The Little Mobo that Could
Written: Mar 09 '04 (Updated Oct 04 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap, nForce2 chipset, DDR400, AGP/PCI freq locks
Cons: No voltage adjustments, no multiplier adjustments
The Bottom Line: Great for mild overclocking, and for marketing only (to list the chipset, and DDR400 dual-chan memory support). Can't play with the big boys.
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| nad_masters's Full Review: Biostar M7NCD Motherboard |
Edit: In light of dragon1's discovery, I have found that there were different "grades" of this particular model number. I moved this review here so it would not be considered off topic. I will delete this original review here once everything has settled in.
The nVidia nForce2 chipset. What does that ring to you? Is it speed? Quality? Overclockability? Stability? nVidia has created one heck of a chipset, and most enthusiest will purchase an Asus, Abit, or even a Gigabyte, provided that the brand-name is one that they trust and have loyalty to.
But what if we strip the brand name, and go with one that is synonomous with cheap, OEM, and value? Will the chipset miracle worker hold it's own? Let's find out!
Biostar M7NCD nForce2
Dispite being a Biostar, it holds a pretty extensive and mouth-watering list of features. Most of this you can thank nVidia for. However, can this chipset perform as well as it does without the big-wigs backing it? That's what we are here to find out.
I opened up my wallet and "splurged" for the Biostar M7NCD nForce2 motherboard. It set me back a slick $55, free shipping from NewEgg.com. Along with it, I also chose some generic 256 MB of DDR333 sticks - 2, please, for the dual channel feature. And of course, the CPU of choice was the AMD Athlon XP 2500 , a Barton core.
Packaging
It came in the usual pizza box, and it's just as small and thin as most cheapy boards come in. This is definately no Asus, Abit, or Gigabyte. The full-size ATX board was accompanied by a backplate, an 80-conductor IDE cable, a floppy cable, a manual, a driver CD, and a bundled version of Norton SystemWorks and Ghost - both 2003 versions. No additional brackets were included, which was a pitty, as you will find out why in a bit.
Features and Specs
From NewEgg's site
Model M7NCD
CPU Socket A for Athlon XP/ Athlon/ Duron Processors
Max FSB. 400MHz
Chipset nForce2 400 MCP
Memory 2x DIMM for DDR400/333/266 Max 2GB
Expansion Slots
1 x AGP 8X
1 x CNR
5 x PCI
IDE 2x UltraDMA 133 up to 4 Devices
Internal I/O Connectors
1 x Floppy
2 x Front USB 2.0
1 x Front audio header
1 x IrDA header
1 x CD In header
1 x Chassis intrusion header
1 x WOL header
Back Panel I/O Connectors
1 x LPT
2 x COM
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x PS/2 Mouse
4 x USB2.0
1 x LAN
Audio Ports
Integrated Video N/A
Integrated Audio Realtek ALC650 6-Channel AC'97 CODEC
Integrated LAN MCP NVIDIA MAC Realtek RTL8201BL PHY 10/100Mbps
Integrated 1394 N/A
System BIOS Award legal Bios.
APM1.2.
ACPI.
USB Function.
Additional Features Not Specified
Form Factor ATX
Dimensions 30.4cm X 19.9cm
Although they listed only 4-USB ports and no IEEE 1394 support, their manual (as well as the board itself) says otherwise. The disapointing part about not having those brackets (as mentioned above) is that you cannot utilize them. There are 6 USB ports supported, as well as an IEEE 1394 (Firewire). You can enable/disable them in the BIOS. While there are connectors there on the board, the BIOS was set to disable those features. You can essentially re-enable them.
Also mentioned was that the SoundStorm (nVidia's audio) supports 6-channels. However, there is also no audio bracket that will allow the board to really take advantage of it. The standard fare MIC, LINE-IN, and LINE-OUT makes their usual debut, of course. But no seperate bracket for supporting CENTER, SUB, and of course, the SPDIF digital coaxial/TOSLINK optical output/input. Without the digital output, the "real-time Dolby Digital encoding" is unusable.
Installation
Installation is simple without any exceptions. If you have installed a motherboard before, then you'll know what I mean by "simple". If not:
1. Depending on case, make sure all standoffs are installed in the correct positions for the motherboard. This will support the motherboard and will prevent it from shorting out.
2. Put in the CPU (align it with the notch), and put in the memory.
3. Plug in your hard drive(s) (make sure you have master/slave set correctly, or use Cable Select with a CS IDE cable).
4. Plug in your optical drive(s) (again, make sure you have master/slave set correctly - ditto with CS).
5. Plug in all the power cables (to the mobo, HDs, CD drives, etc).
6. Insert all your PCI and AGP card(s) (most importantly your video card).
7. Boot up.
Now, please don't just read that and do everything verbatim. That is just a shorten and over-generalized instructions. This way, I can refer back to this article in my future ePinions. ;)
The factory defaults are perfectly in line with most of today's setup. For example, while most cheapo mobo makers default the FSB to 100 Mhz, the mobo here has only two modes: safe and normal. Safe mode will turn all the settings down (lowest FSB). This will allow your system to boot from a bad OC. Normal just means it will go with the flow: does what you tell it to do, or what the default CPU and memory tells it to do (via microcodes and SPD).
It detected the AMD Athlon XP 2500 and the 400 MHz FSB memory fine. In other words, by default, it was in async mode (CPU was running at a FSB of 333 Mhz, while the memory was running at 400 MHz).
I quickly changed it to 1:1, so the memory works at 333 MHz.
CON- I tried to bump up the FSB to 400 MHz 1:1, and the system will post and begin to install Windows XP, but will blue-screen when the GUI part of the install was suppose to load.
CON- There are no voltage adjustments in the BIOS.
CON- There are no multiplier adjustments.
After Windows XP was installed, I went ahead and installed all the drivers (one-touch setup CD... nice!). After the reboot, I found that the CD also has a voltage adjustment program for the CPU. Once installed, though, there was no way to actually adjust it.
Even if you COULD adjust the voltage this way, you need the voltage already at it's higher state when booting up so that it won't prevent you from booting. Having it up the voltage once Windows is loaded is useless.
Overclocking
Well, as you read above, I already tried to dabble in OCing during the install, only because I was curious. Most system will boot up and see the 2500 as a 3200 . That also works here, but it just won't run stabily.
PRO- This motherboard has PCI/AGP frequency locks!
Even so, this motherboard can only overclock as high as the CPU allows it to. With that, though, it's still impressive. I was able to get the default 2500 (11x 166 = 1830 MHz) to run at 2GHz (11x 182 = 2002 MHz). Mild overclocking, but the bus is way beyond the default 166 MHz, but still not close enough to the magical 200 MHz.
So the limitation is actually the CPU being ran at it's default voltage. Temperatures are decent, of course (esp. at this "low speed"). 38*C during idle, and 51*C under load. Keep in mind this is using the standard issue AMD Athlon XP retail heatsink/fan combo and the solid thermal paste that was part of the retail package.
Final Words
It's a great motherboard for OEM system builders who want to advertise dual channel memory support, as well as the prestigious nVidia nForce2 chipset. The built-in sound is also recognized by the OS as by nVidia, so there's no argument here: the board uses the chipset for the standard features (including LAN).
For mild overclocking, you are good to go. DDR400 memory is now as cheap as DDR333, so getting them to do mild OCing with this board is a no-brainer. The firmware gave me no troubles at all.
As for the answer to the original question: No, the chipset can't hold it's own without a well-written firmware. You must have access to voltage adjustments to compliment the overclocking abilities of the nForce2 chipset. So in this case, you must either look for another cheapo board maker to list this as a feature their BIOS can handle, or stick with the big boys.
I still give it an "Above Average" rating only because it really IS above average for a board in this price class. Utilizing nVidia's nForce2 chipset for some of it's abilities (though not fully), is better than not using them at all! KT133 anyone? :P
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 55
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nad_masters
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Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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