of DDR RAM PC2700 333MHZ 1GB
Pushed the Power button for the PC and the desplay is corrupted.
I tried the 4 possible configurations for Jumpers 7 and 8 to alter the FSB speed with no luck.
I also tried the 4 different J7 and J8 configurations without having the HDD and DVD-RW drives connected - same result.
I also tried the 4 different J7 and J8 configurations with the Secondary VGA output connected to my monitor.
I also tried the 4 different J7 and J8 configurations with the S-Video output connected to my TV and no signal at all.
Both my monitor and HDD work fine with my other PC.
I noticed the jumper pins are not numbered - made the configuration job a bit more tedious.
Please note the LCD screen works correctly, however the redio tuner in HiFi mode doesn't pick up any local stations.
As I am a Software Test Engineer, I am 100% confident I have checked all possible configurations including clearing the CMOS, but the system simply will not display to the VDU. The POST should at least be visible when Power is turned on for the PC mode.
NOTE: I will update the RAM Brand as soon as I find out the title from the supplier, but I believe it is OEM.
NOTE II: this is the URL to the CPU used: http://www.excaliberpc.com/product_info.php?products_id=1798
PLeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssss ssssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eee help ease my pain!!

Mega 180 and Media Center III----looks perfect----is it??

I DON'T want to shell out $1000 for cheap HP/Compaq or whatever which includes Media Center Edition
But I DO like the look and features of Microsoft's Media Center Edition.
In the Manual for the MEGA 180-----Media Center III looks perfect for what I want.
Am thinking of a Mega 180 using onboard video, the MSI TV/Tuner Card, onboard SoundStorm---and a cheap Barton. I already have 2 x 512 of NVidia recommended PC2700 RAM for use with the onboard and almost all other parts----but by the time I'm done----I'd be shelling out around $400
The manual makes everything look good "on paper"----but I see from this forum their are "issues".
Did/does MSI support the 651 model well?? Bios updates----utility and driver updates??
This thing looks like a tremendous alternative to a Microsoft Media Center Edition overpriced machine. And I'm willing to do driver updates and Bios updates----heck, I love a challenge----I just don't like a product that lies about what it can really do.
Worth it----or should I pass.....
Thanks-----John

Quote
Originally posted by johnrr6
Did you try the settings button in MC III that says "Enable Fullscreen"
That may not be it----it may just be a TV setting----but it's the only thing I can think if.
Good Luck,
John
I believe that function is only for viewing the videos from the preview window to fullscreen. I don't think it enables/disables "stretch mode" but i'll try that tonight.
if it works i'll post it here. if not ... well .... same thing i guess

MEGA 180 remote control LINUX support

I'm trying to set the MEGA 180 up as a home entertainment system with Freevo on Debian (Linux).
The system now boots from network, and sound/video/tv-out works perfectly.
I've not managed to use the LCD, radio and remote control yet.
(Or the card reader, but that should not be a problem).
The radio and LCD I can live without, but the remote control was what got me to buy the system in the first place. Does anyone know how to make it work with linux?
If someone could supply me with specs for the hardware, I should be able to write a driver myself, but so far, I've had no luck finding the info I need.
(I didn't expect the onboard IR reciever to work, so I had build a serial IR reciever... but when I got the PC... no serial port )
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

These are the only links I have got that might be of interest.
http://www.siliconmotion.com.tw/bluebirdvl.htm
http://lirc.sourceforge.net/remotes/msi/
not a lot of help I know but I light a candle every so often

ATI radeon card on mega 180

Is anyone using a radeon card with the mega 180 ?
Which model would fit ?
I was thinking about the sapphire 9600 xt ultimate edition
since it has passive cooling, but the cooler seems a bit big at the back of the card ?
AND does the ati TV out work better than the nvidia tv out ?
Is it possible to finetune the height /width of the picture ?
Please post any model of ATI that will fit.
I'm tired of this piece of nvidia onboard card.
Dst

I don't have a 180, I have an 865 that has an ATI Radeon card. Works great with my Mega 865, but it's one huge beast.
It took up the AGP slot, and both PCIs. I don't suggest getting this card unless you are willing to make some modifications to it straight out of the box.
HIS ATI Radeon Excalibur 9800 Pro IceQ

Choppy Video on MEGA 180

Hi all,
I'm suffering from choppy video playback on my MEGA 180. By choopy I mean every ten seconds or so it will freeze up for a split second, the audio stays in sync, but you can slightly tell that the video stops, or skips.
This happens when watching .avi, DivX or even commercial DVD's. It also happens on my screen saver.
Since I was using the onboard video I thought I'd try using a video card but the same thing.
What I can't figure out is what the onboard video and a seperate video card have in common, since it's happening to both.
My onboard video has the latest drivers, and the PC as a whole is up to date.
Any suggestions are greatly needed.
Thanks.

can you give more information on the hardware you have installed in your Mega 180?
and can you give more background information; ie how long have you had this system, has it ever worked correctly, did the problem start after you installed any particular software, etc etc...

Mega 180-----Media Center III and a Vid Card----Working???

I'm trying to narrow down what is causing Media Center III to crash intermittently on my Mega 180.
I think I have it narrowed down to the SoundStorm drivers conflicting with Media Center III
But I want to eliminate that it is a problem with the 18G "Crush" onboard video chipset. I am using the onboard only.
Anybody have a vid card in their AGP slot of the Mega 180 and use Media Center III??
Are you still getting crashes in Media Center III??
John

Finally I give up using the Media Center. I'm using now Girder with Nathans great plug in (see MSI Mega series girder plugin version 1.0 available ). The only disadvantage is that the fancy leds are not working.
Regards
Patrik

Mega 180 - Install Video Card or Install Video Driver

I just spent 6 hours at a customer's house trying to fix the Mega 180 I built for her.
As I stated in a previous thread, the machine was working fine and then she experienced the BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH. This is when your machine POSTS, loads Windows and just before Windows starts, the monitor goes dead. Windows still loads and if you remember where icons are on the desktop, you can click them and stuff happens. The monitor just stops getting a signal. However, if you hold down F8 during boot and chose VGA mode, you can use Windows in VGA mode. The monitor being used is a Sony Multiscan200ES.
Once in Windows, if you look under device manager, you'll see a listing of Unknown and under that it lists nVidia GeForce4 MX Integrated CPU.
So, I've tried the following fixes:
1) Uninstalled all chipset & viideo drivers, reboot, reinstall chipset drivers, reboot, reinstall video driver, reboot. BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH.
2) Uninstall video driver, reboot. Windows starts under the generic driver. I install the video driver, reboot, BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH.
3) Figuring there had to be an easier solution to this problem, I installed an ATI Radeon 8500 card that I had laying around (I know this card works) figuring that I'll just sidestep the whole video driver issue by not using the onboard video. Things just aren't that easy because after I installed the card the machine won't even POST. It turns on but nothing happens. ARRRR!!! I try reseating the card, nope - nothing. I take the card out and use the onboard graphics to make sure everything is ok in BIOS. I read that if the BIOS detects an AGP card it will automatically disable the onboard graphics but it doesn't seem like that's happening. So I look around BIOS and there is no way to disable the onboard graphics. I have it set to boot AGP first, etc. and nothing works.
I guess the last thing I can do is reformat the drive, reinstall windows, and reinstall everything else. But I don't want to do this because the machine is all set up, been used for a while, and it takes so long to reinstall everything.
My question is this. How can I either reinstall the video driver so it works or how can I install a video card so it works? Ideas???

Quote
I'm going to hunt over at nVidia's website to see if they have a cleaner utility (ATI does for its Radeon drivers - rids the system of every last trace).
nVidia don't need a cleaner utility cos their software is better written!
stab in the dark - the vga lead is connected to PRIMARY vga port?
go to add/remove programs and Remove "Nvidia Display Driver" in Safe mode
restart your computer and it should boot into VGA mode, and prompt with Found New Hardware. cancel this.
the nvidia software will leave the install stuff on your computer, usually in C:\NVIDIA. browse to here and find and run the setup.exe to reinstall the software.
if its been working before, then its probably not a memory issue - it might also be worth making sure the latest nforce drivers (3.13) are installed too.
oh and customers usually WON'T admit to messing around to stuff they shouldn't - in my experience anyway!!

Ddr400 question - mega 180

as usual, I'm a bit confused by contradicting information on forums and MSI releases. Some places say DDR333 is the max, others say DDR400.
here's the deal: I want to use 1gb of kingston DDR400 with an MSI mega 180 and an Athlon Xp 2000+, without using onboard video.
I am not much into overclocking (harldy need it...) - I'm more interested in stability. I certainly don't know enough about it to mess around with bios and possibly ruining the poor machine.
if I simply put the DDR400 in place with this CPU and an AGP video card (without changing the bios from AUTO mode), will it be stable? otherwise, what changes do I need to manually do in the bios to insure stability while using the abilities of DDR400?
BTW: after a little modding work, by the way, heat is no longer an issue.

I'm using DDR400 because thats what i found when i looked at the specification for the MEGA 180 and when i placed the order online the shop said they were compatible.
When installed the DDR400 memory is working fine no problems at all... its just running at 333 instead of 400. I didn't bother returning it to get DDR333 because everything is working fine and the 512MB Giel memory was pretty cheap (only 775NOK) from here
-> http://psdata.no/.
Standard MEGA 180
AthlonXP 2800+ Barton
BIOS out of the box
Geil 1 x 512MB DDR PC3200 400MHz
MSI X52P combo drive
Master - Maxtor 7200rpm 80GB (win XP without SP1)
Given up on media centre and using other software instead

"Easy" way to lower MEGA 180 CPU Temp

Let me start off by saying I haven't done this yet but I think it would work. I built a Mega 180 based machine for a customer and have had nothing but problems with it. I got a call from her last night to tell me that the CPU temp on the display is in the 70 C range and she is getting nervous about it (frankly, so am I). I'm picking up the PC from her in a few days to see if I can lower the CPU temp any. Here's what I'm thinking of doing:
1) Since I already lapped the bottom of the heatsink and used Artic Silver thermal grease, there's nothing else I can do in that area. It's already optimal.
2) The heatsink is 100% copper with lots of cooling fins. There isn't a better thermal material for a heatsink, within reason. Aluminum is no good. Basically, the design of the heatsink is good, but not perfect. First, why they would design the sink to suck hot air off of the video card and blow it through the fins is beyond me. Naturally, the CPU will never be cooler than the air that's being used to cool it. The heat sink needs fresh, cool air.
3) To provide the heatsink with fresh cool air I plan on first, turing the big fan on the sink around so it blows out, not in. Second, I plan on replacing the little fan with a bigger fan and position it so it blows in, not out. Then I plan on making a short duct that attaches over the fan on the right (with the front of the PC facing you) and extend the duct a few inches to the right so it is less than an inch from the side of the case. Lastly, I plan on using some lexan and making a very small deflector to put on the heatsink's exhaust fan. It will be about 1/2 inch wide and as long as the fan (80mm?). It will be tilted at a 45 degree angle. The deflector will channel the hot air away from the video card and towards the front left side of the case. This will avoid trading one heat problem (CPU) for another (video card).
If all goes well, a drop of 10 C under maximum load should be achieved. I'll let you know how this turns out.
I may also try the following:
1) Buy some RAM heat sinks and using thermal glue, glue them to the hard drive.
2) Position a 40mm fan so it blows on the heat sinks on the hard drive.
3) Position another 40mm fan so it blows across the chipset's heat sink.

god damn thats a great idea, why didnt I think of that
I lapped my heatsink last weekend, the hardware store where i got my sand paper didnt have any grid over 600 so I had to settle with that. But I'm still pleased with the results. I figured that that plus some some Artic Silver 5 would get me a bit on my way.
I would have documented it with my camera if the batteries just wasnt out :/
At the same time I installed a "silent" 15db@1500rpm 80x80mm Everflow fan on the left side of the case (when facing the front) that blows the air in. All of these efforts improved the temperature just a bit. The noise increased a bit but it isnt all that much trouble consithering I've spent my last couple of months with my ears next to a server that has the lovely sound level of around 60db (note: no case fans on the server at all)
As I recall the idle temperature used to be over 60c and now it sometimes drops below 50c. But most of the times its around 53-55c (all of this is at around 25c ambient temperature). But the heat problem while gaming is still a huge problem. When it hits around 70 the computer crashes.
But before my efforts to do something about it, it would die within 10min of high load. Now it can take up to about an hour (depending on how the ambient temperature is).
Next up I think I'm gonna try out your idea. Switch the fans, and maybe even install another Everflow fan having 4 fans totaly pulling the air through the case (but from right to left this time :P)
why call it MSI Entertainment Gaming Applicance if you cant entertain yourself by gaming on it ? =P
/Wezz

Mega 180 - onboard soundcard is gone???

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