MEGA Mods by Bluefront

These cooling/quieting mods were applied to a MEGA 651....but could be used on the other models. Since Dr Stu made this thread a sticky, I thought I'D add a disclaimer here. I've been modding things/computers for a long time. So stuff I find easy, may not be so for you. I suggest you run this computer stock for a few days at least.....before you do anything that may void your warrenty. Most problems will show up right away. Things I do to computers are designed to make them run cooler, quieter, and cleaner.....maybe making them last longer. I hate small fans....and avoid them at all costs. If you have any questions about any of my MEGA mods (I've done four MEGAS so far), feel free to ask.
I'm finishing up my second MEGA 651....with extensive modification to promote cooling, and quieting, along with a little bling.
Partial list of major mods....
Changed 80mm PSU fan to an external 92mm fan.
Changed stock heatsink to an all-copper Manhattan heatsink/fan # 701792.
Developed a sideways mounted HD mount that can use a laptop drive, or a std 3.5" drive.
Added ducting for the CPU that allows the new PSU fan to suck all it's air through the copper heatsink, promoting passive CPU cooling.
Added an AIW 9200, a full-sized AGP card, which runs cool because of the added airflow from the 92mm PSU fan.
Added LCD temperature readouts to the front of the case, replacing the card readers.
Added an internal air filtration system, using electro-static filtration material.
Running a P4-2.4 with 512mb ram, this system runs very cool, and very quiet. Only at high CPU usage does the 70mm Evercool fan get loud enough to be heard.....Still got a few things to finish, but this is mostly complete.
MEGA 651 #2

I made a few tests today to try to figure out the CPU fan speed in relation to the CPU temp, using the on-board fan controller. Since I have been unable to get rpm readings, I can give CPU fan voltages at different temps. These voltage steps should be the same, whatever fan or CPU you are using. I'm using Speedfan to measure the temps and a digital volt-meter to check the voltage.
With the PC off there is .5v at the CPU fan.
At the PC startup the CPU fan gets 10.5V for about 2 seconds.....then drops back to .5V (fan is stopped).
When the CPU temp reaches 45C the fan gets 4.3V and starts.
When the CPU temp reaches 53C the fan gets 5.6V.
When the CPU temp reaches 61C the fan gets 8.1V.
That is fan speed #3 and as hot as I can get using CPUBurn.
I can force the fan to maximum voltage using Speedfan, and the maxium voltage at that point is 10.5V. Apparently there is a fan speed #4.....but I never got to that temp/speed.
As the temps drop 4C below each fan step temp, the fan voltage drops back to the next lowest step. For instance....if the fan is running at 5.6V @53C, when the temp drops to 49C, the voltage drops to 4.3V. If the fan is running at 4.3V @45C, when the temp drops to about 41C, the fan will turn off.
These tests were run at an ambient temp of 27C. Both my MEGAS run their fans about the same....with the fan speeds increasing at the same temps.
What this means in practical sense, if you can keep your CPU temps about 41C.....the fan will be off. This appears to be completely normal behavior for the MEGA fan control system.
I also made some temp readings at different levels of CPU usage.....using the SiSoft Sandra CPU burn-in program.
At 30% CPU usage my system runs about 48C.
At 50% ..... 52C.
At 75%...... 56C.
At 100%..... 59C.
I suppose you could use the same program, at the same ambient of 27C.....to check your own temps against mine. Using that Sandra burn program, my fan speed stayed on step #2 (5.6V) even at 100%. I am very pleased with this result. It makes for a quiet computer.

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Problem with hi-mode on MEGA 180

I recently purchased the MEGA 180.
I installed the driver cd and the cd that came with my msi tv tuner card. A program was installed by the tv tuner card cd that allowed me to change the welcome screen when you power on the hi-fi mode. Ever since I changed the welcome screen, the hi-mode will not work. Actually, the whole front display will not light up. I believe the program may of corrupted the firmware of the front panel? Is there a way to reload this?
Any help is much appreciated.
[email protected]

I believe that application may be for the MSI 651 PC only. I would fill out the MSI support request form and see if they can send you a firmware patch to correct the problem

Mega PC 180 Remote (HiFi Mode) and Eject problem SOLVED

Hi everyone,
I just bought the MSI DR8-A DVD Writer......... and Gues what..??!!??
- Now i don`t have any problems anymore with the Remote in HIFI mode (strange)
- Also the new drive will eject as it supose to ........
I am a very happy man now.
I am all set up, and my Home Media Center is complete Now.
Don`t understand some of you guys still having problems....
Remember: the Mega PC is not for NOOBS
Greetings from the Netherlands,
Defaulty
MSI Mega PC 180
AMD XP2400
2x 256 mb (No label) PC3200
80 Gig Maxtor
MSI DR8-A DVD Writer
MSI TV@nywhere Master
MS Windows XP (SP1)

Quote
Originally posted by sav_
nopz.
I even wiped the entire copper layer of the cooler with polish, added Artic Silver Ceramic and yet, 40° idle, 59° stressed...
Note that the intake of the cpucooler gets blocked by the Radeon, so the reason is obvious
A pretty common trick used on Biostar SFFs (which are even smaller than the 180) is to add two Zalman 80 x 15 OP1 fans to the side panels. Left panel toward the front and right panel toward the rear. This gives a good cross ventilation flow and when you run the fans on the low voltage setting-----it is totally silent---so you haven't added any noise to the overall setup.
Drops CPU temps 4-5 C. Might work on the 180. You can see an example of the side panel fans----as well as another possible solution, watercooling, here:----just scroll through all the pics to find the fan solution...SFF Fans and Watercooling
Good Luck-----John

Problems while playing CD's in the HiFi mode Mega PC 865

Do anyone has the solution!
I'll tried the Nec ND3500A, Pioneer DVR-105, MSI DR8-A2, MSI MS-8216S and 4 different BenQ DVD writers bud none of them works correct.
The player stops after 2-3 minutes or skip 1-2 seconds while playing CD's in the HiFi mode.
Mega PC 865.
Can someone help me!!!!

Quote from: djdennis on 12-July-05, 05:31:25
Do anyone has the solution!
I'll tried the Nec ND3500A, Pioneer DVR-105, MSI DR8-A2, MSI MS-8216S and 4 different BenQ DVD writers bud none of them works correct.
The player stops after 2-3 minutes or skip 1-2 seconds while playing CD's in the HiFi mode.
Mega PC 865.
Can someone help me!!!!
I had the same hassle but with 865 pro. I jsut link my Plextor Multirecorder with Motherboard via simple audio cable. This cable 4 pin socket with only 3 cords connected. Take a look on the back of your drive - there should be proper socket.
But in Instant-on mode cd-player has very slow navigation - i have to wait up to 7-10 seconds when switching tracks!

Mega 865 - MSI Media Center SLOW on Music mode (CD audio)

Hello,
I'm having a problem with the Mega 865, when I'm playing CD audio with the Home Theatre / MSI Media Center Deluxe II application. It seems to VERY, extremely slow. It takes about 30 seconds for the application to respond when I directly click into the application, and it does not hardly ever respond to the remote. When I try to close the application once it has begun playing an audio CD, it does not respond very well, usually not within 30 seconds. When I open the task manager, the CPU usage is between 90 & 100 percent. I looked at the system requirements for this application, and the computer has over twice the requirements, so that is not the problem at all. I tried updating to DirectX 9.0b and Media Player 9, but that did not seem to improve performance. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Phillip

This email from tech support may be useful. I'm not sure if this is a new version or not. Its a 110MB download, so hopefully it will help. I'm downloading it now. I'll let you all know if this works (in case someone else has this problem, and they are searching through the posts):
Dear Phillip T. George ,
Thank you for contacting MSI Technical Support.
Deleted by GV
Besides, please take a good look at this update for Microsoft DirectX
v9.0b:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=8dfd1b6d-e177-4
a0e-91d0-b4310675b02b
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=8dfd1b6d-e177-
4a0e-91d0-b4310675b02b&displaylang=en> &displaylang=en
Thank you for supporting MSI product. Please feel free to let us know if
you still have any further issues or inquiries.
Best regards,
MSI Technical Support
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please include previous mails when replying!
-----Original Message-----
From: Phillip T. George [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 3:15 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Mega 865 - MSI Media Center SLOW on Music mode (CD audio)
Hello,
I'm having a problem with the Mega 865. When I'm playing CD audio with
the Home Theatre / MSI Media Center Deluxe II application. It seems to
VERY, extremely slow. It takes about 30 seconds for the application to
respond when I directly click into the application, and it does not
hardly ever respond to the remote. When I try to close the application
once it has begun playing an audio CD, it does not respond very well,
usually not within 30 seconds. When I open the task manager, the CPU
usage is between 90 & 100 percent. I looked at the system requirements
for this application, and the computer has over twice the requirements,
so that is not the problem at all. I tried updating to DirectX 9.0b and
Media Player 9, but that did not seem to improve performance. Any
suggestions? Also, I'm running Windows XP Home Editon and very few
things have been installed on this new machine.
Thanks,
Phillip T. George
Electronic & Computer Solutions, Inc.

Mega 865 remote & hi-fi mode

Hi all,
Just really hoping someone can offer me some advice... the power off hi-fi mode and all remote functions have stopped working on my Mega 865 (not Pro). They've been working fine for a year or so, but I've recently installed Girder and the associated plugin. This worked fine when I installed it, and I was very happy, but following a reboot the whole lot seems to be dead. Even when I hit the hi-fi button on the PC itself with power off, I hear a click, like it's trying to come on, but nothing happens. Girder no longer recognises the remote inputs either.
Any ideas?!
Many thanks in advance!
Martin.

Hello!
First of all, sorry for my English.
I have the same problem with my Mega 865 Pro. My display and remote controller worked fine, but from day to day stopped working. My display flashes from side to side..
Please let me know if you have some new information about this problem. Or send firmware please (if you get a new one), if it's possible.
Oops..I see right now, you have the non-Pro version....OK, I try to contact MSI Support too...
But, if you already have some information, please tell it...
Thank you!
Stjopa

MEGA 865 CD playback problem (in HiFi mode)

Hi, fellow MEGA PC owners
I have a problem with playing my CDs on MEGA 865 in HiFi mode. It recognizes the CD, plays the first track or two, then stops playing, displays SEARCHING message for a ten seconds or so and then switches to NODISC. When I press Eject button on the box or remote, it switches back to SEARCHING and shows the number of tracks on CD.
The same problem is with the MP3 playback. It plays several MP3s ok and then switches to SEARCHING and NODISC.
Does anyone else has this problem? Any idea on what could be wrong? I checked all Slave/Master jumpers, all are ok, the cd drive is recognized by the BIOS.
My configuration is:
MSI MEGA 865, P4 3.0 GHz Northwood, 1 Gb PC3200 RAM, NEC 2500A DVD burner.

Hey JavaDuke!
I've got the exact same problem with my Mega180, also running a NEC 2500A! And it is starting to get very annoying...
I can play cd's for hours without any problems, when suddenly it stops in the middle of a track, displaying the NODISC message. Doesn't matter whether I use original cd's or copied ones, and the same disc can play through perfectly one day and halt several times the next. I've been thinking about replacing the NEC 2500 with something else but haven't got round to it as yet, however the post in the thread mentioned above states that different drives still produced the same error, so it's probably the bluebird chip that is faulty.
The mentioned thread doesn't really focus on our problem though as it mostly evolves around boot problems, so I don't see any problem with starting a new thread dedicated to this problem.
I might try the newer firmware, although there is no official word from MSI that this problem even exists, and I therefore doubt that it is solved. Not many people seem to have this particular problem either, or it appears so seldom that they choose to ignore it (as I have done for some time now).
Please report back if you solve this one!
-M

MEGA LCD Temperature Mod.

More mods for my MEGA. A new LCD screen, made from a Lian Li fan controller. I'm not using it to control the fans, just to monitor three temps, and the fan speeds. No cutting of the case is necessary. I just had to cut a hole in the MEGA floppy bezel.
Link

Don't know about the 865Pro.....but that Lian Li controller is meant to go into a 3.5" bay. And it's very short. I had no clearance difficulty. The temp/rpm display can automatically cycle all three channels......or just display one temp. It works pretty well as a temp monitor, registering the same temps as the on-board sensors.

Hi-fi mode 5.1? (Mega 180)

Hi, I've just bought a mega 180 and all is working great except for the 5.1 in hi-fi mode.
It works fine when the computer is just playing through windows media or that program that comes with it.
I'm using analoge output to creative
pc specs are:
Athlon 2600+
512mb ram
120gb hdd
Sony dvd-combo drive (Will get model number if needed)
anyone else had this problem?
Cheers.

the hi-fi is only two channel

DVD writer in HI-FI mode on MEGA PC 651

Hi. I bought an Optorite DVD writer as my optical drive. It seems to work fine on PC mode but it doesn't do anything on HI-FI mode. Any ideas what may be causing this? I've tried using a Sony dVD/CDRW Combo drive and that seems to work fine on hI-FI mode. Any suggestions would help.

hi
i had the msi combo which worked ok in pc/hi fi mode without any probs
i then upgraded to the nec 1300a dvdrw oem drive i flashed the firmware to
1.09 ive used it in pc and hifi mode again without any probs .
all i can say is maybe ur dvdrw needs a firmware flash .but be warned if the firmware flash goes wrong u will have a dead drive make sure u read the
instructions correctly
hope this helps
jay

(Mega 865) CD Player not function in HI-FI Mode

Hi all,
I have been playing some days with all functionality of the Hi.Fi & PC mode, but since tree days, the CD Player in HIFI mode dosen't function, the rest is ok, but the HIFI mode dont change to CD mode and don't open de CD.... In PC mode all is Ok, CD player is open, play, etc....
Anybody knows what's happen, perhaps a BUG introduced in the last version of the BIOS ??
thank's in advance.
toni

I did it, but nothing changes :-( i'm very
And now, I see that in my BIOS dissapear some features as thermal maximun limit to the CPU and others Power managements !!!!! (don't display it)

MEGA 180: Media Center deletes radio stations of HiFi Mode

Hello
We have the following problem: Media Center III deletes the radio stations programmed in HiFi Mode!
- I programmed the 6 stations in the HiFi Mode as described in the MSI manual
- Switched to the PC mode and started Media Center III and entered the radio section
- After shouting down the PC and switching to the HiFi mode, the 6 programmed stations are gone away.
The problem only appears when using Media Center. It seems that Media Center deletes the stations when communication with the radio tuner.
Thanks for your help!
Best regards
Patrik

the problem is the fact that the radio tuner isn't a "physical" device that Windows recognises
damn MSI and their proprietory hardware!! surely some sort of USB tuner "hardwired" to the USB controller would have been a better solution? grr, but then how would that have worked in Hi-Fi mode...

Mega 180 - Hifi mode and MP3 from DVD

Is it possible to play MP3's in Hifi mode from a DVD? - I know you can from a CD-R but what about a DVD?
Thanks..
Neurobrain

will check that one for you asap .. got dvds loaded with mp3s ... how do you want to hook up your speakers ? Analogue or Digital?

MEGA PC mods?

Could you get a better power supply fitted? say 300w? and also would any other cooling device within the system such as them TEC ones? or i have seen small pc's with external power supplies before now. would this be possible? allowing a system fan on the back, and less heat generated inside the system?

You can forget about getting a replacement PSU. External yes, but of course... the default PSU is unique - same as everything else within the pile of junk.

Mega 865 OLED mod.

since the factory display is quite crappy thou it cant display anything more useful than the clock, (ok the winamp plugin is sweet, but it consumes some amount of cpu power)
so I found this beauty on the net. about 300skr for everything (40$)
it can display almost everything from new email to winamp spectrumanalysis and cpu temps.
but i'd had to get rid of the card reader... hmmm, never used it anyway.

Quote from: Dr Stu on 28-September-05, 00:48:40
oscar, i removed the link to your image, as there was inappropiate material in the adverts on that page
here is a larger image which i have uploaded here:
which VFD did you use?
sorry about the ad's
hmm VFD, now was does that mean (from sweden I am) but I guess it means display (?) here's the link to the page
http://www.fractronics.com/2x20oled.shtml
anyhow, it's really bright and got a 12' clock view angle... I am using smartie LCD to control things...

MEGA Mods by Bluefront

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