Just slow hardware or problem with VIA boards?

[BlueWeasel]

I've got these two systems at work:

MSI VIA motherboard 694x chipset
P3 1ghz (133 FSB)
512mb PC133
GF2 video cards
20gb HD (5400 RPM)
CD-RW

We've had these systems for almost 3 years now, and from a processor speed standpoint, they are still fast enough for our particular usage (email, browsing, word processing, general CAD). Both systems are currently running W2K Pro.

The systems were built by a local computer shop, and I didn't have a say in the hardware decision. I've never used a VIA board in my own systems, but have always heard negative things about VIA boards. Needless to say, IMHO these systems have always underperformed, and not run as well as I think they should regarding HD speed and access.

It feels like the amount of HD access is way more than what it should be, and feels like the page file is being accessed too much for a system with 512mb of RAM. My P3 933mhz on which I first ran XP, seemed much faster than these systems.

Granted, my system at home used a 7200RPM drive, but I don't think the slower 5400RPM drive is my problem.

I've been wondering if installing XP (with minimal eye candy) could help with the hardware problem. I know that really doesn't make sense, but it seems like there is something more missing other than just hardware, and the fact that XP has much more built-in support for hardware compared to W2K.

 

[jjmIII]

MSI VIA motherboard 694x chipset
512mb PC133
GF2 video cards
20gb HD (5400 RPM)
CD-RW

That system looks pretty old. It should be slow if doing CAD.
What processor??

Nforce boards, Intel 865/875 boards, 7200rpm/8mb cache drives, and DDRram do make a big difference!

 

[Zepper]

Yeah a mobo upgrade to either Intel or SiS chipset (possibly even a newer Via chipset w/ DDR support) with DDR memory would make a lot of difference. Those Via chipsets were always meant as budget solutions.
. Since SDRAM is going for pretty high prices right now, you might be able to recoup a substantial portion of the upgrade cost by selling it.
.bh.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: jjmIII

MSI VIA motherboard 694x chipset
512mb PC133
GF2 video cards
20gb HD (5400 RPM)
CD-RW

That system looks pretty old. It should be slow if doing CAD.
What processor??

Nforce boards, Intel 865/875 boards, 7200rpm/8mb cache drives, and DDRram do make a big difference!

Doh, I guess the processor speed would be helpful. 😱 (Edited the OP).

It's just my P3 933mhz on a BX board seemed much faster than this, and the only difference is really a 7200RPM drive versus a 5400RPM one.

As far as CAD is concerned, you'd be suprised. I do structural engineering CAD on the system, and while our structural drawings are complex, they have very small filesizes. I've done structural drawings for multi-million dollar buildings, and I can put all of our dwgs on a floppy disk when I've finished. Granted, if I was doing major 3D models, this system would have been replaced a long time ago.

 

[Zepper]

Ye gads, 1GP3... A $100. Duron 1600/mobo combo would walk all over that. And the drive I/O does make a great deal of difference - 7200 drives would do wonders.
. Make sure the HD and opticals in those are on separate IDE channels - that could perk things up surprisingly. While at it, make sure DMA is enabled for all drives capable of it - the latest Via Hyperion drivers should be installed (an earlier version, 4.3 I think, is recommended if using Win prior to XP).
..bh.

 

[3chordcharlie]

You could probably part out what you have and replace it with a duron/ddr setup without adding any of your own money to the equation...

DDR and a P3 will not make any difference though - you're limited by the bus speed of the P3. I also doubt that you're suffering too much from 5400rpm, as you have lots of ram on the system (so the hdd should affect initial load-time only).