[mythtv-users] OT: nForce2 -- the real scoop

[Joseph A. Caputo]

On Tuesday 23 December 2003 20:33, Tony Maro wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org
> > [mailto:mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org] On Behalf Of David Zanetti
> >
> >
> > I have run into nForce2 boards which were less trouble to get
> > functional, so it could very well be either a duff board I've
> > got or a Shuttle issue. Not free of trouble, but certainly less.
> >
> > - --
> > David Zanetti           |  (__)
>
> Shuttle is kind of the bottom of the pile, and nForce doesn't help
> any, so I'd say it's a combination ;-) not that I haven't had trouble
> with my nForce board sound as well.
>
> -Tony

Yeah, I'm kind of soured on Shuttle after a bad experience a couple of 
years ago.  I had all kinds of problems after adding RAM to my machine 
-- it actually ran slower!  I verified that it wasn't the RAM, then 
after days of Googling I discovered that the on-board cache (is that 
Level 3?) wouldn't handle more than 128MB, and I had just installed 
256MB (up from 72MB).  I never did get to test if dropping down to 
128MB fixed the problem, because while I had the case open I noticed 
that the CPU fan wasn't running, so I went to check the fan power 
wires, and when I plugged it back in like an idiot I cross-connected 
the fan power to a jumper on the board and fried it (smoke coming from 
your motherboard is usually not a good sign).

Bottom line is I don't feel like buying from a company that would 
produce such a crippled board in the first place.  Same reason I won't 
buy a Subaru (I only ever drove one once, but it had a 'flat 4' 
4-cyclinder engine and could barely get out of its own way; I decided 
then I didn't want a car from a company that could produce such a toy.)  
I realize there are much better Subarus out there, and much better 
Shuttle mobos, but hey, I'm not perfect.  It's my dollar and I'm pretty 
fickle in how I spend it.

-JAC