Msi neo4 + 3500 winchester can't overclock

Problem
got a msi neo4 platinum with amd winchester 3500+ running on 2200mhz
want to do some overclocking to 2500-2600mhz
problem is that when i change SOMETHING in the cell menu, the MB doesnt post anymore.
even dynamic overclocking isn't working.
installed latest bios (1.2)
anyone got results with a 3500 winchester???
thanks
Olaf

Hello All,
I'm a real newbie when it comes to overclocking. I spent some time reading through various technical threads from various forums before I decided to tweak my newly built system. Found an article by "Some1ne" on overclocking with a NEO4 Platinum and found it to be quite useful. Last night was the first time I went through with the tweakis and probably didn't do it right or at least get the best possible performance from my components. Below was what I did from the bios (1.2v) to the best of my knowledge without the system failing to post or crash when running programs or playing games. Other than 3dmark05, I haven't use any other programs to benchmark the hardware's performance.
FSB: 225 MHz
Memclock Index: 200 MHz
CL2-3-3-5 all other settings on auto
Memory voltage: 2.85V
Chipset voltage: default
CPU VID: 1.45V
CPU Voltage: 6.6% OverVID
CPU multiplier: 11x
HTT multiplier: 4x
Aggressive Timing: disabled
All "... Spread" settings: disabled
3DMark05: 5800+ (don't remember the exact score)
With the current setup I have, can someone give me some advice on how I can better tweak my system? Thanks!
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (90nm) @2475mhz
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum
Corsair TWINX1024-3200XLPRO 1GB (225mhz 2-3-3-5)
PowerColor Radeon X850 XT OC@540mhz/1180mhz
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 250GB SATA
Plextor 716SA 16X DL DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
Thermaltake VA3000 Case
ThermalRight XP-90 with Panaflo 92mm fan
Antec NeoPower 480W PSU

Similar Messages

MOVED: msi neo4 + 3500 winchester can't overclock

This topic has been moved to Overclockers & Modding Corner.
msi neo4 + 3500 winchester can't overclock

Hello All,
I'm a real newbie when it comes to overclocking. I spent some time reading through various technical threads from various forums before I decided to tweak my newly built system. Found an article by "Some1ne" on overclocking with a NEO4 Platinum and found it to be quite useful. Last night was the first time I went through with the tweakis and probably didn't do it right or at least get the best possible performance from my components. Below was what I did from the bios (1.2v) to the best of my knowledge without the system failing to post or crash when running programs or playing games. Other than 3dmark05, I haven't use any other programs to benchmark the hardware's performance.
FSB: 225 MHz
Memclock Index: 200 MHz
CL2-3-3-5 all other settings on auto
Memory voltage: 2.85V
Chipset voltage: default
CPU VID: 1.45V
CPU Voltage: 6.6% OverVID
CPU multiplier: 11x
HTT multiplier: 4x
Aggressive Timing: disabled
All "... Spread" settings: disabled
3DMark05: 5800+ (don't remember the exact score)
With the current setup I have, can someone give me some advice on how I can better tweak my system? Thanks!
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (90nm) @2475mhz
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum
Corsair TWINX1024-3200XLPRO 1GB (225mhz 2-3-3-5)
PowerColor Radeon X850 XT OC@540mhz/1180mhz
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 250GB SATA
Plextor 716SA 16X DL DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
Thermaltake VA3000 Case
ThermalRight XP-90 with Panaflo 92mm fan
Antec NeoPower 480W PSU

[AMD] MSI Neo4-f 3500+ overclock settings

I have the following setup...
MSI K8N Neo4-F
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
Antec Sonata II with 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 PSU
PowerColor ATI Radeon X800 GT 256MB
100GB Maxtor SATA drive
CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM (TWINX1024-3200C2PT)
I have been trying to set up my BIOS settings to achieve a nice balance between performance and stability. I am not seeing great performance at this time (tons of HD paging and slow bootup and application launch times) and when I try to boost the settings at all the system becomes unstable. Wondering if anyone out there has a similar setup to me and can help me achieve some better performance at a light overclock setting. There are so many BIOS settings it is difficult to find a good combination which works.
Thanks in advance.

Bekoz -
Hello. I have the exact same motherboard, cpu, and memory as you! I'm having no luck with the overclocking and all but gave up. The best I could get is going from 2.2 stock on the venice 3500+ to 2.4 equiv. to a 3800+. Please see my old post from another forum below. I'm wondering since we have the same setup what the best is that you have achieved. Thanx!!!
Hi All -
I'm kinda new to the planet and to actually trying to OC my system but have been reading on this subject for several weeks now and following the guidelines and multiple threads here. I'm not having the best of luck though. I've been messing all weekend with the overclocking on my MSI Neo4-f board. I think it either is a crappy board for OC'ing (would like an ASUS A8N SLI deluxe which I hear is good for OC) or I'm not doing something right. I had no luck with the 1.9 bios (couldn't get it over 240HTT without something going wrong) and flashed back to 1.6 cuz I heard this is a better bios to OC. I can't get it to post with an HTT over 250 now even though it is 10 better than with the 1.9. I've tried changing the memory timings from 1T to 2T and CAS from 2 to 2.5 (corsair suggests 2-3-3-6 1T and 2.75V for AMD platforms) and changing the volts and divider. I originally was running memory at 2.5-3-3-6 2T but had better PC Mark #'s with the 2-3-3-6 1T. I also messed with the cpu volts and multiplier, as well as the chipset voltage all in different varieties and the best I could get out of my Athlon 64 3500+ venice was only 2.4ghz from the stock 2.2ghz!!! Not too good compared to what I've read others have achieved here with an Athlon 64 3500+.
Here's my system specs:
-MSI K8N Neo4-F motherboard with 1.6 bios
-Athlon 64 3500+ Venice with ThermalTake Venus 12 fan and artic silver 3
-1gig Corsair XMS TwinX1024 Dual Channel PC3200 Platinum (2x512) with suggested timings 2-3-3-6 at 2.75 volts
-EVGA 6800GT OC'ed at 416mhz core and 1.134ghz memory
-500W p.s. with air-cooled case and two fans
-XP (32 bit) OS
Here's my settings in the BIOS right now where my system is stable (let me know if something jumps out at you as being screwed up or not normal):
-Memory Divider / speed = 166 (from 200 stock)
-Memory timings = 2-3-3-6 at 2.75volts and 1T (dual channel in slots 1 & 2 for paired memory)
-HTT / FSB = 240
-HT multiplier = 4x (960 HT)
-CPU ratio / multiplier = 10x (2.4ghz CPU from 2.2)
-VCORE = 1.45v (using 1.4 plus 3.3% over option) for a total of 1.45 volts
-Memory = 2.75v
-Chipset NF4 = 1.5v
-Cool & Quiet Disabled
-CPU Spread Spectrum Disabled
-Aggressive Timing Disabled
I've done the CPU-ID, Memtest, Prime 95, and Super PI tests for quite a while and everything seems stable at these settings now. I got some higher HTT's and cpu multipliers (10.5x) but system either wouldn't post or windows wouldn't boot all the way or the tests failed in Prime 95 after a few minutes. Under load, the CPU goes to about 40 degrees and at idle it is at about 32 degrees.
My scores with the above settings are:
PC Mark 04 = 4684
3D Mark 01 = 24433
3D Mark 05 = 5049
Any advice or opinions would be awesome. I can't figure out what my bottleneck is here. I think the memory I have is great for overclocking, as is the 3500+ Venice. Also, how do these scores sound for my specs? Thanx again for everyone's advice and help!

Can I Overclocking MSI B85M-G43

Can I Overclocking MSI B85M-G43 with Intel Pentium G3258? I'm A Starter....

You should be able to, with BIOS v3.7 or maybe later though there is no mention of it on support page.

Help: can't overclock Q9300 - MSI P7N SLI Platinum !

I tryed everything, i just can't overclock Q9300...way ?. tryed alle beta bios..please help !!
Overclock only to 340 makes PC freeze
MSI P7N-SLI PLATINUM nForce 750i SLI
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.5GHz 6MB FSB1333
Arctic Freezer 7 Pro socket 775
Corsair DDR2 PC2-800 2GB CL4 kit XMS2 * 2 = 4 GB
Samsung Spinpoint T166 320GB 16MB 7200RPM SATAII
Asus GeForce PCI-E 8800GT 512MB
Antec Sonata 3 Earthwatt 500Watt HD + eSata front
All bios here i have tryed, but no luck:
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showpost.php?p=27386192&postcount=5
Somebody had luck to overclock Q9300 on P7N-SLI Platinum ? please post info

Try with mem settings auto and only adjust Vdimm to vendorspecs.
Did you try BIOS V1.1 from MSI : http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=downloaddetail&type=bios&maincat_no=1&prod_no=1373
This did solve some memory issues.
If so try, if you can, QVL memory and see if problem persists.
Hope this helps , good luck and keep us posted
Also be sure that your on manual and not linked, this will give problems too, when fsb divider gets higher then memory divider.
Furthermore, by using non qvl mem, the NB and fsb vtt are very depending on eachother.
I had the same with my board , the only difference with yours is the cirque pipe cooling and an extra chip for yorkfield support , but it is do-able

MSI NEO4-F, 2*512 VS512MB400 and Winchester 3000+; memory or psu problem?

My configuration:
Winchester 3000+
2*512 MB VS512MB400 not a dualkit.
MSI Neo4-F
7800GT
2 maxtor HDD:s
PSU: 3.3v=28A, 5v=30A and 12V=17A
Well to the problem.
I had to install Windows XP with just one memory stick because I was not able to do that with the Corsair dual configuration.
Only Got it to post with memorys in dimm 3 and 4, but it was not able to start properly. A bluescreen appeared after the half boot process with some bios settings or it just restarted.
Then I tried to combine the Corsair memories with an old T-xxx memory PC3200 and it worked and still works flawless.
I had the T-xxx memory in dimm 1 and the Corsair memory in dimm 3, that is the current configuration. Of natural reasons i could not use dual ddr, but it at least works.
My theorys.
Is the powersupply to weak? But I don't think so because I disconnected one of the harddrives and tried an old pci graphic card (an old sis grapcic card that probably just using 1-5 A of current) and still got the same problems. What do you think?
I have tried both Corsair memories one by one in dimm 3 (the only working dimm slot with Corsair memories) with no problems at all so Im a bit confused.
Or isnt it possible to make the above configuration to work with the Corsair memories i bought?
Thanks in advance!
/Pierre - my worst christmas present ever

Yeah,your psu is a bit weak really,17amps on the +12v rail is not enough
Especially as your running a 7800.
What voltage are you giving your ram?

Power of the Press - MSI Neo4 SLI Bios Problem

For those interested, I just sent this to hardocp because they did the review on the MSI SLI Platinum. Since MSI headlines this review on their website, maybe hardocp can do something about this bios problem. Enjoy and please send more emails to hardocp so we can get this problem addressed! Believe me, Ive seen this works with washington politicians, I know it can work if we all do it.
I appreciate companies like yours doing extensive reviews about products. However, your review caused me and a whole bunch of others to purchase this board with enormous problems associated with it (check out the msi forums). The problem is that this board works only for 130nm chips in which you tested on. On the newer amd 90nm chips, this board is the worst performing sli board out in the marketplace (for both winni and venice core chips). You need to do something to stop people from buying this board because its just awful and the folks from MSI are silent on the subject.
It's gotten so bad that people have gone out and purchased other sli boards, transferred all of the equipment out of it and into the new one and guess what...voila, no problems. Anyway, some of those in the other user forums had the same problem but those other manufacturers quickly fixed the problem. Its just getting worse and worse. I feel like both msi (and I am MAD) and reviewers like you (unless you don't know about the problem) are silent on this and its cost me hard earned MONEY ($175 for the mobo) and hours and hours of time...
You have a LOT OF POWER with MSI and I can see it because they headline your review on their website (power of the press). For Gods sake, please do something before others make the same mistake or if you can get MSI to allocate resources to fix the problem...you would be HEROs! Thank you.

Quote from: Husker_Faithful on 19-May-05, 11:56:11
Ok, I guess I am confused some, where is the issue with the new cores? I have no issues running the San Diego core and the my memory at the listed and published speeds.....
Quote
Also is your MOBO the SLI type? I run the SLI Neo4 with a San Diego core without any issues. In fact I dropped it in and booted using the San Diego as a direct replacement for a older (if 6 months is old!!) 3500. I have OC'ed with Corecetner as far as I can push it and runs awesome!
Quote
GUys, I am not sure exactly what issues you are experiencing as there can be MANY factors! But my SLI Neo is running awesome! It overclocks (no Tiresmoke, i won't go into that in this forum ) and has NEVER once BSOD, or rebooted or even crashed! Not once and I push the crap out of this as it is my gaming box. Also TS you are SO correct on the clock settings on the ultras, you gotts make sure they are the same or it will cause issues. The only thing I am kinda bummed about is the lack of real performance with the dual 6800 Ultra's, but that is a Nvidia issue not MSI. Guys I may be blessed, but I have run three Neo MSI brds, 2 939 and 1 754 and never had any issues....
Quote
I have yet to experience any boot/reboot issues...So I think we should wait to hear more from this person before we assume anything...
Quote
I have the nForce4 SLI brd and i run a new San Diego..it booted up fine and zero problems. But man is this thing FAST
Quote
According to MSI, the Neo4 will work fine with the new cores, the Neo2 will need a bios upgrade
Quote
I set my brd up the first time for SLI with dual cards and have never had any issues..Sorry guys, but I guess it's the luck of the draw, but I have yet to ever ave an issue with any MSI brds..I have a Neo2,Neo4 and the older 754 slot Neo..no issues.
7 of your last 11 posts. Why man? Why?
This is from MSI at the "listed and published speeds"
Dear Customer,
Since the mb has not been certified to support the Venice and San Diego Core processors, please wait until beginning of June, 2005 for the release bios support for the mb.
Sincerely,
Technical Support Division
MSI Computer Corp.
As for overclocking have you read these?
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=75897.0
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=79534.0
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=79827.0
Look, I have already been threatened to be banned because of my sarcastic replies to you. Read every one of your responses I listed. Obviously OTHERS are having problems. WHY don't you help them instead of TAUNTING people that yours works. They are upset, and you make them feel dumb like it's their fault.
Man I have tried to contribute so much to this issue that at least 20 different members here are having, I have tested with an Asus SLI board, I have tried different BIOS's and posted results, I have theorized with others and I feel like you are slapping me in the face by restating time and time again "what problem mine works great"i
I'm on a verbal warning because I didn't have respect for you. Well how are you respecting the other people who have problems by saying you don't know what their issue is. Read up on it or help them, instead of creating tension. Please?

MSI Neo4 Platinum / HT Freq.

Well after a few weeks of testing this board with a couple others and all kinds of hardware we've come across this issue. Most likely a bios update wil fix it.
It seems the HT Frequency isn't bening set right from the bios, If at stock settings for a 3200+ (200fsb x10cpu HT x5) Central Brain Identifier is reporting a 804.11MHz HTL speed. In fact all settings fron HT x5 through x1 are reported at 804.11MHz!!!
So here's where the problems begin.
When people use Winchester Core cpu's and try to over clock them. Some Winchester Core cpu's can go 300x9 but need the HT set at x4 to be able to post, x3 and they wouldn't post. But if you are still stuck at 215fsb try HT x2 and you should beable to post upto 250x9. So it's really odd, because even the ones' that can post at 215fsb and need HT x2 can scale clear upto 280x8 and complete Super PI tests w/ Clockgen.
So the Neo4 isn't treating all Winchester Core's equally, as all cpu's were tested in other mobo's and can reach a minimum of 270fsbx9 easily.
Testing was done with:
1 FX-55 SledgeHammer
1 3500+ Winchester
2 3200+ Winchester
4 3000+ Winchester
A-data ddr600 2x256 at 2.5-3-3--6
So what's a person to do? Well one person that I ran across has allready rma'd his mobo just to be back at a 215fsb. Buying 10 cpu's and getting one that works well with the Neo4 is an option but not realistic.
So I'd ask others to downloads CBI and see what your Neo4 is doing.

Hi, Im having the same problem.
I have 3200 winchester core, it will not go over 220 fsb, the same chip done 240fsb on a nforce 3, while my 3500 newcastle will do 245fsb, Im using corsair 4400 memory....
For the past week I have read a few forums and a lot of people are having this problem, I hope it will be a bios update.
I did email MSI who in turn told me that the fsb of a 3200 chip will be 200, they do not recommend 220 fsb......
we will just have to sit tight and wait for MSI, I have noticed that they are very few bios updates recently from msi....
come on MSI.........looks like asus for me if they dont resolve this issue..........

Multiplier 9 with high HTT on MSI NEO4 bugged?

Hi guys,
I have a strange problem with this board.
First my system:
3000+ winnie (No sub-zero bug!)
MSI NEO4 Platinum (Bios 1.2B)
2x512MB GSKILL PC4400
I can run prime stable at 300x9 (180MHz devider).
Under the prometeia I have the oppurtunity to go further.
I hit the 322x9 =2900MHz also prime stable.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~famchow/A64_3.../Prime_2.90.JPG
But after some time, on every moment it give me a BSOD and reboot.
In the bios a max. can set 310MHz in bios to get windows booted, higher I can boot in the bios but reboot before the windows loading screen.
I tryed every settings HTT X1 , 2, 3 and the bandwidth 16/16 8/8. Still nogo.
BUT, when I use MP8, I can boot into windows with HTT 330MHz!!!...
Is this a bios problem or something else?? Maybe this is something for the MSI bios engineers.
THnx
BTW:
to MSI engineers: Check the memory timings settings.
Read preamble, Max async and Trc /Tfrc arent correct when setting. I checked this with A64 tweaker in windows.

I have exactly the same problem. No problem with no OC, MemTest-86 and Prime95 ok.
I saw a excellent article on anandtech.com: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1497607&enterthread=y
First I tries to detect the max HTT/FSB. According to this article I put the CPU multi to 6, the memory to SPD, 2T and memoryclock to 100.
HTT to 4.0. CPU spread spectrum, PCI-e spread spectrum and SATA to disabled. Vcore 1.50V and Vmem 2.60V
FSB 200 en 210 ok. Then FSB 220 the BIOS doesn't start anymore. THe power- and the HDD-led lights continuous and no image on the screen.
I have to reset the BIOS with the button on the board to get back to normal.
I haven't tried Clockgen. As soon as I have results a report back.
My system specs:
BeQuiet Powersupply 400W, +12V 20A
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum BIOS 1.1
Winchester 3200+
Leadtek Geforce 6600GT
2 x 512MB Crusial Ballistic PC3200
120 Gb Maxtor
Windows XP Pro S2
nVidia nForce4 standalone driver v6.39

Msi Neo4-Fi Temperature Freeze/Shut down

I have the following motherboard: MSI Neo4-Fi
The system was working fine for 2 months. Now the temperature is instantly increases 10-15 C after starting the PC-Mark test, and increases more in this great heat.
The computer stops on 65-70 C. Everest measure at aux temp 78C, what is this?
I have checked the cooling, and changed it two times.
The computer is on 52 C at start in bios.
Memtest and ghost freezes too after the start.
The computer contains the following particles:
MSI Neo4-Fi
Athlon 64 3200+ E6 Rev. Stock cooler
Chenbro Gaming Bomb Case (1*12cm, 2*8cm fan)
MSI 7600GS VGA Card (Idle temp 36C)
2x512MB Corsair Value Select PC3200
Chieftec 410W PSU (Delta Construction)
WD 320GB Sata HDD
Plextor Pata DVD+-RW
Could This be a Motherboard failure ??!??

forget about the fan blowing on the mobo, it doesn't lower the CPU temperature. you will have to take the heatsink and fan off the CPU, make sure that the plastic foil doesn't cover the thermal compound. clear whatever thermal paste is left on the CPU and heatsing and reapply a thin layer of thermal paste (arctic silver 5 is prefered). put the heatsink back on the CPU, and make sure that you connect the CPU fan to the mobo.
with 40C in the room, my winchester would never go higher than 52C, overclocked and under full load, with the stock cooling, so you definately have a problem there. if the computer freezes or shuts down, it is because of the thermal sensor from the CPU.

Help : MSI Neo4 Platinum (non-SLi)

Hi,
I just switch from a long time Asus Intel user to MSI AMD based rig (I am more into video editing & encoding than gaming). I bought a MSI Neo4 Platinum with AMD 3200+ (Venice) and from my old system, I have the Corsair TwinX XMS PC4000 ram and a RAID 0 setup with 2 X WD 74GB Raptor.
Can anyone help me on :
1) which slot should I installed my ram in order to run Dual Channel
2) How do I perform moderate overclocking with this MSI Neo4
3) which will be recommended HSF for moderate overclocking
4) Will I experience the 219 BUG when overclocking

hgled8888,
They are all good heatsinks, I do not think you will go wrong with any of them.
As for the BIOS, the difference is Award vs Phoenix. I use mobos from Abit, ASUS, and MSI, you get used to them, if you can get though one BIOS, you will have little trouble getting used to the other.
As for moving over from "The Dark Side of the Force" over to AMD, welcome to the other side, you will love it and never look back.
Take Care,
Richard

Memory not recognized on MSI Neo4 Platinum SLI

I just installed another 512mb of RAM on this system:
MSI Neo4 Platinum SLI
2 x 512mb Corsair XMS XL PRO
1 x 512mb Corsair XMS XL (the one that doesnt work)
IDE HDD
Windows XP PRO
BIOS, and every program i run that can see system specs shows that the infact all 3 Sticks
are recognizable. Though...Windows and a program that shows me my physical memory max both
point out i have only 1 gig of RAM!?
It's there, just not being used?
Now the only difference with the XL version and the XL PRO version is the heatspreader,
everything else is the same....so nothing should be conflicting.
Since the computer somehow knows all my part's details..im thinking just because
the new ram doesnt have PRO that it may not be recognized to work together.
Even so...ram should downclock etc with this motherboard...so this stupid little name
issue shouldnt cause the computer to ignore the ram!
I tried switching DIMM slots, no luck.
Any ideas?

It's a AMD64 dual memory channel system motherboard/CPU.
Valid memory populations are
1.stick in one of the channels .(single mode 64bits)
1.stick in each channel .(dual mode 128bits)
2. sticks in one of the channels.(single mode 64bits)
4.sticks ,2 in each channel.(dual mode 128bits)
3 sticks is n/a.
The population on memory controller , it's initialization and modeselection , single/dual mode is chosen by the A64 cpu.
It's been said that later rev.E cpus can autoselect unmatched population between channels (of e.g 3.sticks) and
set the whole memory pool in single mode.
But i have never seen anyone successfully test/run it .

MSI Neo4 Platinum with MSI GF6600GT PCI-e Freezes on games

I'm having this serious problem that my new build system freezes on games. Sometimes I can play for a few hours and sometimes I can play only a few minutes before the system freezes completely. Only a hardware reset helps in this case.
This is my hardware setup:
MSI Neo4 Platinum
MSI GF6600GT PCI-e
2 x 512MB DDR400 memory(in dual mode)
AMD 3200+ 64-bit processor
Sound Blaster Audigy
DVD Writer
Floppy
I'm using Windows XP SP2
What I tryd:
Tested with other RAM modules, same trouble
Reinstalled windows xp, same trouble
Tryd all kind of driver versions, same trouble
Flashed bios to 1.9, same trouble
Put a Zalman Cooler on the Video card (temperature now between 40 and 60 degrees in games instead of 80-100 degrees), same trouble
This is where my questions come:
There are two hardware components I cannot switch to try:
The mainboard and the Video card. Whitch one is most likely to be broken??
I have read in the manual of the mainboard that the PSU should have at least 18A on the 12+ signal. My PSU only haves 15A there. While I doubt this results in problems like this I still like to know if it does!
Please help me out on this one!

Have tried older drivers for you GFX, I find the late 6XXX work better for most games. You mite want to check the system is stable with:
Prime95, Memtest86, 3D mark 03 & 05.
You mite be having the same problems as "easlern", his games would lock up. This was due to to a problem with onboard sound Sound Blaster.
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=84328.0
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=84328.msg603340#msg603340
Quote
At that moment I didn't even know what was actually on my board, but I knew it was a generic card I was probably never going to use anyway, and I didn't recall getting any sound card updates for this board. So I looked in device manager, and bingo: AC97 device under multimedia devices. I immediately did two things to completely eliminate the rascal: updated the driver for it and promptly went to BIOS and disabled the sucker. Also disabled SATA group 2 (slots 3 and 4), the Marvell LAN because I only use one ethernet anyway (the nVidia one, which from what I was reading, was probably the more robust of the two), both RAID controllers (actually I had disabled them earlier to skip the annoying RAID setup screen), and put the PCIe bus back to 100MHz (rogue: I was wondering about possible damage over time with this too high too, so I was glad to try setting it back to normal!) Also ran Driver Cleaner to rip out the detonators even though I was putting in another nVidia, and then put in the 6800GT and installed drivers. (In case you were interested, my 3dMark05 score went from 3511 under the 6600GT to 4939 under the 6800GT! I now run in 1280x1024 at max effects and I'm completely spoiled in one night already! )
Anyway, one of these myriad, desperate attempts must have worked because I get neither audio stutters (should have been a freaking clue in the first place, duh!) nor lock ups.
Since this is the first PC I've built, I was certain I had to have screwed something up hardware-wise or found some combination that had incompatibilities. If it WAS just the freaking sound card driver I'm going to leave this place in shame and never post again! In my defense, the MSI Update utility didn't show any updated sound drivers for me, and I had assumed it was being pre-empted by my SB Live in any case.
I was convinced this problem was (if it is indeed gone) a video card issue but I can't say it ever was without putting the 6600 back in and running for several hours. I'm going to bet it was the AC97 though because nVidia boards have always been fantastic for me, I haven't had any actual motherboard issues, my RAM and CPU are just fine, and Win2k has never let me down.
Don't assume anything, though, I've learned.
One thing to note: when I was checking out the AC97, I noticed it was *sharing* IRQ 20 with the nForce NIC detector (might have a different name, I can't remember right now). Apparently this is a capability of Win2k to share IRQs but it kind of added to my suspicions anyway.
I'll let you know how the next few sessions go and whether this issue is still an issue

My feeble attempt at a MB comparison - Asus A8N-E vs MSI Neo4 Platinum

Hi all,
I just thought I'd share a post I just finished submitting at the Asus forum. Here's my experience, in a nutshell, with both the Asus A8N-E and the K8N Neo4 Platinum:
I've decided to give up on the A8N-E and Asus (for now) in favor of the MSI Neo4 Platinum. The layout of the Asus board is top notch, but there are some significant issues with it.
The CUSL2 turned me into a huge Asus fan, but no more. After a week of playing with both here's my review:
Asus A8N-E (v2.0)
Pro's
-Superior Layout - See Neo4 cons below. However, there are two electrolytic capacitors on the back end that had to be nudged out of the way to install my 6600GT.
-No superfluous features.
-Stable
-Performance on par with other nF4 mobos.
-I love the Ctrl-Esc wake up feature and will sorely miss it.
Con's
-Will not run 2225 OCZ Gold Dual Channel RAM any faster than 2325 (bios must be reflashed).
-Quirky recovery features. You need the mobo CD or floppy disk. Also, there was one instance where it failed to post (due to 2225 memory timings) while running v1008 and I kept getting a BIOS checksum error when reflashing with v1008. Had to reflash with v1006. Also, one time I didn't get a checksum error, just a lot of beeps. Clearing the CMOS proved troublesome as shown in the next issue.
-Cheap battery terminal. IMO you should not pull the battery when clearing the CMOS with the Jumper (even though the manual says you should). It doesn't have a lever to eject the battery (just two little teeth holding it in) and my battery lost contact with the terminals when I put it back in. Afterwards, when I unplugged the PS the settings in the BIOS were reset.
-Somewhat limited instruction manual.
-Asus LiveUpdate failed to connect to a server on several repeated attempts. It never connected successfully.
-There was no Mobo installation CD in my box!
-This forum software and layout is really limited and frustrating.
-It's been three days now and still no reply to my tech support inquery regarding 2225 memory timings.
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum (v1.0)
Pro's
-Runs 2225 OCZ Gold Dual Channel RAM at 2225, no issues whatsoever.
-More reliable Bios/System utility. There's a button to load BIOS setup defaults in case of problems. Autorecovery feature flashes factory BIOS version embedded in mobo Core Cell chip.
-Packaging is simply beautiful. Obviously not a big reason to buy it but trust me, it's exceptional.
-Extensive instruction manual, test report, and large fold out color diagram of layout.
-Add-on module with diagnostic LED's.
-Stable
-Performance on par with other nF4 mobos.
-MSI version of LiveUpdate worked flawlessy on every occasion.
-Cheaper than A8N-E with rebate.
-Firewire port
Con's
-Inferior layout, although still better than others (ie Epox 9NPA+ and ATX power connectors). SATA connectors get in the way of my HDD's. x16 PCIe socket sits below x4 PCIe and x1 PCIe slots. This orientation causes my long 6600GT card to get in the way of the back end of one of my HDD's.
-Who need's DUAL Lan? And the ability to run 8 SATA devices is overkill IMO.
-CPU Heatsink Fan mount backplate is GLUED to the backside of the PCB. Had to remove it with a credit card and a hair dryer to make room for my Zalman.
As I'm sure most of your would agree the Memory timing issue with the A8N-E was the deal breaker. I'm sure in time Asus will get around to fixing this with a bios revision. The faulty battery interface was also a downer.
For now, so long Asus! Good luck A8N owners!
Jason

One big pro for the MSI you forgot to mention is this forum. This is by far one of the best forums for any motherboard manufacturer (if only ATI would get the hint ).
IMO I like the 8 SATA ports. I have 4 hard drives in my system, and I am desperately needing more. I have one more SATA slot to fill before I am out. Some people are absolute packrats (like me ) and they need the additional hard drive ports. The other benefit is you can end up using this as a low end server board (which I will be doing in the next couple of weeks). It is by far cheaper then getting a system with opterons. Instead I can just get an X2 for alot less, plus I don't have to spend the extra to get registered memory.
The dual lan can be really help who use ICS. This way they don't have to purchase a router.
Both of these I don't see as cons, as they really don't cause a problem. For you I just wouldn't list them as pros.
But thanks for sharing your ideas, hopefully this can become helpful to others who are determining what mobo to buy.
Have Fun
Jeremy

MSI Neo4-F & Athlon64 3700+ E6 1T/2T Memory Timing missing in BIOS

Hi. This is my first post. I need help with my new MSI Neo4-F motherboard. The problem is that 1T/2T Memory Timing is not present in the latest BIOS v.1D. MSI website says that my CPU (San Diego 3700+ E6) is supported by the motherboard but there is no way to control the command rate of the memory thru the BIOS. So far I've been using A64 Tweaker to change command rate to 1T from Windows. Previously I used this CPU with the same memory Kingston KHX3200AK2/1G for another motherboard (MSI Diamond Plus) and I didn't have any problems being able to change the 1T/2T memory timing settings thru the BIOS. I wrote couple of e-mails to MSI TEchnical support but i didn't get a response. Does anyone have any ideas that would help me resolve this issue? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance!

Quote from: BG84 on 05-July-06, 02:57:00
its supposed to be there, i have a 3500+ and a 3800+ and its there, but why does it depend on the cpu if the 1t is there anyway, ?, its there with the 1a 1b 1c and 1d, in dram configuration, second auto put it to manual and 1t, youre supposed to gain a 4% performance, which youre not going to see at all.
Sorry to disagree with your 4% figure but using the 1T setting on the A64s makes a huge difference.
I did a quick check on my current rig using 3dmark 03 and the difference in CPU score was 485 vice 554 making an improvement of over 12%!
I know it's not the best of tests to use for this, but it was quick and points to the "noticable" improvement I've found while doing OC benchmarking with a variety of programs.
Not trying to be argumentative, but I didn't want anybody reading this thread in the future to dismiss the "1T" option as being unimportant.

Msi neo4 + 3500 winchester can't overclock

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