can my IC7-MAX3 ever work again?

[morksbeanbag]

hello everyone.

I managed to break the clock generator chip off my max 3 when trying to remove a heatsink that was epoxied on it. instead of the heatsink just snapping away from the chip the legs of the clock generator snapped. i took the chip off and concluded no amount of soldering under the microscope would get this chip to work again. so i'm left with a perfect IC7-MAX3 minus a clock gen chip.

I've not put the cpu or memory back into it to see if anything happens for fear of it breaking those too.

so does anyone know where i could get either a replacement clock generator chip or if there is anything i can do to somehow bypass it or something.

any ideas?

thanks

ben

 

[oldman420]

Oh man time for a new board

 

[morksbeanbag]

damn.

i really liked my max3. its sat on my bed now looking at me.

Do you think i should get another max3 or go for the Asus P4C800-E deluxe? the asus seems to be able to hit higher FSB's. Also i'd be able to fit a Hyper 6 which i've been wanting for a while.

Anyone recommend the Asus over the Abit?

 

[Rob_63]

It's a toss up IMHO. I now run the P4C800 E del., and my last board was the Max3. The Max was a great overclocker, I had one that the vdimm stabilization was already done from factory. FWIW, I read the Max3's are discontinued, Newegg has not sold them since early August. I read too many threads at the abit forums about them dying, and I wanted to try for a quieter system , that is why I switched to asus. My only gripe about that board (the P4C800E-del) is the vcore drop problem, but it is easily fixed if you can solder, just a 50k trimpot and a pair of steady hands and it goes away. other than that small problem, it is a very good board.

Trucker