eBay'ed AMD Athlon 1200 CPU: DoA or Incompatible?

FreshCrabLegs

Golden Member
Dec 31, 2003
1,127
164
106
Heya Fellas.

I'm having problems getting a newly purchased CPU from eBay functionally operating on my old system. I'd like to know for sure that the CPU was sent DoA before I RMA it. Its in both party's interest to get the CPU running rather than return it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. ...And thx in advance. :)

Pertinent Information:

CPU: AMD Athlon 1200 (Prod ID# A1200AMS3B)
Motherboard: Soyo SY-K7VTA-B
Memory: 1024MB Generic PC133 Ram
Video Card: GeForce2 MX400 64MB

Product Description of the K7VTA-B
Product Description

Product Downloads for the K7VTA-B
Product Downloads

Downloadable Manual:
Manual


Steps taken to get CPU running:

1.) Updated BIOS to latest-

Upgraded Bios from:
kvtb2aa4.bin dated 2001-09-14
to:
kvtb2ba1.bin dated 2002-11-06

2.) Updated chipset drivers (just in case)-

Upgraded chipset drivers to:
VIAHyperion4in1451v.exe dated 2004-01-29

3.) Tried booting with "AUTO Detect CPU" Mode-
4.) Tried booting with "Manual Ratio Adjustment" Settings:
a.) Set J2 Jumper to 2-3 Position = Manual Mode
b.) Set J3 Jumper to 2-3 Position = Manual Mode
5.) Followed Chart on Page 41 of Soyo Manual to match speed of the CPU, i.e., on / on / off / on <-- Switches=1.2 GHz
6.) Confirmed that current PC setup is functional with an AMD 900 Duron
7.) Confirmed that current PC setup is functional with an AMD 800 Duron also

Can you guys think of any steps I may have missed or do you know of any "expert, professional tips" that you can share to get this PC up and running?

Again thanks in advance.
 

myocardia

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2003
9,291
30
91
Well, according to the link you provided, your motherboard will support up to a 1.4ghz Thunderbird. Are you getting nothing when you turn the computer on, or is it just not booting into Windows? Since you know that the entire system is functional, I would see if I could borrow a more powerful power supply. That T-bird requires alot more juice than an 800mhz Duron. But, if there is nothing wrong with the processor, you should at least be able to get into the bios screen, with just about any psu. If you are getting nothing, there is something wrong with the chip.
 

FreshCrabLegs

Golden Member
Dec 31, 2003
1,127
164
106
Mornin' to ya myocardia. Thx for your reply.

Originally posted by: myocardia
Are you getting nothing when you turn the computer on, or is it just not booting into Windows?

Well... It doesn't boot up into windows, nor into the bios, but it does activate both fans (CPU and Chipset) and the harddrives seems to start up. No Video output though.

Originally posted by: myocardia
would see if I could borrow a more powerful power supply. That T-bird requires alot more juice than an 800mhz Duron.

Great idea, i'll try it out in a few. Let you know in a sec.

Thx again.
 

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
20
81
Agreed on the power supply - I had a 1GHz Tbird overclocked to 1.4GHz. Ran a CPU stress utility, and the power supply blew out. A 1/2 watt resistor popped in it.
The high-end Thunderbirds were some of the most power-hungry processors in their day; they still do rank up there in power usage, even among the new procs currently on the market.
 

myocardia

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2003
9,291
30
91
Okay, it can't be the power supply, if you aren't even getting video output, and a bios screen, assuming you're using at least a 250watt psu. Not that a 250 watt psu would let you boot that chip into Windows, and then let you play some games, but it would definitely be enough to get into the bios. That chip needs to be RMA'd.
 

FreshCrabLegs

Golden Member
Dec 31, 2003
1,127
164
106
Thx for the replies guys.

Yep, it wasn't the power supply. I swapped out the old PSU (250W) with my new and working 430W PSU, and still no boot.

Oh well, live and learn.

Gonna have to request a ReturnMerchandiseAuthorization number.