K8N Neo Platinum Inquiry

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.msi-microstar (More info?)

I am thinking of purchasing this motherboard and the Athlon 64 3800. I
currently have the ATI X800 video card. Has anyone experience problems
with this combination. Any regrets with this motherboard?

Thanks for you response.

~Randy

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.msi-microstar (More info?)

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 00:18:06 GMT, Randy Snyder <aggie07@austin.rr.com>
wrote:

>I am thinking of purchasing this motherboard and the Athlon 64 3800. I
>currently have the ATI X800 video card. Has anyone experience problems
>with this combination. Any regrets with this motherboard?

I switched to this board and an AMD64 3000+ from a - very stable - P4
processor/board combo.

The 1st K8N intermittendly did not power on, the 2nd K8N consistently
did not power on until I found that the extra power connector of my
AIW 9800SE had something to do with it. I could power on without the
extra connector and plug it in later - not a handy solution though.
;-) Don't know if a X800 also needs extra power. I could exchange the
AIW 9800SE against a 9600XT and have no power problems so far now.

But I still have stability problems with the board: the USB mouse ist
dead after power on - I need to reattach it once. And I get "vpu
recover" errors after some time when playing 3D games and running with
8x AGP. My dealer says that he cannot reproduce the problems (or does
not want to reproduce them) so I'm somewhat stuck.

However, maybe you should consider a board with a different chipset or
from a different vendor...


Manfred

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.msi-microstar (More info?)

Manfred Faulandt wrote:
> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 00:18:06 GMT, Randy Snyder <aggie07@austin.rr.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>>I am thinking of purchasing this motherboard and the Athlon 64 3800. I
>>currently have the ATI X800 video card. Has anyone experience problems
>>with this combination. Any regrets with this motherboard?
>
>
> I switched to this board and an AMD64 3000+ from a - very stable - P4
> processor/board combo.
>
> The 1st K8N intermittendly did not power on, the 2nd K8N consistently
> did not power on until I found that the extra power connector of my
> AIW 9800SE had something to do with it. I could power on without the
> extra connector and plug it in later - not a handy solution though.
> ;-) Don't know if a X800 also needs extra power. I could exchange the
> AIW 9800SE against a 9600XT and have no power problems so far now.
>
> But I still have stability problems with the board: the USB mouse ist
> dead after power on - I need to reattach it once. And I get "vpu
> recover" errors after some time when playing 3D games and running with
> 8x AGP. My dealer says that he cannot reproduce the problems (or does
> not want to reproduce them) so I'm somewhat stuck.
>
> However, maybe you should consider a board with a different chipset or
> from a different vendor...
>
>
> Manfred
Thanks for share your experiences. In regards to your power issues, have
you considered getting a new or larger power supply? The odds of getting
two motherboards, which are the same make and mode, that exhibit simular
issues is rare.

I see alot of people post in the groups with issues for overclocking and
the power supply is often overlooked.

Thanks again for your reply.

-Randy

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.msi-microstar (More info?)

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 21:28:56 GMT, Randy Snyder <aggie07@austin.rr.com>
wrote:

>Thanks for share your experiences. In regards to your power issues, have
>you considered getting a new or larger power supply? The odds of getting
>two motherboards, which are the same make and mode, that exhibit simular
>issues is rare.
>
>I see alot of people post in the groups with issues for overclocking and
> the power supply is often overlooked.

No overclocking in my case.

The power supply is a 460W Enermax with 33A on the +12V line - should
be enough. I tried it with a 360W Enermax w/o drives as well - same
result. It seems that ATI is also aware of this:
http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/4486.html

I don't think it's the power supply or the graphics card, which was
working very well before I swapped the boards, so I blame the board
(manufacturer) for it and the other stability issues.

Manfred

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.msi-microstar (More info?)

"Randy Snyder" <aggie07@austin.rr.com> wrote in message
news:2PBfd.1826$EI6.129@fe2.texas.rr.com...
>I am thinking of purchasing this motherboard and the Athlon 64 3800. I
>currently have the ATI X800 video card. Has anyone experience problems with
>this combination. Any regrets with this motherboard?
>
> Thanks for you response.
>
> ~Randy

I use these with a 3400. No problems.

--
Derek

 

[icmp]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.msi-microstar (More info?)

I very recently upgraded to the MSI K8N Neo Platinum and a Retail Box
AMD 3000+, using Kingston DDR400 memory. Your instability issues
sound suspiciously similar to the ones I initially encountered. I was
this -> . <- close to returning the board, I was so frustrated.

My system config was/is:
MSI K8N Mobo w/Athlon64 3000+ and DDR400 memory
Antec KS282 case w/Antec PP303XP 300W PS (180W on 3.3/5 and 15A on
12V)
2xMaxtor 7200 RPM ATA133 HD's
DVD/RW drive
BFG ti4200/128 agp video
3.5 Floppy
2x80mm Case Fan
1xAGP Slot Fan
USB Mouse
PS2 KB
USB Scanner
USB Printer

My symptoms were:
Inconsistent power-up.. sometimes post, sometimes not
Extreme instability, hard to even make BIOS setting changes without
spontaneous shutdowns
Power Switch seemed to be inconsistent.. resorted to using power cable
to get power-on/off in between trying to wrestle changes into BIOS

I was hoping to use my existing case for about a week or so, until I
could decide on which case I wanted to upgrade to. I figured the
Antec 300W would be sufficient for the short term, but was only
cautiously optimistic that it would yield a stable platform.
Naturally, I suspected the Power Supply as the main culprit. But, I
wanted to be sure lest I get a new case/ps and discover I had a bum
motherboard or bad memory.

Sooo, I tried stripping my machine down to essentials:
Motherboard
CPU/Cooler
Memory
NOTHING else (cover off case, of course).

The whacky instability was still there. No improvement. Thinking all
might be lost and contemplating an RMA on the board (and a possible
make/model swap), I decided to give it a little more time before
packing it in. Ultimately, I was able to make some BIOS changes
(after MANY failed attempts). First, I was trying some basic things
like dropping RAM timings, etc., to (in theory) improve stability in
the face of instability, but that had no effect. FINALLY, I found
that DISABLING SPREAD SPECTRUM was the silver bullet that solved
everything!

With Spread Spectrum DISABLED, I was able to immediately reconnect all
my stuff, fiddle in the BIOS, make my final changes (putting timings
back to where they belong), and save changes without issue. I quickly
moved on to installing WinXP Pro, adding SP2, installing apps, and
running looped 3D Mark and SiSoft Sandra benchmarks. Not a single
hiccup. Super stable, excellent performance, and all on an older
Antec 300W power supply. I still intend to switch my case/ps out,
because I need this case to hand my old mobo/cpu down to my kids as
their upgrade (AMD 1333 on AMD760 chipset). But, for now everything
is great and I'm able to love the K8N Neo Platinum the way I'd
initially hoped I could.

So.. don't give up (yet!). While it's possible you have a bad unit,
try disabling Spread Spectrum, if you haven't already. For whatever
horrific reasoning, it seemed to be shipped in the ON position.
Spread Spectrum is evil incarnate and should never be used by normal
people. It's meant to shift the core frequency around a bit (up/down)
to help prevent electrical interference with nearby devices (like a
cordless phone, for example). To hell with the phone.. I want my
computer to be stable. Let the phone 'reboot' whenever I load a game,
for all I care.

best of luck,

icmp


Manfred Faulandt <_@_._> wrote in message news:<vb70o0h2umfk5cirksd6b30jl9b8v0cm9s@4ax.com>...
> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 21:28:56 GMT, Randy Snyder <aggie07@austin.rr.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Thanks for share your experiences. In regards to your power issues, have
> >you considered getting a new or larger power supply? The odds of getting
> >two motherboards, which are the same make and mode, that exhibit simular
> >issues is rare.
> >
> >I see alot of people post in the groups with issues for overclocking and
> > the power supply is often overlooked.
>
> No overclocking in my case.
>
> The power supply is a 460W Enermax with 33A on the +12V line - should
> be enough. I tried it with a 360W Enermax w/o drives as well - same
> result. It seems that ATI is also aware of this:
> http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/4486.html
>
> I don't think it's the power supply or the graphics card, which was
> working very well before I swapped the boards, so I blame the board
> (manufacturer) for it and the other stability issues.
>
> Manfred

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.msi-microstar (More info?)

Thanks for the post, man. I'm ready to pull the trigger on the
purchase of a neo platinum and will remember the spread spectrum
setting, just in case.

btw, this -> . <- close cute.

>I very recently upgraded to the MSI K8N Neo Platinum and a Retail Box
>AMD 3000+, using Kingston DDR400 memory. Your instability issues
>sound suspiciously similar to the ones I initially encountered. I was
>this -> . <- close to returning the board, I was so frustrated.
>
>My system config was/is:
>MSI K8N Mobo w/Athlon64 3000+ and DDR400 memory
>Antec KS282 case w/Antec PP303XP 300W PS (180W on 3.3/5 and 15A on
>12V)
>2xMaxtor 7200 RPM ATA133 HD's
>DVD/RW drive
>BFG ti4200/128 agp video
>3.5 Floppy
>2x80mm Case Fan
>1xAGP Slot Fan
>USB Mouse
>PS2 KB
>USB Scanner
>USB Printer
>
>My symptoms were:
>Inconsistent power-up.. sometimes post, sometimes not
>Extreme instability, hard to even make BIOS setting changes without
>spontaneous shutdowns
>Power Switch seemed to be inconsistent.. resorted to using power cable
>to get power-on/off in between trying to wrestle changes into BIOS
>
>I was hoping to use my existing case for about a week or so, until I
>could decide on which case I wanted to upgrade to. I figured the
>Antec 300W would be sufficient for the short term, but was only
>cautiously optimistic that it would yield a stable platform.
>Naturally, I suspected the Power Supply as the main culprit. But, I
>wanted to be sure lest I get a new case/ps and discover I had a bum
>motherboard or bad memory.
>
>Sooo, I tried stripping my machine down to essentials:
>Motherboard
>CPU/Cooler
>Memory
>NOTHING else (cover off case, of course).
>
>The whacky instability was still there. No improvement. Thinking all
>might be lost and contemplating an RMA on the board (and a possible
>make/model swap), I decided to give it a little more time before
>packing it in. Ultimately, I was able to make some BIOS changes
>(after MANY failed attempts). First, I was trying some basic things
>like dropping RAM timings, etc., to (in theory) improve stability in
>the face of instability, but that had no effect. FINALLY, I found
>that DISABLING SPREAD SPECTRUM was the silver bullet that solved
>everything!
>
>With Spread Spectrum DISABLED, I was able to immediately reconnect all
>my stuff, fiddle in the BIOS, make my final changes (putting timings
>back to where they belong), and save changes without issue. I quickly
>moved on to installing WinXP Pro, adding SP2, installing apps, and
>running looped 3D Mark and SiSoft Sandra benchmarks. Not a single
>hiccup. Super stable, excellent performance, and all on an older
>Antec 300W power supply. I still intend to switch my case/ps out,
>because I need this case to hand my old mobo/cpu down to my kids as
>their upgrade (AMD 1333 on AMD760 chipset). But, for now everything
>is great and I'm able to love the K8N Neo Platinum the way I'd
>initially hoped I could.
>
>So.. don't give up (yet!). While it's possible you have a bad unit,
>try disabling Spread Spectrum, if you haven't already. For whatever
>horrific reasoning, it seemed to be shipped in the ON position.
>Spread Spectrum is evil incarnate and should never be used by normal
>people. It's meant to shift the core frequency around a bit (up/down)
>to help prevent electrical interference with nearby devices (like a
>cordless phone, for example). To hell with the phone.. I want my
>computer to be stable. Let the phone 'reboot' whenever I load a game,
>for all I care.
>
>best of luck,
>
>icmp
>
>
>Manfred Faulandt <_@_._> wrote in message news:<vb70o0h2umfk5cirksd6b30jl9b8v0cm9s@4ax.com>...
>> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 21:28:56 GMT, Randy Snyder <aggie07@austin.rr.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >Thanks for share your experiences. In regards to your power issues, have
>> >you considered getting a new or larger power supply? The odds of getting
>> >two motherboards, which are the same make and mode, that exhibit simular
>> >issues is rare.
>> >
>> >I see alot of people post in the groups with issues for overclocking and
>> > the power supply is often overlooked.
>>
>> No overclocking in my case.
>>
>> The power supply is a 460W Enermax with 33A on the +12V line - should
>> be enough. I tried it with a 360W Enermax w/o drives as well - same
>> result. It seems that ATI is also aware of this:
>> http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/4486.html
>>
>> I don't think it's the power supply or the graphics card, which was
>> working very well before I swapped the boards, so I blame the board
>> (manufacturer) for it and the other stability issues.
>>
>> Manfred