It may not have a JACK on the edge, but it does have a 3-pin header on the mobo labeled "S/PDIF". I'm not sure if the jack actual jack is a standard or easy to find part, like USB or Firewire jacks.

The motherboard has arrived:

1. It does have a header for an SPDIF connection. I suspect I can order the connector from MSI, but I'll probably check Fry's first.

2. In addition to the firewire port on the back, it also has a firewire header.

3. The SATA ports will prevent you from placing a long PCI card into one of the 4 PCI slots. The placement of the SATA ports does not prevent the use of a long PCI card in the other 3 slots.

I'll post more info once I have had a chance to do my build.

Marc

From a quick Google search...

http://www.vidabox.com/shop/index.php?m ... ducts_id=9

http://www.atacom.com/program/print_htm ... SER_ID=www

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Initial install is done and so far, so good. Some key observations:

1. Power consumption is down significantly: Idle at 80 watts vs. 130 watts; full load is 105 watts vs. 170 watts when compared to my previous system.

2. Transcode to xvid is twice as fast as my previous system.

3. Firewire works fine.

4. Bios is not "fussy" -- sleep / wakeup stuff works fine without any special tweaking.

5. I was able to boot my old image, ran netcardconfig as a precaution, and everything worked fine.

Old system was Pentium D-930 3ghz dual-core processor + asus motherboard + 6200LE card + 3 tuners + firewire card.

New system is Pentium E8400 3ghz dual-core processor + MSI motherboard + 3 tuner cards. Using on-board video + firewire.

Marc

Thanks for doing all the leg-work on this one. I have been thinking about upgrading my three year old box and came across this board(along with what looks like your review) on NewEgg and because of it, I will probably get it.

I know it doesn't have optical out but, please post on what you decide to do on this. I was thinking about getting a Turtle Beach RIVIERA sound card just for the optical but, If you can just hook something up to the header, that would be ideal.

Thanks again for testing this!
ryscar

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Hey, what do I put in this box?

Glad you found the info useful. I've been running 3 days without a problem, so its looking good. I'm not planning to pursue the use of the digital output for now, but when I do, I'll be trying to get it to work via the HDMI cable. FYI, my board came with BIOS version 4.0 pre-installed, which works with the E8400. Some of the newer wolfdale core processors require a BIOS upgrade -- the full list is here.

Marc

If you don't mind my asking: What did you do for RAM?

It seems like every time I get RAM for a board I end up getting the one brand/speed/combo that just wont work.

Also, did you choose that powerful of a processor for any specific reason? I ask because I will be coming from an Athlon 3000+ with 640megs and it seems to do everything, including HD, "OK".

-ryscar

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Hey, what do I put in this box?

I swiped the RAM out of a Dell desktop I have, so I don't know the brand other than it's what Dell shipped. In general, I have had a lot of good luck with Corsair and Crucial memory.

Why the E8400? A few reasons:

0. I wanted to minimize power consumption, and that Wolfdale core is the most power efficient desktop processor out there (I think ), so I wanted to stay in the wolfdale family.

1. I transcode some shows to xvid so I can watch them when I travel. The E8400 does the transcodes very quickly -- 2x faster than my old Pentirum D930. The reduced time to complete the transcode also saves power.

2. The E8400 works with the oldest BIOS supported by that motherboard, so I knew I wouldn't get caught trying to figure out how to flash the BIOS without a "spare" CPU hanging around.

3. The E8400 is on closeout sale -- got it for $150, so it wasn't much of a price premium.

4. At some point I will get the Hauppauge HD-PVR box that takes component video input and created x.264 MP4 output. My understanding is that those X.264 videos take a lot of CPU to play back, so I figure this was "cheap" insurance.

Other than that, no particular reason .

Marc

That makes sense to me and I do believe that answers all my questions! Thanks again for all of your help!

ryscar

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Hey, what do I put in this box?

I just went through this myself You'd think Mobo manufacturers would want to make it easier. At least you'd think Computer stores would have the manufacturer compatibility lists at their fingertips. It's in both of their best interests to ensure DIY-ers get it right and become repeat customers.

I've been hand-building systems for 14 years, and I think it's actually gotten HARDER since then.

For those interested, the E8500 is now on sale at Fry'sfor $150 + shipping. The E8500 is a slightly faster version of the E8400 I used.

Marc

After 3 year of faithful service, the power supply in my antec overture case started making loud noises for the first 90 seconds after powerup, so I replaced it with an Antec Earthwatts 430W PSU I picked up on sale for $20 at Fry's. The reduction in power consumption is significant:

Idle: 65 watts vs. 80 watts on the original PS

Peak: 91 watts vs. 105 watts on the original PS

Shutdown: 3 watts vs. 8 watts on the original PS.

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Marc

The views expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.