[mythtv-users] OT: nForce2 -- the real scoop

[Shane Hetzel]

I have Jarod's motherboard too, the Chaintech 7NIF2, running Gentoo with
zero problems. All the issues that I've had so far appeared to be IvTV
instabilities (single PVR-250), but the new CVS seems to have smoothed that
out, too. I didn't see any other motherboards with the S-Video connector
right on the motherboard (no brackets to worry about), as well as a IrDA
port for my homemade transceiver, so I got it. Easy to set up and use. The
ATX power connector is in a crummy location, but I can live with it.

Three things:

1) Since I'm running Gentoo I routinely build my own kernels and was easily
able to shut off the APIC myself. Done, and I know it's gone.

2) I love Gentoo, but I have to get in a dickfight with portage to reinstall
the nvidia drivers after every kernel rebuild. It's not too bad. I made a
list that I use that I should turn into a script someday. It's aggrivating,
but it's not enough to make me give up Gentoo. Besides, now that my system
is in the "polish" phase, I really don't need to rebuild the kernel anymore.

3) I have not tried S/PDIF yet. I have neither the bracket nor a Stereo to
plug it in to. But I have heard that some people have had issues with the
fixed sample rates. If it matters to you, it might be worth looking into
before you buy.


For me, there was no real decision. There are simply too many things
conveniently built into the nForce2 chipset to ignore, and I needed to get
this thing off the ground cheaply. The driver support is sufficient, and I
only expect it to get better (the GeForce drivers notwithstanding). As far
as the OS goes, I've used Gentoo for a few years and I am more comfortable
using it than any other distro right now. I enjoy the flexibility and the
build system (portage).


-Shane



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jarod C. Wilson" <jcw at wilsonet.com>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 3:48 PM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] OT: nForce2 -- the real scoop


> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> On Tuesday 23 December 2003 11:06, Joseph A. Caputo wrote:
> > Okay, so it seems that half the folks on this list have had no problems
> > with nForce2, and half have had a bear of a time getting things up &
> > running.
>
> They aren't painless, but I'm one of the zero problems people.
>
> > I'm in the market for a new mobo, and I'd really like
> > integrated GF4MX, so what's the bottom line?  Should I or shouldn't I?
>
> Should. :)
>
> > Is there a 'best distro' for getting nForce2 playing nice?
>
> I'd have to say Fedora/Red Hat, since their kernels already disable the
stuff
> that causes problems w/nForce2 boards. (I can't recall if it is APIC or
> ACPI).
>
> > Do things
> > vary much between mobo makers, inasmuch as getting things working under
> > Linux is concerned?
>
> They shouldn't vary a huge amount, but you never know how far each mfg
will
> stray from the reference platform. Some use completely different audio
> sub-systems, some have firewire, some have more USB ports, some use
different
> NICs, etc., etc., etc. I can tell you that my Chaintech 7NIF2 works
> flawlessly!
>
> > I'm tempted to chalk the bad nForce2 reports up to
> > varying degrees of Linux experience, but I just want to make sure I
> > won't be buying hardware that will give me nothing but headaches.
>
> I'd be inclined to do the same chalking. I think Linux experience and
choice
> of distro have a fairly major impact on the reports.
>
> - -- 
> Jarod C. Wilson, RHCE
>
> Got a question? Read this first...
>      http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
> MythTV, Fedora Core & ATrpms documentation:
>      http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/
> MythTV Searchable Mailing List Archive
>      http://www.gossamer-threads.com/archive/MythTV_C2/
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