MN31N

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Any thoughts on this MB? Thanks!
TMG

 

[Paul]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

In article <cRQpd.467406$D%.334681@attbi_s51>, "TMG" <tmg06@attbi.com> wrote:

> Any thoughts on this MB? Thanks!
> TMG

It is a Shuttle motherboard. Try looking in Google
for comments, as that is where I figured out the
manufacturer. Note that all Nforce2 boards are picky
about RAM, so any comments about RAM would be normal
for an Nforce2 board.

With respect to your other question about microATX,
I would have to say, based on the problems people post
about here, really there aren't too many ideal ones.

1) P4Rxxx ATI chipset boards. Too many problems when
product was introduced.
2) A7N8X-VM/VM_400 has a problem with using the internal
video and operating the RAM at DDR400. The same thing
seems to happen with other chipsets as well, so you'll
need to do some Googling, to see whether your motherboard
choice has an issue that way or not.
3) P4P800-VM has the nicest BIOS I've looked at, as it has
adjustments like a full size ATX board. The majority of
microATX boards are missing key adjustments, like only
offering a memory clock setting of 133 or 166MHz (no
200MHz needed for true DDR400 operation). The P4P800-VM
has a DDR voltage adjustment (even if it isn't a very high
voltage, it is still an adjustment
4) The P4P800-VM has "Intel Extreme" graphics, which are
the "least extreme" of many of the microATX boards. The
only way you could do worse, is to buy an SIS chipset
board, and then you would be left in the dark ages.
Comparing the video capabilities (i.e. 3D) of the various
chipsets, is an exercise in comparing inferiors - none
of them are gamer video solutions, so the fact that one
is 20% slower than the other, hardly merits comment.
That, and item (2) above, is why I recommend shopping
for a separate video card, as then you are responsible
for the mess you get yourself into video wise. One thing
you do want to check for, is whether IDCT is supported,
as inverse discrete cosine transform is an important part
of reducing the processor requirements for decoding
various video formats.
5) Some of the various microATX boards offer video adapters
for secondary display purposes. There is probably a VGA
connector on the back of the computer by default, but if
you want a signal for a TV, then some kind of adapter may
be required. These can be hard to find, and you may not be
too happy with the results. Even video cards, for that
matter, are really less than ideal for TV output. For
superior picture quality, some other solution is required
than the obvious ones. I have no idea what conversion path
offers good quality for the price. Just make sure the
video card has the interface required to make it work
(like VGA to component video adapter).

Also note, that if you use the built in video, some of
the chipsets only allow one output at a time (just to the
TV or to the VGA, but not both at the same time). That
is probably not stated in the manual, so check in Google
for any discoveries of the sort by customers.

There are many pitfalls in the road ahead, and as I explained
in my original post to you, looking for a small, tightly
integrated solution, can mean living with a bunch of compromises.

Taking a quick look with a search engine, and searching on "HTPC",
turns up some pages with building experiences. I really think
you need to see the spectrum of platforms people use for these
things, before you decide on just one solution.

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/HTPC.html

For example, this platform is pretty anemic, but it is also
tiny. I would only go with a solution like this, if you were
planning on placing the HTPC in a closet next to the "theatre
room".

http://www.mini-itx.com

My personal preference would be to use a regular ATX board, with
plenty of PCI slots, and then you can have a couple of
tuners, video card, room for a Zalman cooler for the mid-range
video card, decent sound card, etc.

For processors, if you go with a P4, you get Hyperthreading
(looks like two processors), and perhaps end up with a smoother
interface to the hardware (can be recording at the same time
as you are setting up stuff, without the mouse jumping
around). The downside of the P4, is lack of adequate power
management (lots of heat kicked out).

Athlon64 runs pretty cool when CNQ is enabled, and I understand
there are even mobile versions of the processors. You may
want to read about some user experience with AMD HTPC solutions
first, to see whether this is a good direction to go in. The
mobile 32bit AthlonXP-M, as discussed before, might also make
a good low power solution. (The mini-itx boards above, are
borderline acceptable, and for higher definition formats, would
probably drop frames.)

After you've had your first full sized HTPC for a while, you'll
then have a good feeling for what parts of it to keep, and what
parts to turf. Then, moving to a microATX or smaller solution,
might make sense. If you have plenty of room for the PC, or not
adverse to having the PC as "part of the furniture", then there
might not be any need to shrink the solution further.

HTH,
Paul