Hardware Review: iBase MB899 mini-ITX mainboard

**rhg** · 02-20-2007, 12:47 PM

Ah, yes I do have Bluetooth - a Belkin F8T013 USB dongle. I'll try unplugging it later and seeing if it makes a difference.
It's strange that it had no effect on my C7.

**rhg** · 02-21-2007, 02:52 AM

Well I tried disconnecting the bluetooth dongle and infortunately it didn't improve things at all. Thanks for the suggestion though.

The board hibernates in 11 seconds flat, so I really don't understand why it takes so much longer to resume. Do you reckon it could be a dodgy motherboard?

**strohj** · 02-21-2007, 08:04 AM

I suppose it possible.. but I doubt it....

**dontpntpool** · 03-13-2007, 03:08 PM

nice review thanks!

**jeffw** · 04-05-2007, 01:18 AM

Originally Posted by RedGTiVR6

what case are you running this all in?

I've got the Opus case (the one with 2 PCI slots) and I'm trying to figure out what CPU fan to use. Being quiet is key as is the height.

Also, are you using a SATA laptop drive? or IDE?

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. I couldn't find a chassis that worked well for my 2-DIN slot and custom bezel, so I got a U-shaped aluminum chassis from a guy on here, www.mechatroniks.com, which fits the motherboard great, then I bolted on aluminum strips from the hardware store to mount the roadie (case off), power supplies (1 for board, 1 for amps), 4x25W amps, LCD board, and HDD.

I ordered a Cooler Master EEP-N41SS-01 from Logicsupply for the CPU fan, and it's a perfect fit. It runs at 6500 RPM, so it's a bit noisy, but does a good job of cooling. As a result of the noise, I picked up a Silenx case fan (60mm). It's deadly quiet and actually creates enough airflow to prevent the CPU fan from even coming on during normal use. So that prevents any noise issue unless there are unusually high temps, in which case I'll have some noise, but am still protected.

I'm using an IDE drive, but that was a mistake. Definately wish I went with SATA, even though it cost a bit more. That big ribbon cable and adapter caused a bit of a headache in my tight space.

**veldom** · 04-07-2007, 04:25 AM

good review

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-12-2007, 09:22 AM

I'm running into all kinds of issues with the onboard video of this board now.

It all started randomly. Suddenly, the video wouldn't display. Removed the PC and hooked it up to a normal monitor. No dice.

Went in under Safe Mode and could get in fine. Disabled the video driver and rebooted. Everything was fine.

Reinstalled windows and installed the newest driver, same exact thing. Once I install the driver and restart, I don't get anything on the screen.

Go in on safe mode, disable and restart and I can get into windows just fine.

Only kicker? I don't have any video drivers so some programs won't run. I only have one resolution too...

anyone else run into this issue?

**strohj** · 06-12-2007, 09:25 AM

I have the MB896 and I have none of these problems.. dont they use the same onboard video?

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-12-2007, 09:30 AM

hrmmmm - I wonder if I have an issue with the video chip?

**strohj** · 06-12-2007, 09:35 AM

the fact it happened all of a sudden.. points to either a driver update which has bugs OR physical failure... can you try with a older driver? perhaps the one that came on the CD with the mobo ...