Just got the K7VME barebones kit from Tigerdirect for $30 or $40 after rebates. I didn't expect much (cheap case, etc.), but after buying about 7 or 8 Soyo boards over the past 3 yrs or so, I didn't expect problems.
I'll try to be brief: installed a Volari V3 128MB 8x AGP card and two sticks of Micron RAM (256MB each). Installed Win2K w/o incident, ran a bunch of burn-in utils, no problems. Once I sealed the case, though, the heat issue reared its head. Idling, I was seeing low 50s on the CPU (I have a few PCs with Athlons, and they all run in the 38-42 range), and this is with an 80mm fan installed in the front. I went back in to double-check things and realized that the jumper was set to 133 - but I was using a [true] 1GHz Athlon with a max fsb of 200MHz. So I set the jumper to 100, rebooted, and...WHAM! No video, and the beep codes indicated memory. I tested all the RAM, the video card, and the CPU on a Soyo Dragon Plus that's working fine, and they all worked, so neither the CPU nor the AGP card is bad.
For the heck of it I installed the Athlon 1700+ that was in the Dragon. If I changed to the internal video, it worked, whereas internal video or not, the 1GHz CPU was no longer recognized. So, in summary, the K7VME will no longer play with the 1GHz Athlon or the Volari 8x AGP card, so just to get it running I have the 1700+ and internal video enabled (this is my son's pc). FWIW, BIOS is AMI (blech!) and version 2AA4 (quite recent).
My guess: some sort of voltage regulator on the mobo is shakey? Anyone else have a theory?
BTW, in case you didn't know it, there are a few rogue AGP cards that are keyed to fit 1.5v slots BUT are not 1.5v, so using them will roast your mobo!
AMI BIOS beep codes
DANGER: AGP cards keyed for 1.5v but are really 3.3v
I'll try to be brief: installed a Volari V3 128MB 8x AGP card and two sticks of Micron RAM (256MB each). Installed Win2K w/o incident, ran a bunch of burn-in utils, no problems. Once I sealed the case, though, the heat issue reared its head. Idling, I was seeing low 50s on the CPU (I have a few PCs with Athlons, and they all run in the 38-42 range), and this is with an 80mm fan installed in the front. I went back in to double-check things and realized that the jumper was set to 133 - but I was using a [true] 1GHz Athlon with a max fsb of 200MHz. So I set the jumper to 100, rebooted, and...WHAM! No video, and the beep codes indicated memory. I tested all the RAM, the video card, and the CPU on a Soyo Dragon Plus that's working fine, and they all worked, so neither the CPU nor the AGP card is bad.
For the heck of it I installed the Athlon 1700+ that was in the Dragon. If I changed to the internal video, it worked, whereas internal video or not, the 1GHz CPU was no longer recognized. So, in summary, the K7VME will no longer play with the 1GHz Athlon or the Volari 8x AGP card, so just to get it running I have the 1700+ and internal video enabled (this is my son's pc). FWIW, BIOS is AMI (blech!) and version 2AA4 (quite recent).
My guess: some sort of voltage regulator on the mobo is shakey? Anyone else have a theory?
BTW, in case you didn't know it, there are a few rogue AGP cards that are keyed to fit 1.5v slots BUT are not 1.5v, so using them will roast your mobo!
AMI BIOS beep codes
DANGER: AGP cards keyed for 1.5v but are really 3.3v
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