I was attracted to the Nightblade MI2 by the richness of the specs for the price. Even if I had not gotten a promotional deal from my vendor it still would have been a good deal because of the quality build. Compared to other pre-builts on the market, I could not find any that came close to this configuration for the price. Core i7-6700, GeForce GTX-970, 8GB DDR4, plus military grade electronics, cooling system, gaming software, sound, fast boot from 250gb SSD, 1TB 7200 HDD, M.2 NVME slot; USB 3.0 C support, 801.ac/Bluetooth built in. Most competing builds cost much more, and they don't have the solidly engineered and elegant SFF of the MI2. Plus, WIN 10 works right out of the box with simple setup. Just unpack, plug in, and start. I am using it as a high-end desktop replacement as well as a fine gaming machine. It will even support up to 4 monitors as a trading platform with no problem. I'm just amazed at the great value for the buck. I connected it to my old VGA monitor with an adapter from the DisplayPort while waiting for my new widescreen and it is still amazing. Comparing the MI2 to other non-gaming desktops, it is a nice performer. 8 gigs of memory may need upgrading someday to 16 or the max 32, but no problems with 8 gigs for most things I do. It will be much easier to lug around than a full size tower, and it does not sacrifice capability with the SFF. It is small enough to be taken places with very little effort for those occasional group events, or just to get a change of scenery when working or playing. The Mystic Light effects can be configured a number of ways. I never thought I would like those lights, but when set to respond to music, they add to the enjoyment. I would highly recommend the MI2 as a versatile and well designed PC gaming machine. It should have a long useful life. Not to be wordy, but this 350 word minimum forces me to fill up the end with a little fluff, but that is on me, the MI2 which is a solid performer.
Unboxing the Nightblade MI2
- Thread starter jmhbroker
- Start date
HELP! HELP! BIOS flash halted! Here is the story: After two days after receiving a new NIghtblade MI2, i7-6700, MSI Gtx 970...of it running OK, Windows 10 automatically downloaded the update to the new Win 10 Anniversary Edition, but the installation FAILED, halting at 99%...twice. I searched all around and found that many others have had the same problem with that update. I finally found, on the MSI site, reference to the need to update the BIOS with two updates, one after the other. I downloaded the two updates, 833, and 830. I found the directions for updating BIOS for Windows 7,8,10 and followed the instructions to the letter. I formatted a USB thumb drive for booting to DOS with the tool supplied. I copied the first BIOS file, 833, on the drive and proceeded to the flash procedure and followed it step by step. THEN....when, at the last step, I executed the FLASH batch file as instructed. The routine began OK but quickly halted with the following ERROR:
"Problem erasing flash0000 (6%)"
I got online with another computer and found warnings not to try flashing again, but to exit...the post I found said the flash did not occur yet. I did try to boot normally, but the system was acting eratically...Edge refused to open... so I shut it down right away.
So, am I out of luck here? Any way to fix it? Is it fried or is the BIOS recoverable. The support request function on the MSI site is not working, at least not with my other computer. (just returns "page error" after clicking on the support button. I'm at a loss...
"Problem erasing flash0000 (6%)"
I got online with another computer and found warnings not to try flashing again, but to exit...the post I found said the flash did not occur yet. I did try to boot normally, but the system was acting eratically...Edge refused to open... so I shut it down right away.
So, am I out of luck here? Any way to fix it? Is it fried or is the BIOS recoverable. The support request function on the MSI site is not working, at least not with my other computer. (just returns "page error" after clicking on the support button. I'm at a loss...
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2016
- Messages
- 30
If the support option is not working, contact them through their facebook page and they will help you, I did that way 
Thanks aleshumphreys. I was able to get them on phone...very good support. Ended up resetting first...didn't go well...then was told to restore my backup, which I, thankfully, had the foresight to do. Then I updated all the drivers I could, in addition to those from win update. Windows 10 did not like the original MSI utility programs, Gamecenter and Dragon, so was able to delete them and download/install the newer versions from MSI site, as well as newer audio and nim thing. I deleted pesky Norton Security trial ...not needed with Win10 with Windows Defender, interferes with updates, and is a waste of money to subscribe. Also found that nvidia GTX970 had an updated driver, and the install did weird things to system until two reboots, accepting tos etc.. NOW, THE Edge browser keeps having problems connecting to net consistently. That is hopefully the last issue to fix before trying to update to Win 10 Anniv. Ed. again. May do a "clean boot" before updating, as some have suggested. Microsoft really needs to provide a comprehensive install program that automatically does all the required driver updates and ensures that the system is stable enough to install this ridiculous thing! Or redesign the update process to be less traumatic. So many folks apparently are having difficulties with this update, they should grab a clue!