MSI K8N NEO4-F

[lightzout]

I bought this mobo when it was first released and it has been rock solid. I have a 3500 winchester on it and it stays very vool @~39 c under heavy load/ildes at 31c. I couldbt be happier as the over gaming performance blows me away. I can run BF2 or Warcraft at max detail and still get 60-80 FPS using an ATI x800xl. Now i am looking to find a new chipset fan as I hear it will reduce noise significatly. Anyone try this?

 

[astrotech66]

I've built two systems based on this board without any problems, except for one BIOS issue. There's a setting in the BIOS for "KB/USB Storage." I put a media card reader in the computer and with that setting enabled it waits for about four minutes before finally booting into Windows. I guess if you have any USB storage devices, such as the media card reader (which hooks up to a USB header on the mobo), then it's searching them to see if they're bootable. When I disable that BIOS setting, then it boots up normally. I had the same problem on my MSI K8N Neo4 SLI when my external hard drive is attached, which has a media card reader in it, so it seems to be a problem with all the MSI NF4 boards, and not just the Neo4-F.

The systems I've built are for other people, so I haven't tried any overclocking with the board.

 

[F19]

Guys from where did you get latest BIOS for this MB ? i have searched but everywhere the BIOS is for platinum version not for F an i do not have an internet connetion to us the live update option ( . Do you have any link please !!! Thank you!
Somebody found this : http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/bios/bos/spt_bos_detail.php?UID=652&kind=1
But if you download the v 1.5 and unzip it you will find a "7125.txt" file in which is written on the first line : "K8N Neo4 Platinum (MS-7125) V1.5 BIOS Release" altough the link page says that is for the F version.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Wow long thread about this board.

I just bought it this week with some other items to finally update my old computer; I still didn?t get the items probably in another week or so. I hope I don?t get any problems and I?m not over clocking, in fact I never done that before so lots of the items you guys wrote about confused the hell out of me lol.

I got the Motherboard and a Athlon 64 3000+ Venice and a Nvidia 6200 video card.

Hopefully everything will go smooth unlike the last time I built the computer I have, were I spent two days trying to get the computer just to turn on, finally found out that CMOS jumper diagram was wrong and that?s why it would not start up.

 

[msi or epox]

I am considering this mofo because its a cheap nforce 4 that will go with my budget system. After hearing of these problems I may just go with the Neo4 ultra or the latest epox board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123236

 

[the Juice]

Originally posted by: msi or epox
I am considering this mofo because its a cheap nforce 4 that will go with my budget system. After hearing of these problems I may just go with the Neo4 ultra or the latest epox board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123236

You are considering this mofo!!! Well get this mofo then, I did. I can show you similar posts about all the top boards even the ASUS. I dont think this particular board has any more problems than others. After lots of research I ordered the MSI K8N Neo4-F for 85$ shipped. Should be here in another day. I don't mind if I can only overclock a little because thats all I plan on doing.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: the Juice

Originally posted by: msi or epox
I am considering this mofo because its a cheap nforce 4 that will go with my budget system. After hearing of these problems I may just go with the Neo4 ultra or the latest epox board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123236

You are considering this mofo!!! Well get this mofo then, I did. I can show you similar posts about all the top boards even the ASUS. I dont think this particular board has any more problems than others. After lots of research I ordered the MSI K8N Neo4-F for 85$ shipped. Should be here in another day. I don't mind if I can only overclock a little because thats all I plan on doing.

Another day ... I have to wait like probably another 7-10 days. I bought three items from Tigerdirect and all items are backorder...

 

[Cobalt]

I made another thread about this board a couple days ago which documented my trials to OC my Venice 3000+ with it. http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1636425 The 1.71beta BIOS fixes all the OC problems.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: cobalt
I made another thread about this board a couple days ago which documented my trials to OC my Venice 3000+ with it. http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1636425 The 1.71beta BIOS fixes all the OC problems.

cool beans, if i ever decide to try over clocking it, i will use your info.

 

[the Juice]

Nevermind! I had a little gunk on the cpu pins, works fine now. Sweet! No problems at all so far with this mobo, no strange shut downs or anything. Played counterstrike source all day, rock solid at default settings.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

So i got my Motherboard last week but still havent got it to work yet because still waiting on my CPU to be delivered.

I do have a question for all of you that have this motherboard. What parts came with it? did you get a D Bracket 2 adapter?

 

[brikis98]

Check out the very bottom of this page:

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8N_Neo4-F&class=mb

Also comes with driver software and a manual.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: brikis98
Check out the very bottom of this page:

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8N_Neo4-F&class=mb

Also comes with driver software and a manual.

I got everything but the D bracket, but if i look on other websites like, newegg and zipzoomfly they dont show the d bracket on the picture contents.

The manual talks about it as an optional item. I don't know if it means optional as in you dont need to use it or optional accessory.
On another MSI site it shows it as an accessory included but states the following
" The accessories will probably be different according to the different sales areas or product models..etc etc"

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Jnetty99

Originally posted by: brikis98
Check out the very bottom of this page:

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8N_Neo4-F&class=mb

Also comes with driver software and a manual.

I got everything but the D bracket, but if i look on other websites like, newegg and zipzoomfly they dont show the d bracket on the picture contents.

The manual talks about it as an optional item. I don't know if it means optional as in you dont need to use it or optional accessory.
On another MSI site it shows it as an accessory included but states the following
" The accessories will probably be different according to the different sales areas or product models..etc etc"

I bought mine from a user here on AT, and it came w/ a D bracket. I think he got it originally from Monarchcomputer, so you might want to try them.

It is optional (that is, you don't have to have it installed for the motherboard to work), but it has two useful purposes:

1. Provides 2 USB ports
2. Provides LEDs that will light up in a certain pattern if something goes wrong; you can look up the pattern in the manual to find out what it means (such as "no CPU detected").

 

[feelthaflo]

I have this board with a Venice 3000+ and it runs fine at 245x9 (2200) with stock voltage. If I increase the voltage in the BIOS, the system will boot with VCore of around 1.1V and will reduce CPU ratio to X5 by itself. I can use clockgen to increase voltage once in Windows, but that only gives me 1.45. I can hit 267x9 (2400) with this voltage and get through Prime95 for a couple minutes (haven't really tested longer than that). My biggest problem is that my VCore seems to fluctuate wildly +-.020 from where it is supposed to be and using the VCore % only increases this error. As a result, I have never been able to stabilize anything over 2400 on this board. My memory is Corsair Value 1gig dual channel running at 2:3 or 3:4 with latencies of 2.5-3-3-7@1T. I'm thinking I should definitely be getting a better push than this with what I've seen on this site. When I go over 267, the system blue-screens and I have to reboot. I can get the exact error message if that helps to diagnose the problem. Should I be blaming my power supply and the changing VCore? I had an Antec 350SP and just went to an interim 500W until my Truepower430 2.0 comes in. The 500 is no more stable than the 350, but runs it's voltages a little high. Anyone with similar problems or suggestions, please let me know.

 

[Snowice]

Originally posted by: cobalt
I made another thread about this board a couple days ago which documented my trials to OC my Venice 3000+ with it. http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=1636425 The 1.71beta BIOS fixes all the OC problems.

thanks cobalt.... bios 1.71b indeed fixes all the OC problems. i was frustrated with this new built for my friend untill i found this bios

 

[msi or epox]

How did the overclock go for your friend with the neo4-f?

thanks

 

[AnimEva]

The 1.9 bios came out a few days ago. Has anyone tested it yet?

 

[the cobbler]

Originally posted by: feelthaflo
I have this board with a Venice 3000+ and it runs fine at 245x9 (2200) with stock voltage. If I increase the voltage in the BIOS, the system will boot with VCore of around 1.1V and will reduce CPU ratio to X5 by itself. I can use clockgen to increase voltage once in Windows, but that only gives me 1.45. I can hit 267x9 (2400) with this voltage and get through Prime95 for a couple minutes (haven't really tested longer than that). My biggest problem is that my VCore seems to fluctuate wildly +-.020 from where it is supposed to be and using the VCore % only increases this error. As a result, I have never been able to stabilize anything over 2400 on this board. My memory is Corsair Value 1gig dual channel running at 2:3 or 3:4 with latencies of 2.5-3-3-7@1T. I'm thinking I should definitely be getting a better push than this with what I've seen on this site. When I go over 267, the system blue-screens and I have to reboot. I can get the exact error message if that helps to diagnose the problem. Should I be blaming my power supply and the changing VCore? I had an Antec 350SP and just went to an interim 500W until my Truepower430 2.0 comes in. The 500 is no more stable than the 350, but runs it's voltages a little high. Anyone with similar problems or suggestions, please let me know.

have you tried raising your chipset voltage?

my FSB is over 300 and getting it there and stable required 1.8v on the NF4. Default voltage is going to keep you from hitting high FSB.

also Vcore fluctuations of up to .05 are perfectly normal. .02 is actually very good.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Has anyone else had stability issues with this board at stock speeds?? I crash out of Madden 2006 & Battlefield 2 daily now, and sometimes even in Windows. Sometimes it will beep when it boots & other times it won't. I am honestly at a loss as to what the problem could be at this point. I have had my USB ports quit working, instability, and a wierd dull buzzing noise coming from the case. I thought it was my video card but I got ATiTool and found the temperatures were fine, and also uninstalled, driver cleaner, reinstalled the drivers. Something just seems very wrong, and while I am not sure it is the board I do know that the USB thing freaked me out. When it runs right, it runs like a dream so I don't want to give up on the board without a good fight.

What kind of voltages should I be running at stock speeds & what could possibly be the problem at this point? I am on BIOS v1.5 and wondering if a Live Update would help...

Originally posted by: the Juice
Nevermind! I had a little gunk on the cpu pins, works fine now. Sweet! No problems at all so far with this mobo, no strange shut downs or anything. Played counterstrike source all day, rock solid at default settings.

What kind of gunk was on your pins? I think mine have some thermal compound on them. I bought the CPU used from someone online, so maybe I need to clean that stuff off of the pins? If so, how could I do it without causing a problem or bending the pins?

 

[aiya24]

Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy
Has anyone else had stability issues with this board at stock speeds?? I crash out of Madden 2006 & Battlefield 2 daily now, and sometimes even in Windows. Sometimes it will beep when it boots & other times it won't. I am honestly at a loss as to what the problem could be at this point. I have had my USB ports quit working, instability, and a wierd dull buzzing noise coming from the case. I thought it was my video card but I got ATiTool and found the temperatures were fine, and also uninstalled, driver cleaner, reinstalled the drivers. Something just seems very wrong, and while I am not sure it is the board I do know that the USB thing freaked me out. When it runs right, it runs like a dream so I don't want to give up on the board without a good fight.

What kind of voltages should I be running at stock speeds & what could possibly be the problem at this point? I am on BIOS v1.5 and wondering if a Live Update would help...

Originally posted by: the Juice
Nevermind! I had a little gunk on the cpu pins, works fine now. Sweet! No problems at all so far with this mobo, no strange shut downs or anything. Played counterstrike source all day, rock solid at default settings.

What kind of gunk was on your pins? I think mine have some thermal compound on them. I bought the CPU used from someone online, so maybe I need to clean that stuff off of the pins? If so, how could I do it without causing a problem or bending the pins?

that might be bios issue or memory issue. try updating to newest bios and see if that helps at all. if you have any spare ram to test then do so. if you dont then try one stick of ram if your running dual channel then run memtest to see if it has errors. as for the buzzing noise check your NB fan. oh and please post your system specs so we can help you further if the problem persists. also whats your power supply?

 

[MDTerp429]

First time post...

i just want to refresh this forum, since its been a while since the last post. I'm interested in purchasing this board. This will be for my brother and his family, who definitely won't be overclocking. It is also my first build, so i'm concerned about ease of installation/use as well.

Pairing it with 3000+ Venice.

I don't know much about OCing, but as I learn more and experiment on my own system (that i have yet to build), i may want to OC this board to provide my bro with a boost in performance.

Anyone have any comments on the performance or issues of this board at stock speeds? What about for a small overclock, say to like 2.0 GHz? Also, is the interface for the BIOS rather straightforward?

 

[Pr0d1gy]

AMD 3500+
Patriot XBL 1gb dual channel
MSI NEO4-F
74gb Raptor
X800XL (about to be an ASUS AX850XT PE)
Antec 550w TruePowerII

The problem persists. I have changed out everything in this computer but the memory & processor at this point and I passed Prime95 for 14 hours at stock settings. I'm wondering if my problem is the crap in the pins of my processor like that guy said earlier. I think I'm going to clean those pins but I don't know the best method.

 

[aiya24]

Originally posted by: MDTerp429
First time post...

i just want to refresh this forum, since its been a while since the last post. I'm interested in purchasing this board. This will be for my brother and his family, who definitely won't be overclocking. It is also my first build, so i'm concerned about ease of installation/use as well.

Pairing it with 3000+ Venice.

I don't know much about OCing, but as I learn more and experiment on my own system (that i have yet to build), i may want to OC this board to provide my bro with a boost in performance.

Anyone have any comments on the performance or issues of this board at stock speeds? What about for a small overclock, say to like 2.0 GHz? Also, is the interface for the BIOS rather straightforward?

MSI boards have dynamic overclocking in the bios. if you havent heard of it, it lets you oc by army rank and the higher the rank the bigger the percentage oc will be but its not a big increase like 5-6%. its basically overclocking for noobs

 

[aiya24]

Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy
AMD 3500+
Patriot XBL 1gb dual channel
MSI NEO4-F
74gb Raptor
X800XL (about to be an ASUS AX850XT PE)
Antec 550w TruePowerII

The problem persists. I have changed out everything in this computer but the memory & processor at this point and I passed Prime95 for 14 hours at stock settings. I'm wondering if my problem is the crap in the pins of my processor like that guy said earlier. I think I'm going to clean those pins but I don't know the best method.

nice set up :thumbsup:

some ppl use 70-100% alcohol stuff but i have no clue what to wipe it with since i think q-tips are too big. if you have any arcticlean that will work too. dab some on and let it dissolve for 30secs to a minute and then use some compressed air? might want to check the socket holes too if theres any gunk in them if any.