Things to know before (and after) building a Mega 865

Question

As I am seeing a lot of the same questions regarding the Mega 865 I created this document,
29-Oct-2004 Added Northwood benefits
29-Oct-2004 Emphasized NOT to use live update for bios update
Processors in general
Start with the processor, I would say get something around 3 gighz (give or take) which is quite affordeble. If you are going for a prescott, make sure you upgrade your bios to 1.3 (see below).It will run a bit hot (understatement) otherwise.
If going for northwood any version is ok I believe. When I chose mine I let $$$ descide, and the prescott was on sale. (If I would buy a CPU for the Mega again, I would most likely go for a Northwood this time). Before buying your processor make sure your processor is supported, you can find the supported processors here;
http://cweb.msi.com.tw/program/products/slim_pc/slm/pro_slm_cpu_support_detail.php?UID=547&kind=4
Harddisk
As for Harddisk, I would suggest anything goes but take a serial ata since that is becoming the new standard nowadays.
When buying a HD larger than 130 Gig, make sure you install from a Windows XP SP1 CD (or higher) or divide your HD in smaller pieces. Otherwise you will not get a bigger partition than 130 Gigs.
DVD/CDROM
As for DVD/CD player, there is a special thread (see below) where everyone states if their DVD/CD player is working with the mega (there are some issues with some drives in HiFi mode, EVEN if they are MSI)
Mega PC barebones optical drive compatibility list
Memory
As for memory, get at least 512 Mb or 1024 Mb if you want to sit cosy. two sticks of DDR400 (a.k.a 3200) will do. Get a a-brand like Kingston, Samsung or look around on the forums what will work.
Installing Windows XP
Before installing Windows disable your USB devices, if you fail to do this you run the chance of not installing Windows XP on your C: drive (harddisk) and this will cause you trouble later on. After installation is complete you may enable them again.
Prescott processors & full size AGP cards
As for the GPU (Graphics card), this depends on what you are going to do with it. If you wanna try out at showshifting, and viewing get one with integrated TV tuner. Or use the on-board (some people are quite happy with it) and add a separate PCI tv tuner. If you wanna do hefty gaming (Doom3, Far Cry ... etc) you may want to get an better one. I'm quite happy with my Radeon 9800.
Please note; According to MSI, Prescott processors in combination with full-size AGP (add-in) cards are not supported. This is most likely a power issue since the full-size cards use a lot of power to run. Some forum members, stuborn as they are, are running with a full-size card.
Also note that you are installing a full-size card on your own risk in combination with a Prescott processor.
To calculate your estimated power supply take a look here;
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/
The following graphics cards seem to be working (please add to this thread if you have tested a full-size card with a Prescott processor so I can add it to this document)
Club3D Radeon AIW 9800 PRO
ATI Radeon ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 XT
ATI Radeon 9800 SE
AOPEN Aeolus 5900XT 128 Mb
Wise words from Stu:
If you do not want to take chances, go with a Northwood processor. Apperantly there is little perfomance difference between a Northwood and a Prescott processor, and the Northwood runs slightly cooler too.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 & Bios Update
When installing Windows XP with SP2 make sure you have the latest Bios version loaded (1.3) or install a Microsoft work-around fix. SP2 will not install without it, and you will have a hard time getting your system to work.
The Microsoft work-around fix can be found here;
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;885626
The latest bios version can be downloaded here;
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/bios/bos/spt_bos_detail.php?UID=547&kind=4
To install the latest bios, I would advise against using live-update. Use one of the following options instead;
1) Burn a bootable CD-Rom also containing the bios and flash software, (note some of the original Win98 CD's are bootable to MS-DOS prompt)
2) Create a bootable USB-memory key
--- Download the HP util to create one
--- http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/hpcpqdt/us/download/20306.html
--- Then create a bootable floppy on an other system or download from
--- http://www.allbootdisks.com/
--- (I used the Win98SE No ramdrive )
--- Then use the HP tool (on an system with an floppy drive) and enter a: as the source for booting,
--- and use the above created floppy.
--- Then copy the rest of the files from the a:\ drive (like autoexec.bat, config.sys etc) to the memory key.
--- ... and ... voila one bootable USB
--- make sure in the bios that the boot order of the USB key is before the Harddisk and your set to go.
3) Attach a floppy drive to the Mega 865
Bios update failure
Some people still manage to goof-up their bios, by doing the bios update from windows (winflash, live-update). I think there is only one road to travel when this happens, you have to attach a floppy drive to your mega. Then follow the following instructions (Award bios)
http://www.msi.com.tw/html/support/bios/note/boot.htm
Good luck !
PC-Alert
Do not use the PC-Alert version from the MSI website as this does not work together with your Mega 865, instead only use the one on the CD-Rom that was supplied. In general even the supplied PC-Alert has caused a lot of grief (Taking up resources, reboot problems ... etc). If you choose to install PC-Alert, at least remove it from your start-up folder where it is installed. You can always start it manually from the MSI menu in your Start menu.
A good alternative to Pc-Alert is Speedfan, this program should be able to spot your 2 temeperature sensored CPU fans. You can then connect these fans to the CPU temperature sensor and be able to tweak the RPM's according to your need. Speedfan 4.17 can be found here;
http://www.almico.com/speedfan417.exe
Temperatures
As these tiny PC's have very little space, it is quite normal for them to run a bit hot. Do not be alarmed to see CPU temperatures around 60-65 degrees when running on load (depending on your processor of course).
Wireless Network adapter
As for wireless internet, the mega865 has a built-in mini-pci nic (network card). which supports only the 11 Mbps data rate. I think you have to try it out and see how it goes, you can always upgrade to 54 Mbps. I would suggest to get a 54Mbps access point, so you can always upgrade if needed (54Mbps will also work with 11 Mbps) Some forum members have succesfully replaced their Wireless Network adapters with a 54Mbps one. The following network adapters seem to be working;(please add to this thread if you have tested a wireless 54Mbps network adapter so I will add it to this document)
Intel PRO/Wireless BG Network Adapter
6 Channel sound
I recently bought a 5.1 set from Soundblaster. You can connect the 3 connectors to the back of your Mega, then in the Sound util set it up for 5.1 surround sound and you are ready to go. Definately worth it !
Reboot problems
When you run into problems when the Mega reboots suddenly, watch out for a couple of things.
Always check your event/log viewer. It is in your configuration management, but the easiest way to start it is to enter the following in your Run or Command line entry
eventvwr /s
Check if you see red-dots in your application section or system section. Google the problems before dropping them on the forum ! (As most problems are not Mega related IMHO)
One problem I had was caused by BITS 1.5, I had to upgrade to BITS 2.0. (I think it was recently released by Microsoft-Update but I mention it anyway). Bits 1.5 caused my Mega to reboot.
LCD Display / Sound problems
If you have any problems where your front LCD display is not working or your on-board sound is 'missing' first try unplugging your mega from the power outlet (so completely powering down) for 2 minutes. If you still have problems, drop them on this forum.
LCD API ?
Alas, no external programs are available to 'drive' your LCD display. Nor will MSI release an API/Blue print on how to control it.
If you find anything missing here or have additional tips, please add them to this thread and I will update this document.
Good luck with your Mega !
Raymond

Answer 1

rkoppen i salute you  
a truly glorious summing up of the main points asked about the Mega 865 in particular, although many points will invariably refer also to the other Mega series
if i can add my tuppence worth, anyone considering going for a powerful graphics card can always shy away from the prescott
i was reading an article just when the prescott core cpus came out and the review basically said that there wasn't really much performance wise between the new prescott and the older Northwood cores.
obviously newer prescotts have higher clock speeds now (3.2? 3.4??), but surely a 2.8ghz CPU is still going to be powerful enough to play the latest games!! (in conjunction with a top graphics card obviously)
is the extra temp increase surely worth the extra couple of hundred mhz?