onboard NIC not working - MSI Z87 MPOWER

[Nailezs]

Hey guys, the onboard NIC for my current rig seems to have developed a few problems. I am not sure if its different symptoms of one problem or two separate problems.

1) The NIC seems to have problems with the default gateway, saying "The default gateway can not be found." The connection drops, and will not reconnect. After rebooting, resetting the CMOS, uninstalling the device in Device Manager and reinstalling with just the bare-bones driver, the problem persisted. Finally, I reset the device using Windows' "Diagnose" feature. This fixes the problem for a few minutes to a few hours...sometimes it doesn't fix the problem at all.

2) Sometimes the NIC disappears from the Network Adapter screen completely. A reboot fixes this, but does not fix problem #1.

I have verified that the problem is not in my router nor my cable. I swapped ports on the router, and plugged the cable into my laptop - everything works perfectly.

I've just submitted a ticket to MSI, as I thought this was quite strange. Does anyone have any other things I could try?
I am pretty sure the board is out of waranty, so If MSI says it's the board, I'm either going with an EVGA Z97 FTW (if you all think the upgrade is worth it, and if you all think my CPU cooler will fit) or just buying a NIC card.

EDIT: According to the MSI LiveUpdate tool, all drivers and the BIOS are up to date.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

tried reinstalling the drivers or updating the bios? Cuz it sounds pretty much like impending hardware failure to me.

 

[Nailezs]

by driver do you mean the NIC driver or all the MB drivers?
As for the bios, according to MSI LiveUpdate, the bios and all drivers are up to date.

Will edit my orig post to reflect the above statement.

 

[Aquinus]

by driver do you mean the NIC driver or all the MB drivers?
As for the bios, according to MSI LiveUpdate, the bios and all drivers are up to date.

Will edit my orig post to reflect the above statement.

Install Intel chipset drivers from Intel's website. They are almost always going to be more up to date than what MSI has.
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/20775/Intel-Chipset-Device-Software-INF-Update-Utility-

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Install Intel chipset drivers from Intel's website. They are almost always going to be more up to date than what MSI has.
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/20775/Intel-Chipset-Device-Software-INF-Update-Utility-

Not too sure if this would help as his NIC is a Killer NIC 2205


If everything is upto date the only thing you can really do is install your own PCI NIC or RMA the board if still under warranty. IMO the turn around time and also the cost of sending that mobo back to the manufacturer isnt worth it. youre most likely to spend $20-30 sending it to them. you might as well get a decent Intel NIC and call it a day.

 

[Aquinus]

Not too sure if this would help as his NIC is a Killer NIC 2205


If everything is upto date the only thing you can really do is install your own PCI NIC or RMA the board if still under warranty. IMO the turn around time and also the cost of sending that mobo back to the manufacturer isnt worth it. youre most likely to spend $20-30 sending it to them. you might as well get a decent Intel NIC and call it a day.

For any Intel PCH, I think it's a good place to start considering the LAN is probably connected to the PCH via PCI-E much like how standard LAN is. The difference is that you don't get the LAN driver out of the deal but everything else gets brought up to date. You make a good point, I missed the Killer NIC part.

An older (but rock solid) dual port Intel 1000PT goes for <40USD on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BMZHX2/?tag=tec06d-20

I use one of these in my gateway and it has worked flawlessly.

Downside is that you may need to give up some PCI-E lanes for it, so a 1x card might be a better option.

 

[Nailezs]

so general consensus is that the onboard NIC is toast - which is honestly fine with me, I hated that NIC.
Tomorrow I am going to see if my work has any NICs laying around that I can use, if not I'll have to buy a PCI NIC

An older (but rock solid) dual port Intel 1000PT goes for <40USD on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BMZHX2/?tag=tec06d-20

Whats the difference between that server NIC and something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G1XA5402 ?

 

[zsolt_93]

There was a thread around these forums that used some modded driver for the Killer NIC, using the original driver for the rebranded Qualcomm Atheros chip. You could try that one, i just seem to hear that Killer network adapters are more of a hassle than an advantage. Intel offer the best reliability/performance usually.
The link: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/t...2200-nic-into-qualcomm-atheros-ar8161.198899/

 

[FreedomEclipse]

so general consensus is that the onboard NIC is toast - which is honestly fine with me, I hated that NIC.
Tomorrow I am going to see if my work has any NICs laying around that I can use, if not I'll have to buy a PCI NIC




Whats the difference between that server NIC and something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G1XA5402 ?

Not a huge lot other than the interface. the PT is the 'older' card though It has a like an 'onboard processor' that kinda cuts down CPU usage. Kind of pointless Unless youre running a data server that needs to transmit gigabits or terrabits of data constantly within an hour.

The PT geared more towards non-commercial usage, People who actually need to use all the features that it has to offer. the CT is a cut down version of the PT geared towards more commercial use where all the fanciness of the PT card wasn't necessary.


Ive used both cards for a short period of time but. Ive run out of slots as i have SLi and a soundcard sandwiched inbetween the two cards. Theres no room for anything else.


Either card will get you 15-30mb/s higher network transfer rates, so if you have a NAS or regular transfer data across cross computers - this will help a little.

It might lower ping just a little bit - not a whole lot, Youre looking at a 5ms difference if anything unless youre doing downloads while gaming then one of these intel cards might help with that as they can prioritise traffic.

Though these days, the whole thing about a network card decreasing CPU usage is silly, especially when it comes to commercial use. Youre not gonna be getting enough traffic through the card to make use of that feature at all, and as a feature its highly debatable as CPUs have become so much more powerful in the last decade, Hexacores and what not. having an extra 1 or 2% CPU usage from network transfers doesnt mean anything at all.

 

[Nailezs]

So for right now I am trying that Qualcomm driver from the thread zsolt linked. If that doesn't work a new NIC it is!

Thanks guys.