abit NF-M2 nView

All about them.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

gatekeeper
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:50 am

Post by gatekeeper » Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:06 am

Got my system pretty much set up now, so thought I'd share a few statistics of how it's gone for the general good.

Specs:
Antec Solo (rear case fan running on 'low')
Athlon 64 x2 Energy Efficient (65w)
Scythe Ninja rev B (running passive)
Abit NF-M2 Nview
2x 1GB Aeneon DDRII 667mhz
Gigabyte 7600GT (running passive using "Silent Pipe II")
Samsung 400GB SATA II HD
DigiTV USB DVB digital TV tuner card
Seasonic S12 380w PSU

After seeing an earlier post about the tight fit of the Ninja HS on this board, I nevertheless bit the bullet and got it - and strangely I don't have a problem. The Ninja fits exactly without pushing any capacitors out of line (unless the difference is that this is a RevB model). There is an issue with the Ninja and DIMM slot access though, so I decided to get all the RAM I am ever likely to need in this system up front (2GB).

This is not intended to be a silent system, just pleasantly quiet. It is set to dynamically under/over clock/volt into three performance bands using Crystal CPUID for most efficient use of power and smooth running. Results as follows:

(CPU testing - no disk activity):
2.2Ghz (11x multiplier) @ 1.150v (using 78w idle, 100w load). Temps under load - CPU: 34c, System: 32c
1.8Ghz (9x multiplier) @ 0.950v (71-73w idle, 88/89w load). Temps under load - CPU: 26c, System: 31c
1.2Ghz (6x multiplier) @ 0.800v (66/67w idle, 76w load). Temps under load - CPU: 18-22c, System: 31c.

I like this board. It seems solid. The only slight weirdness I had during installation was setting it to boot from the dvd drive to install windows - it would say it was booting from cd, but then switch to booting windows from the hard drive. I contacted Abit and they suggested setting the dvd drive to cable select, but I haven't tried it as I'd already got round the problem by then.

I'm also not sure that the board cuts power to the onboard graphics when discrete graphics are installed, but this is difficult to check.

signal64
Posts: 61
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2006 4:11 am

Post by signal64 » Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:05 am

Dumb question, but when it says "Boot CD:" did you hit enter?
Had to do that on mine then got the "Windows Setup" loading.

Acronis didn't need the extra knudge. It just went straight in.

gatekeeper
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:50 am

Post by gatekeeper » Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:51 am

I did, and it actually spun up the cd and started reading it, then shortly afterward switched to booting from hard drive. Strange.

tempeteduson
Posts: 189
Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2004 12:56 pm
Location: Houston, Texas
Contact:

Post by tempeteduson » Thu Feb 01, 2007 1:17 am

More reviews of this abit mobo are popping up, from Björn3D and techFEAR.

The Björn3D review was a surprise, as my initial reaction was: WTF?
(1) They basically compared the AM2 and C2D platforms (rather than other AM2 boards) by testing X2 3800+ vs. E6600 (!)... and then complained about the poor performance of the abit.
(2) They advise against it for gamers because of the mediocre performance of the integrated graphics. Isn't that what the X16 slot is for?
(3) They made a small point about the lack of dual DVI. Has anyone yet seen an IGP mobo with that feature? Didn't think so.

:roll:

To their credit, the review did mention that their first sample was DOA, which reflects the frequency of that problem seen in Newegg reviews. There was also a problem with stuttering of the onboard audio.

The techFEAR review was fairly run-of-the-mill, but they did test the board over a 30-day period. They noted excellent stability.

tempeteduson
Posts: 189
Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2004 12:56 pm
Location: Houston, Texas
Contact:

Post by tempeteduson » Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:55 am

Guess what? Another review over at hardCOREware. This one's pretty good; I liked it.

Iron_Dreamer
Posts: 60
Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2003 11:43 pm

Post by Iron_Dreamer » Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:55 pm

I just put one of these boards in a build today, and felt like sharing a few things. I was surprised to find out just how awful the fan control on this board is. Having read this thread, I knew speedfan was going to be pointless; but since this computer is for a relatively novice user, it's just as well. I figured the BIOS fan control system would work pretty decently, since I'd not heard any complaints here (other than that the CPU header needs a 4-pin fan for PWM).

However, I got very irritated by the fan control system not following as the manual said it should. From the manual, I got the impression that if:

Actual Temp < ( Threshold Temp + Tolerance Temp)

The fan would run at the "stop" speed value, which I tried at the various settings from 40-70% No dice, the fan stayed at 100%, and I was starting to think the board had a defect. Then, for some strange reason, the random config of 40C for threshold, and 3C for tolerance got the fan to throttle momentarily, so I knew the controller worked.

It was not until I got Windows loaded and tried the Abit EQ program to see how it performed, that the fan controller decided to work properly. Nowhere in the manual did it disclose that the fan controller would only work as intended with Abit EQ running. Great, now my user has to put up with another tray program running for no real reason!

Aside from that, the range of fan speeds possible is rather lame (minimum 40% in my case) which leaves the stock cooler still somewhat whiny at idle.

I'm glad I used this board in a relatively low-cost setup where silence was not at a premium, before I used it in a more critical application. I guess if one uses outboard fan controllers, or just 5/7V's all their fans, it's not big deal. But I really love the flexibility of automated fan control, and I was disappointed to see how short this otherwise great board comes up in this regard.

Otherwise the nView is a pretty fine board; I was able to get good OC's on the CPU and RAM, and the OTES heatsink remained very cool, it's certainly the best fanless heatsink system I've had come pre-installed on a mobo. The BIOS was typical Abit, very easy to navigate and tweak, although I would have preferred having the RAM setup in the softmenu options area.

Here's a picture of today's efforts:

Image

MC FLMJIG
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:47 pm
Location: NY
Contact:

Post by MC FLMJIG » Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:23 pm

I luv Abit and they are most certainly back!!!

http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherbo ... YPE=LGA775

strat_53711
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:10 am

Post by strat_53711 » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:05 am

I've read that the NF-M2 is going to be replaced soon.

See article at http://sffclub.com/

I was just about to order this motherboard.

Also there seems to be a new mATX ABIT motherboard for Intel CPU.

Abit F-I90HD

See article at http://www.legitreviews.com/news/3198/

I'll need to see if the F-I90HD will work with Linux and MythTV.

(I read somewhere that Nvidia video has better Linux support)

MC FLMJIG
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:47 pm
Location: NY
Contact:

Post by MC FLMJIG » Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:23 am


matt_garman
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 541
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:35 am
Location: Chicago, Ill., USA
Contact:

Post by matt_garman » Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:37 am

strat_53711 wrote:I've read that the NF-M2 is going to be replaced soon.

See article at http://sffclub.com/

I was just about to order this motherboard.
...with the AN-M2, according to the link. Unfortunately, all I can find on the web are other people inquiring about it. :(

I literally just ordered an NF-M2; newegg's been out of stock for a long time, so I found one at buy.com. The NF-M2 has pretty much everything I need (for Linux-based MythTV HTPC/media computer), and great reviews here and elsewhere. I just hope it lasts, and Abit continues to support it with timely BIOS updates, etc.
strat_53711 wrote:I'll need to see if the F-I90HD will work with Linux and MythTV.

(I read somewhere that Nvidia video has better Linux support)
The best (current) video support for Linux is arguably Intel video, since the drivers are open source, and, from what I can tell, Intel has been pretty helpful to the developers (second-hand knowledge disclaimers apply). Unfortunately, Intel video hardware currently lags nVidia and ATi by a substantial margin.

So, yes, next best is Nvidia.

Most of the Linux community is hoping that AMD (having purchased ATI) will make ATI video cards more Linux friendly.

Techno Pride
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 12:57 am

Post by Techno Pride » Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:02 am

I just got this mobo together with the X2 3600+ (2ghz, 2x256kb). Startup voltage is 1.25v.

I'm trying Prime95 with the new setup at 2GHz, 1.15v. :lol:

btw, I've noticed that the DVI out from the motherboard isn't exactly stellar. Output from my previous AGP gf6600 seems to be better.

EDIT:

I have settled on 2GHz, 1.10v. Motherboard overvolts it to 1.12v though.

Anyway, what do i do to get CnQ working? The processor speed is stuck at 2GHz and it doesn't drop?? I have CnQ set to Auto in BIOS.

matt_garman
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 541
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:35 am
Location: Chicago, Ill., USA
Contact:

Post by matt_garman » Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:52 am

If anyone's interested, I finished the upgrade to my MythTV (HTPC) box. Stats:
  • Case: Antec NSK2400
  • PSU: Seasonic S12 430
  • Motherboard: Abit NF-M2 nView
  • CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
  • HSF: Thermalright SI-128 fanless
  • Fan(s): 2 x Yate Loon D12SL-12 120mm (black)
  • Video: Integrated nVIDIA GeForce 6150
  • RAM: G.SKILL 2x512MB DDR2 800 F2-6400PHU2-1GBHZ
  • HD1: Western Digital SE16 WD3200KS 320GB
  • Video Capture1: pcHDTV 5500
  • OS: Gentoo Linux
CPU is slightly overclocked at 2.2 GHz (10x220). No heatsink directly on the SI-128, but the two Yate Loons are blowing inward. Someday I might experiment with having them blowing the other way.

Fans are both controlled by a Zalman Fanmate. I'm guessing they're running at roughly 5--6 volts: I turned the Fanmate all the way down, then slowly turned it up until I could just barely hear the fans (i.e. the control is still almost at the lowest setting). With the cover on, and the case tucked under the entertainment center, the machine is inaudible.

The onboard 6150 GPU doesn't seem to have a thermal sensor, so I don't know how it's doing. When the machine is idle, it's not even warm to the touch.

CPU temps:
CPUBurn: CPU: 58, Case: 40
SETI@home: CPU: 47, Case 38
Idle: CPU: 30, Case 34

I might also play around with the overclocking options. I let the BIOS auto configure my memory, and it reports 5-5-5-15 timings; these chips are advertised as 4-4-4-12. But those are just numbers to me, as I really don't know enough about memory timings to feel comfortable messing with them.

Matt

wussboy
Posts: 635
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:34 pm
Location: Southampton, UK

Post by wussboy » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:10 am

Techno Pride wrote:I just got this mobo together with the X2 3600+ (2ghz, 2x256kb). Startup voltage is 1.25v.

I'm trying Prime95 with the new setup at 2GHz, 1.15v. :lol:

btw, I've noticed that the DVI out from the motherboard isn't exactly stellar. Output from my previous AGP gf6600 seems to be better.

EDIT:

I have settled on 2GHz, 1.10v. Motherboard overvolts it to 1.12v though.

Anyway, what do i do to get CnQ working? The processor speed is stuck at 2GHz and it doesn't drop?? I have CnQ set to Auto in BIOS.
How did you get the board to undervolt? I was under the impression this was impossible.

Techno Pride
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 12:57 am

Post by Techno Pride » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:41 am

wussboy wrote: How did you get the board to undervolt? I was under the impression this was impossible.
If you're running Windows, CrystalCPUID is your best friend. :lol:

MC FLMJIG
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:47 pm
Location: NY
Contact:

Post by MC FLMJIG » Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:12 am

techno, u may need to dl driver

Techno Pride
Posts: 347
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 12:57 am

Post by Techno Pride » Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:16 am

MC FLMJIG wrote:techno, u may need to dl driver
hi MC, thanks. I've already installed the driver, but forgot to update the previous post. It was the ABIT EQ utility that prevented CnQ from kicking in. Anyway, I disabled CnQ because it messed with my undervolt.

btw, i've noticed that the fw1394 header is in a bad position on this board. It prevents the use of a long PCI card in the bottom slot.

[F]bernZ
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:44 pm

Post by [F]bernZ » Sat Mar 10, 2007 6:32 pm

So I've come across a snag in my NF-M2.. Wondering if MC could help, since he overclocked much higher than I did, as it seems.

Right now I have a set of GSkill 2GB NQ stuff.. however, there's a few problems.

If I raise my FSB any higher than 266 using dividers OTHER than DDR2-800, it doesn't POST at all. Using DDR2-800 and 266FSB, I can get it to post no problem and it works fine, but I don't want to have to run my ram at an overclocked state. In fact, I'm even fine with it running lower than DDR2-800. But.. It seems like the motherboard [or the ram] doesn't want me to run the GSkill stuff any lower than DDR2-800.

It should also be noted that if I do not toy with the FSB, all the other dividers work perfectly fine.

However! I also have a stick of Crucial Rendition stuff. It allows me to practically use any divider I want and it'll work fine, at any FSB.

Would this be a problem with the RAM or just the RAM not playing nicely with my motherboard?

MC FLMJIG
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:47 pm
Location: NY
Contact:

Post by MC FLMJIG » Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:29 am

Ok.

1st things 1st.

What is the max your mem can do?
What is the max you cpu can do?

Once you have those it's a piece of cake to get an OC stable.

If you are using the memory u have in ur sig I think that may be the problem. Before we can be sure we need to know the max stable frequency your mem can reach.

I would not start it at DDR2 800. If you're using a sempron I would start at 667 or lower and as you go higher the memory frequency will also rise.

What is your HT link at as well? Past 250FSB you may want to drop it to 3x. The HT should stay around 800 - 1000.

LEt me know how you do... ;)

[F]bernZ
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:44 pm

Post by [F]bernZ » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:49 am

Oh, I was the guy that did up to 340 on the Sempron, my results are on page 4. ;)

Timings are as follows:

DDR2-800 at 5-5-5-15 at 2T at 2.0V


The main issue isn't when I try to push the clocks on the CPU, that's not even the thing, because its rock stable at 340 * 8 --> 2.72Ghz.

I don't even know what the max of the mem is because I haven't been able to get it to work stable.


The NEW memory I'm using is GSkill's 2GB NQ kit. The old memory was just a stick of Corsair Rendition [it performs/performed extremely well]

I'm not exactly new at the overclocking department, so I've tried pretty much everything I can think of:

Changing HTT Multiplier to 3X HTT
Changing dividers <-- This is what the ram and the motherboard seem to mess up with. If I touch the dividers ,I can't post anywhere above 275 REGARDLESS of which divider I use.
Pumping more voltage into the RAM [I hit 2.1V once and then stopped for fear of messing up the RAM]

Single stick setup, tried all the slots, tried single channel with two sticks, dual channel with two sticks, all conceivable combinations of slots, I've tried.


I'm thinking it may be a RAM problem, but I'd like to ask you MC:


Did you have much problem trying to get the motherboard to cooperate using DDR2-800 memory? Regardless of the divider you used*

MC FLMJIG
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:47 pm
Location: NY
Contact:

Post by MC FLMJIG » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:10 am

The best sticks I had were Crucial Ballistix. Board loved them. No matter what I did, OC wise, it booted. Went over 500Mhz and no problems no matter what divider and multi.

However I've tried various other models and haven't been so successful. I can go over 400 (DDR2800) but have to work harder at it.

Have you tried half multi's? Try half multis and see what happens.

Also try upping the PCIE up a bit 201-207. Sometimes it works.

[F]bernZ
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:44 pm

Post by [F]bernZ » Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:12 am

I can't gain access to the multiplier settings because I do all my overclocking from within the BIOS. I don't know where they offer the setting for the mutli on the CPU, unfortunately, :(.

In any case, I think I've got a buyer lined up for the GSkill sticks. If all goes well then this will be a short little bad dream.. Too much crap to deal with, :lol:

wussboy
Posts: 635
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:34 pm
Location: Southampton, UK

Post by wussboy » Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:13 am

Heh. Because of my research into RMClock and CrystalCPU I realized that I didn't in fact have CnQ running. :oops: Now I do, and my CPU is idling at 6 degrees above ambient! God bless MikeC and the NSK2400!

porkchop
Posts: 496
Joined: Thu May 25, 2006 1:19 am
Location: Australia

Post by porkchop » Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:47 am

i've read somewhere that you can use the onboard graphics together with another pci-express card which will allow up to 4 monitors.

this caught my eye because i have 2 lcds and also an lcd tv.


this isnt a deal breaker for me though, so as long as this board is still available when i build my new pc, i'll get it (in which i'll also post pics in the general gallery).

but thats a long ways away. :D

Lawrence Lee
SPCR Reviewer
Posts: 1115
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 9:07 pm
Location: Vancouver

Post by Lawrence Lee » Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:09 pm

Bump. Does anyone know where the nview board is available? I can't find it stocked at any retailer in the US or Canada.

rei
Posts: 967
Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:36 am

Post by rei » Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:35 pm

it's been discontinued. i'm not sure what it's been replaced with.

Firetech
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 680
Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 4:50 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Post by Firetech » Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:32 am

rei wrote:it's been discontinued. i'm not sure what it's been replaced with.
AN-M2HD

rei
Posts: 967
Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:36 am

Post by rei » Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:01 am

no more heatpipe eh?

Svideo/Firewire/HDMI vs DVI
AN-M2HD vs AN-M2 eh?


Still looks sweet. I love my NF-M2 Nview. Just wish it were C2D. Oh well, now that X2 5200s dropped $200 in price, I can get one for under the cost of a E6400 C2D.

rei
Posts: 967
Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:36 am

Post by rei » Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:02 am

ah, what a scam, a renamed geforce 6-6150 onboard video gpu into 'geforce 7050'

MC FLMJIG
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:47 pm
Location: NY
Contact:

Post by MC FLMJIG » Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:23 am

[F]bernZ wrote:I can't gain access to the multiplier settings because I do all my overclocking from within the BIOS. I don't know where they offer the setting for the mutli on the CPU, unfortunately, :(.

In any case, I think I've got a buyer lined up for the GSkill sticks. If all goes well then this will be a short little bad dream.. Too much crap to deal with, :lol:
It's in the bios!

Soft menu!

Think it's the 1st thing u see on bios.

porkchop
Posts: 496
Joined: Thu May 25, 2006 1:19 am
Location: Australia

Post by porkchop » Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:39 am

one pic shows dvi, vga and hdmi.:shock:

wouldn't the cooling be better since the heat doesn't need to go through a heatpipe?

other changes are:
only 1 ide.
more usb?
no firewire for the an-m2.

lets hope it OCs just as well since the nview isn't even available in Aus. :D
Last edited by porkchop on Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

Post Reply