[mythtv-users] Motherboard Recomendation

[Brad Benson]

On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 13:53:37 -0600, Matt <skd5aner at gmail.com> wrote:
> this is the board I use.  No complaints.  I think what it comes down
> to is tons of people like the nForce2 chipset :)
> 
> On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 13:06:42 -0600, Dan Littlejohn
> <dan.littlejohn at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Wish I had known about the S/PDIF bracket for the 7NIF2 and MSI boards.
> >
> > I picked the Abit AN7 for the S/PDIF (and it uses the slightly better
> > audio codec, Realtek ALC658 compared to the RealtekALC650) and picked
> > up a FX5200 video card.
> >
> > Dan
> >
> >
> > On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 10:35:41 -0800, Rei Toi <rei_toi at walkingmountain.com> wrote:
> > > Mark Gardner wrote:
> > > > I've skimmed the archives and havnt' found an answer to my liking...
> > > > so here's the question
> > > >
> > > > I'm planning on building a myth Frontend/Backend box with some
> > > > hardware i have around
> > > > AMD 1200 Duron (could be Athlon if I need the power)
> > > > PVR 350
> > > > 512 DDR
> > > > Will build either on SUSE 9.3 ( I work for novell ) or Fedora Core
> > > >
> > > > What i'm looking for is a motherboard that won't break the bank, but
> > > > just works.  I had one with a VIA chipset that had a bunch of DMA
> > > > errors :( But have had many good reports with nForce chipsets.
> > > > Preferably the onboard sound should work....
> > > > Onboard video a plus but not required...
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Thanks in Advance.
> > > Hi Mark,
> > >
> > > I use the MSI "K7N2GM2-LSR" motherboard which is currently $61.50 at Newegg:
> > > http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-130-477&depa=0
> > >
> > > It has the nForce2 chipset and comes with the TV-out bracket (s-video &
> > > composite).
> > >
> > > You can use the bios to reconfigure the 3 audio jacks (Line-in,
> > > Line-out, & Mic.) to be 4 or 6 channel audio; if your surround sound
> > > system requires this. (I haven't tried it; you *may* need to use their
> > > MS Windows utilities to configure this particular option.)
> > >
> > > The board doesn't come with an S/PDIF bracket, but you can buy one (RCA
> > > & optical fiber) at CensusPC for $12.00:
> > > http://www.censuspc.com/cart/product.php?productid=182&cat=46&page=2
> > >
> > > Installing FC3 was fine, everything "just worked."  Also, installing
> > > Myth in accordance with Jarod's guide worked out very well.
> > >
> > > I also have a PVR-350 and have tried both it's TV-out and the on-board
> > > nForce TV-out.  I like the PVR-350's TV output much better (on my
> > > standard def TV the picture quality is higher) but I have to admit that
> > > I didn't try too hard to see if I could tweak the nVidia video quality.
> > >
> > > Having said that, X looks worse on the PVR-350 vs. the on-board nForce
> > > TV-out...  I use the PVR-350's TV-out anyway though, as my box is 100%
> > > dedicated to TV watching so I don't play games, etc. with this unit.
> > >
> > > HTH
> > >
> > > -Rei.
> > >
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> > >
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> 

I'm also using the Chaintech 7NIF2 mobo and it's been great for me
with two minor exceptions.  The lack of spdif output is slightly
annoying (although I have a separate soundcard with spdif so not that
big a deal for me).  The other problem is really driving me nuts.  I
can't for the life of me get the temp sensors on the 7NIF2 to report
correct temperatures.  I've tried various versions of i2c and
lm_sensors as well as following various sets of instructions found via
google.  No matter what I do the CPU temp fluctuates wildly from -14C
to 80C.  Obviously my CPU is not running at -14C, let alone jumping to
34C a second or two later.  In all my attempts to correct this sensor
error, the most I've been able to do is totally hose my ivtv drivers
(requiring about 4 hours of tinkering to get it back) while still
getting bad temp readings.

If you're planning to monitor the temp in your system I'd consider
looking at a different board unless anyone else here has some
suggestions for making it work.  If you don't care about the temp
sensors I'd highly recommend this board.

Brad