MSI 7411 Motherboard Sneak Peek (share your thoughts!)

[vladd]

Joe, I did not say the problem was you. I even stated quite clearly that I would also be upset if it happened to me. I said that there was no way for anyone on the forum to determine (conclusively) that it was a bad board from the exhibited symptoms. And no part of "burst into flames" is escaping me. I said that it was a very rare occurence, not an impossibility. The chances of me getting hit by lightning are slim as well but I still believe it can happen. I believe you about the board and I think it absolutely sucks. I simply don't believe that it is a widespread issue with the board in general.

Your situation sucks, absolutely. I hope you get it resolved to your satisfaction quickly.

[Salnitro]

Hey dont want to interrupt or anything but im wondering if Java has figured out how it looks on SD tv?

thank you.

[Java Jack]

Sorry, have not had a chance to dig into this much. I will try to get to that this weekend.

[Java Jack]

Another Maui review with Leo Laporte and Ryan Shrout
http://twit.cachefly.net/odtv/0122-pcper10.mp4

Coverage starts about 10 mins into video or so.

[mmstudio]

Originally Posted by Java Jack

Another Maui review.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/res_200902/

Click on link in lower left corner of Mag cover.

Thanks for your previous comments on cases and I settled with a TF8. It replaced my Onkyo-805 + PS3 setup with a much smaller footprint and drives 5 Boston Accoustics E70 speakers (plus XB8 subwoofer) very well. I do notice that the amp output is bit low comparing to the onkyo I had. I need to crank the volumn up to 70-80 sometimes (vista). In the review they mentioned a firmware update which brought the amp output up by 6db. Is there any plan to release that to general public?

Btw, not related to this board specifically, in you TF8 build, do you have a remote module installed? If you do, were you able to connect the power button to the remote module in order to turn on the PC via remote? I can't even turn on the machine with the power button on the case if I connect that 2-pin cable between power button and remote module.

[htpc_1234]

I would like to use the silentflux media cooler for my htpc but I can't find a german shop that is selling it. Does anybody know if this cooler is available in europe? I've heard that Akasa distrubutes a similar cooler with the same technology (Akasa revo), but this one is to tall for my case.

best regards

[Java Jack]

Originally Posted by mmstudio

Thanks for your previous comments on cases and I settled with a TF8. It replaced my Onkyo-805 + PS3 setup with a much smaller footprint and drives 5 Boston Accoustics E70 speakers (plus XB8 subwoofer) very well. I do notice that the amp output is bit low comparing to the onkyo I had. I need to crank the volumn up to 70-80 sometimes (vista). In the review they mentioned a firmware update which brought the amp output up by 6db. Is there any plan to release that to general public?

Btw, not related to this board specifically, in you TF8 build, do you have a remote module installed? If you do, were you able to connect the power button to the remote module in order to turn on the PC via remote? I can't even turn on the machine with the power button on the case if I connect that 2-pin cable between power button and remote module.

I am working with D2 on a f/w update and the hope is to release that to our early adopters here. Still working on some of those details. It will likely be a better update than what we provided to the reviewers.

As for the TF8, no. Something weird in how that remote thing is working.

I used a USB expansion header that normally takes up an expansion slot and cables down to an internal header on the board. Removed the mounting bracket and then routed the cable inside to where the OLED would normally sit in the window under the ODD. Plugged in an USB ir transceiver to the cable and used some velcro to hold it in place. Now the usb ir transceiver is internally mounted behind the OLED window. Can't see it but seems to work fine with standard MCE remotes.

[Java Jack]

Originally Posted by htpc_1234

I would like to use the silentflux media cooler for my htpc but I can't find a german shop that is selling it. Does anybody know if this cooler is available in europe? I've heard that Akasa distrubutes a similar cooler with the same technology (Akasa revo), but this one is to tall for my case.

best regards

It is my understanding the Akasa is the distributor for Noiselimit. The cooler should be avialble over there, NL is based in Denmark.

[falcy]

hi all,

i followed this threat from the beginning and this week i received my parts for mij new htpc build around this board.
I putted everything in an antec fusion remote case , was struggling a bit with the cables (not much room because off the amp)

In the end all was fine. I tested the audio and i was impressed of the power and the sound of it.

The only thing i'm struggling with now is to play 1080p content in a good way.
At the moment with some movies i have not a perfect play of the movie , sometimes the screen freezes for a second well you all know what i mean
other movies play smooth.

I use mediaportal and coreavc for h264 , my cpu is 60-80% stressed with a 1080p movie of the matrix or the famous planet earth bird scene. When i play this with mpc-hc i still have not a smooth playback and my cpu is stressed between 10-20%.

So its probably something with the codecs. Strange thing is i use the same codecs as on my other htpc

I use : haali media splitter, avs filter, coreavc (h264), ffdshow

My specs are :

msi media live diva 5.1
amd x2 5050e
4g ddr2
windows vista 64 bit

I know it must run good so if its possible can anyone here tell me wich codecs they are using or witch combination of codecs.

[DonTHB]

Check the speed of Sideport memory in the BIOS. Chose the LOWER setting.

[mellamoesrico]

I was wondering about the Diva's compatibility with a CASA Tunes xli PCIe card. I thought it would be great to have the D2 7-ch preamp driving an HT amplifier PLUS the xli preamp card for 2-ch distribution to 6 rooms. Has anyone tested this combination of hardware yet?

[vladd]

I was able to get Vector Adaptive Deinterlacing running 1920x1080 by disabling Aero. Changing the scheme to Windows Basic allowed me to select VA and playback of interlaced sources is vastly improved.

VA vs Aero wasn't a difficult decision since I rarely see the desktop.

[mentor561]

Hello All,
I thought I was being way too aggressive in going after an unproven platform when I picked this mobo to be the backbone of my first HTPC build. I have put together a few computers in the past but had never used or built an HTPC or Vista.

I bought this motherboard just before the holidays (early December )and all I had to go on were a few reviews on newegg. I searched almighty google for more information for this board and other than vague mentions did not find anything. I took the plunge and bought this with the 5.1 amp and an antec micro fusion 350 Veris. I went with 4 GB in two sticks, a 4850e and Vista 64 ultimate. After a lot of issues trying to make everything fit in the case especially the amp card I finally had the hardware ready. Unfortunately this was a disappointment. Vista would crash on boot and I could never get it to boot.Needless to say I was very apprehensive and was mentally kicking myself for my stupidity.

To salvage what I had I started again and this time went with Vista 32 ultimate just trying to get a regular PC out of this. This time every thing went well and I was able to see Aero in all its glory. I installed the TV pack and started configuring the HTPC. This was all done in my home office where I had no speakers to test anything. I finally was ready to take this up to my secondary TV and hookup. I had to fiddle around a little bit but I got it working. I was amazed at the audio that came out of this thing. The picture was great and I am truly happy with what I have so far. It was then I discovered this thread. I wish I had seen this earlier it would have made a lot of things easier.

So if anyone is on the fence regarding this please take this as a sincere recommendation to go ahead. You will not be disappointed. If this is your first time putting an HTPC together it may be a bit daunting but should be no more difficult than any other regular install. Just make sure you get a tried and tested combination of this motherboard and cases.

I still have some issues that are not completely fixed.
I have a Vizio L32 HD tv as the primary HTPC display. I cannot get this to display the TV's native 1366*768 resolution via HDMI it is doing 720p.
I am slightly disappointed that I cannot use the line in feature.

Overall I have to say kudus to MSI for taking a risk with this visionary product and for reasonably good execution on the first try.
I have say hats off to you guys who took the leap when it came out and are helping others through the process of setting it up.

Thanks for all the great work here.

[safecracker909]

I have been following the thread for a long time now. I am new to the home theater scene. But this site has help me get this far. My first board didn't read memory from the 2nd bank and was returned. After several weeks waiting for a replacement, I finally received it. My new problem relates to not having audio.

Here is my setup:
MSI 4711 with the 7.1 sound cards.
Phenon 9650 95w processor being cooled by a noise limit silentflux cooler.
4GM RAM
1TB HDD
2TB HDD with RAID 5 via a Highpoint PCIe 1x card.
LG Blueray/DVD drive
Vista Ultimate 32bit OS

All fits nicely into the nMedia PC case.

XBOX360 and the HTPC are using HDMI and being routed to a Samsung 50" 8 Series HDTV via the Yamaha RX-V863. Kick ass video.

Device manager has no problems. Under sounds, video, and game controllers:
High Definition Audio Device
High Definition Audio Device
Realtek HD Audio

In BIOS, I made sure the 2 items that vladd had mentioned earlier were enabled.
In Realtek Audio Manager, the speakers are set to default 7.1

Everything is plumbed into a Yamaha RX-V863 receiver into the Multi Channel Input.

I have reinstalled the lasted drivers for the mobo and I am convinced it is something I did wrong. But can't find what I missed. Your help is appreciated.

[PGPFan]

Originally Posted by mentor561

I am slightly disappointed that I cannot use the line in feature.

Look for the little app that vladd wrote for us, a few pages back. It will allow you to use (and control) the line in of this board.

-PGPfan

[Java Jack]

Originally Posted by safecracker909

I have been following the thread for a long time now. I am new to the home theater scene. But this site has help me get this far. My first board didn't read memory from the 2nd bank and was returned. After several weeks waiting for a replacement, I finally received it. My new problem relates to not having audio.

Here is my setup:
MSI 4711 with the 7.1 sound cards.
Phenon 9650 95w processor being cooled by a noise limit silentflux cooler.
4GM RAM
1TB HDD
2TB HDD with RAID 5 via a Highpoint PCIe 1x card.
LG Blueray/DVD drive
Vista Ultimate 32bit OS

All fits nicely into the nMedia PC case.

XBOX360 and the HTPC are using HDMI and being routed to a Samsung 50" 8 Series HDTV via the Yamaha RX-V863. Kick ass video.

Device manager has no problems. Under sounds, video, and game controllers:
High Definition Audio Device
High Definition Audio Device
Realtek HD Audio

In BIOS, I made sure the 2 items that vladd had mentioned earlier were enabled.
In Realtek Audio Manager, the speakers are set to default 7.1

Everything is plumbed into a Yamaha RX-V863 receiver into the Multi Channel Input.

I have reinstalled the lasted drivers for the mobo and I am convinced it is something I did wrong. But can't find what I missed. Your help is appreciated.

I think the problem you are having is realated to the playback path selected.

Install the D2Audio driver from the MSI website. Then look at the audio panel again, one of those will be listed as the D2Audio device. Select that as your primary playback device and then configure it.

See here...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...&postcount=724

That should get your audio working.

[Java Jack]

Originally Posted by PGPFan

Look for the little app that vladd wrote for us, a few pages back. It will allow you to use (and control) the line in of this board.

-PGPfan

Here is a link to the app mentioned.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=1036

[falcy]

Originally Posted by DonTHB

Check the speed of Sideport memory in the BIOS. Chose the LOWER setting.

i have put it on 200mhz now (the lowest) before it was on 533mhz , problem is still the same, alot of hd stuff is not playing smooth.

[Java Jack]

Sounds like your system is not using h/w acceleration for the playback.

I am not familiar with Media Portal or coreavc so I cannot comment on how to get smooth 1080p playback out of that. That is an independent issue I suspect and not a h/w setting.

Sideport should be set to 400Mhz. Early bios defaulted this to 533Mhz, but the actual sideport chip is 400, not 533. Therefore, set it to 400 and leave the buffer size to auto.

[falcy]

ok done this but i can't get smooth playback out

I have tried the same movie (matrix) with different codecs

with cccp codex pack
with ffdshow only
with coreavc only

while playing a scene i have sometimes that my screen freezes for a sec like a framedrop. I monitored my cpu and its around 70% most of the time with ups till 90%
I know coreavc is software decoder and doesnt support hardware acceleration, the strange thing is my old system (amd proccessor and motherboard with the ati 2600 integrated) plays it all smooth with coreavc. Not a single freeze. I even know people who plays smooth 1080p on a atom processor with only coreavc so it seems odd.
I installed everything like on my old system exept avivo codecs (i see in software) but i believe avivo is already in catalyst drivers or not ?

I also tried to play with mpc-hc but same problem again, its not in all movies, dvd plays fine till now but at some 1080 p movies it seems there is something wrong. The only difference i see between my old system and this is that i was running on xp and now on vista 64bit.

Another thing, on some movies the sound was awfull (not really the sound but te voices ) i installed ac3 and it was fixed but know i have good sound but no image.

I know its sometimes a hazzle to make everything plays smooth and play all formats but i always managed to fixe it , now i have no clue

[Java Jack]

Is this a Blu ray disc or ripped content on a hard drive. What format and container/wrapper is the content? I am thinking this a profile C vs. profile D issue.

Older hardware supports partial acceleration (profile c) of WMV content, etc. Newer graphics cores no longer support partial accelearation but instead support full acceleration (profile D).

This would explain why your older gpu card plays the content smoothly.

[rene.aric]

i have a question about my setup , i havent put an htpc together, but i was wondering if all of my parts would work together, ive been watching this forum for about a month and i see that there are many people that love this platform, so hopefully i can make a flawless transition from all my components to one single htpc, from this setup can you see any problems arising?, or is there anything you would change?

thermaltake dh102 w/ 7" in touchscreen
amd am2+ phenom x4 9750
thermaltake W0129RU
msi media live diva 5.1
liteon LH2B1S bluray triple writer
diamond all in wonder HDMI, Tv tuner, DVI
arctic cooling lapping for noiselimit silentflux
noiselimit silent flux pro with optional fan
500 gb seagate barracuda for operating sys and programs
2x WD 1.5 tb hdd w/500gb seagate or 3x WD 2tb hdd
logitech dinovo mini
ricavision vave remote (whenever it comes out!!!!!!)
D-Link DWA-542


windows vista ultimate retail or OEM?


what kind of ddr2 800 ram i should get?

can i underclock a cpu that has higher performance?

can i overclock the 9750 to give it higher performance?

i have already bought the case the bluray the motherboard, heatsink lapping, the heatsink, and 500 gb drive, everything else is up in the air for about another week, then the wait will get the best of me and ill buy it on impulse, so any help you can give me will be very appreciated

thanks again,

and on a side note, im really impressed with all the professionalism that everyone on here exhibits. its good to know that people are willing to teach others, that know nothing about this platform, or just people with general questions

[vladd]

The 9750 will not work in this board. It is a 125W CPU and this board will only work with up to 95W CPUs. The 9650 is the top CPU that can be used and performs quite well for an HTPC.

Vista OEM will be fine.

I use G-Skill memory and I am quite pleased with it's performance (and the price is great).

[JoeWPgh]

From my experience, pay close attention to the RAM compatibility. My machine would not boot with 2x2 Gskill in Dual Channel mode. For others it would. It could have been problems inherent to my failed board, or inconsistencies with the RAM modules. It's not listed as compatible, so beware.
As for OEM vs retail, the difference is in how many hoops you must jump through if you have an MB or HDD failure that requires a clean reinstall and re-registration. For a $100+, I'm willing to spend an extra 20 ~ 30 minutes on the phone with someone from India.

[Java Jack]

There are some 95W 9750s so it really depends on which one it is. If a 125W version, then Valdd is right, it will not work. Board only supports up to 95W CPUs

As for overclocking, why? You really don't need super high performance for an HTPC. I would not bother.

As for memory, check the MSI compatability list.

OS, it's a personal choice.

[rene.aric]

amd's website says that there are two versions of the 9750 and that its 95w / 125w though, ive found them on the web for a good price too ,

[JoeWPgh]

The 9350e is a quad that comes in at 65 watts, 2 g/h. You might want more CPU for intensive recoding chores, but for basic use it's pretty spry. It's cooling requirments are fairly light, so it's a good choice if silence is an issue.

[rene.aric]

thanks, as far as im concerned you guys are gods to me right now, i cant wait to put this together, thanks

[Java Jack]

Thanks for the compliment, but not necessary at all. Community forums are a great place to hang out for both learning and sharing.

I think most people are happy to help others.

[vladd]

I wasn't aware of the 95W 9750s, sorry.