Mobo for a P2-400 (slot 1) file server?

[MonkeyK]

I want to turn an old Dell Dimension P2-400 into a file server, but Dell mobos suck. Can someone recommend a good mobo for me? My primary criteria are (in order)
1)stability
2)low power consumption
3)noise

I plan to use the server for serving music to other machines (and maybe a slimp3), general file storage, and possibly a SQL server (I have the developer edition).

Thank you,
Mike

 

[AndyHui]

If you want to change the motherboard, you will also need to change the power supply as Dell ATX power connectors are non-standard.

Dell motherboards do not suck: they use the Intel motherboards. No overclocking, but you can't beat them for stability.

The motherboard in the Pentium II 400MHz Dell should be an OEM Intel Seattle SE440BX.

Power consumption and noise are not functions of the motherboard.

 

[MonkeyK]

Sorry if you thing they're OK, but my experience says otherwise. My machine will lock up if there is a problem with an IDE device (like the CD-ROM) and will not even boot. For some reason 3 CD readers have failed in the 3 years I have had the machine: the original, the replacement, and a Smart and Friendly CDRW (actually, they work in other machines, just after a while they stop working in mine). I worked with Dell on this problem, and they sent me a replacement motherboard, before we realized that the CD readers were making the machine hang. Enabling power saving features tends to have the effect of locking up the keyboard after the power saving takes effect.
I have noticed that there is one bios update available for this machine that I have not applied. I think that I'll try it

Thanks for pointing out that it is an Intel Mobo though. The support guy I talked to could not tell me who made their boards.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[birddog]

more than likely you will need to change your case also. All the Dell's I have seen do not follow ATX specifications.

A slot 1 replacement board that I would highly recommend is the Tyan S1854 Trinity 400. It has both a slot 1 and a s370 interface. In the PIII heyday, I build @15 systems on this board. It offers very little for overclockers (no voltage adjustments & limited bus speeds), but at 66, 100, and 133mhz, it is the most stable board I have every used (more stable than any BX or i815 board). The board has no north bridge fan, so that is a little less noise there. THe Asus P3V4X and Abit VT6X4 are also solid boards. They both are geared to the overclocker. Of the 3, the Tyan board is the best bet for your application.

EDIT: the board does not need a huge power supply either. A generic 250 watt is all it needs. I have run a bunch without a problem on cheap deer 250watt power supplies.

 

[Sophia]

Asus p3b-f was a king in its day (mine runs fine on 235W w/ Cel 1.1G)

 

[kgraeme]

Look around for a good old 440BX chipset board. My Abit BH6 is still running great.

 

[Shagger]

Soyo 6BA-IV+ is the poo - take a big whiff... Overclocked my P2-400 up to 600mHz with no prob and is stable as can be not a single lockup. Make sure you have the latest BIOS for the Mobo and the HPT66 controller though...

 

[DaveSimmons]

My Asus P2B (BX chipset) has worked great with a Celeron 400 runiing Win2K server (and W95/98 back when it was my desktop PC). It even supports 60 GB drives. you should be able to pick one up cheap in FS/FT. I'm only replacing it to speed up mp3 encoding of my CD collection, it's fine for serving/playback.

But since you'll likely need a new case/power you might as well get a cheap socket-370 board and Celeron 1.3a from Newegg and use it with your PC100 memory.

 

[Texun]

kgraeme

I have the Abit BH6 and will also agree that it is a rock solid board. I am guessing that you no longer have an ATA33 hard drive and would suggest to anyone using an older board that they consider installing an ATA100 controller card. I added one to my BH6 and my only regret was that I didn't do it sooner. It really added life to the old rig. Best $26 I've spent on it in years.

As far as a solid PII slot one board... I wish I had another BH6. Just my opinion.

 

[kgraeme]

Hmm...good idea. I did just throw an old 40GB WD in there. I only access it over the network though so drive throughput probably isn't the bottleneck. I'm actually a little wary of any real changes to the system. Sort of superstitious I guess. It works great now, even with just Win98, and I don't want to jinx it. It's been so much better than any of my Athlon systems.

 

[Texun]

kgraeme

Yep... I understand your logic, that's why I didn't touch mine for 2 years.