Poll: A7V133, Is VIA responsible for this mess?

[CollinsCollector]

I recently purchased (all retail versions) an ASUS A7V133 MB together with an Athlon (200 MHz) 1.0GHz T-bird. The balance of the components in the system will be:

IBM Deskstar, 75GXP series, ATA100
Asus V-7100 GF2 MX 32MB (I know, weak link)
D-Link 560+ NIC
Crucial 256MB CL2 PC133 SDRAM
Enermax EG351-VE Power Supply
OS will be Win98SE

This system is my very first experience with AMD/VIA. I purchased most of the above based upon reviews. I should have read the posts in various forums first!! It's looking like an Intel chipset board and processor might have been a wiser choice.

I'm currently waiting on delivery of the HDD to complete the system.

And, once everything is installed, I'm dreading the very first pushing of the on-off button. Why? Because of all the posts I have read dealing with numerous boot/post problems. Not to mention problems installing the OS and getting various devices to work as advertised.

I'm familiar with the Intel 430TX and 440BX chipset boards. Never a concern about IRQ assignments or which board was in which PCI slot. IRQ sharing was not a problem, at least for me, in the systems I built up.

I have the latest Asus BIOS and VIA 4 in 1 driver files standing by. But, there is such disagreement around which of the 4 in 1 drivers should be installed, that I have no idea how to proceed should I be fortunate enough to even get through POST! What a shame!

I'm not a gamer, and I don't intend to OC, at least initially.

I would really like to hear from those who have been successful in building a system around the A7V133 board.

Thanks in advance, Walt

 

[SCSIfreek]

Well I have the following setup:

1.2Ghz T-bird (9x133Mhz -- Very Stable
Asus A7V133
512MB Crucial PC133 CL2 RAM
Adaptec AHA2490U2W
Western Digital 18.3GB 10K U160 LVD
SB live Platinum w/ Live Drive I
Asus V6800 GeForce256 32MB DDR
Plextor 12x4x32 SCSI CDRW
Plextor 40X CD-ROM
1.44 floppy


Well everything just turned out Good after i installed the latest VIA 4.29a 4in1 drivers
No NIC conflicts, everything is running smooth as silk, Win2000 Boots up much faster, Everything is Working like it should be. Also remember to install the latest BIOS for your ASUS mobo.

Post any questions you have cause we might just be able to help. one happy camper at AMD land.


--SCSI

 

[lundog22]

If you use Win2k I can help, Win2k is all I use.

My AMD setup:

1Ghz retail T-bird (7x133Mhz) -- Rock Stable (Win2k)
Alpha 6035HS w/ Delta
Asus A7V133
2 128MB KingMax PC150 @ 143Mhz Cas2
SB live! x-gamer
IBM 75GXP 30G
Maxtor 20G
Geforce2 GTS 32DDR
Plextor 12x10x32
Intel Pro 10/100 NIC
Antec sx830 case/ 300W PS
etc...


Win2k is awesome with this set-up.

 

[jamesbond007]

Hey there. Give AMD a chance. A slim percent of people in these forums have problems, and if they do, the people in this forum are here to help you free of charge. That's why there's forums, right? First off, congrats on choosing the right board and CPU. The Asus A7V133 is a top-notch performer. One thing to note, choosing a slot where the NIC will perform the best has been an issue that plagues a lot of motherboards. Most people are having success with the NIC in slot 1 or slot 2. The sound usually goes into PCI 3, which works for most people as well. Don't worry about your choosing AMD. You will be A.O.K. Just keep us up to date, and we'll do our damned best to help you out! Good luck! ::Salute:: LOL.

 

[Jiggz]

Congrats and well done for doing your shopping assignment first before buying. Now for the second part, do your assignment for putting it together. Read the manual very carefully and to make sure you have a smooth assembly, install your components one at a time. I usually start with the basics (video and sound card) first and then the modems, NIC and other peripherals while testing the system each time. This way you can always tell which compo needs to be moved or reconfigured. Stay posted and let us know of your new adventure at AMD Land!

 

[Quad]

yep, i agree with all of the above. my a7v133 is sitting in my family room waiting for my alpha hsf to show up. but as for the cold boot problems, as Dulanic has mentioned many times, they can overcome by setting the vcore using the vcore jumpers. Even in jumperless mode, the vcore jumpers override bios settings.

 

[LouPoir]

Congratulations on moving up to AMD. You will never go back.

Remember that most of the people in forums have problems that need to be solved. There are many users out there with no problems you dont here from.

I have the A7V133, A7V and A7VPro and have no problems with any of them. All rock solid performers.

Lou

 

[Dulanic]

Youll like it I'm sure. This is a VERY stable, very fast board.

 

[CollinsCollector]

What a nice reception! I'm feeling much better about my decision to use the A7V133. Thanks, gentlemen all.

 

[Biggs]

lundog22,

Can you Kingmax sticks reach 2-2-2@150Mhz?

 

[Regalk]

You are going to have some initial problems but trust me when you have a nice and stable AMD/VIA system you will see a big difference from any Intel system (except the P4 maybe). My A7V has not crashed once but I can tell you that my BX boards CRASH EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. Just come on over with your problems and we'll fix them for ya.

I have 2 rigs with AMD T/Bird & Duron
plus 3 other Intel/VIA systems so I
am not going to describe all here.

 

[lundog22]

Biggs, I haven't try any higher yet. Since I don't want to over do it LOL.

I might up the FSB a bit, and run my 1G @ 140x8 (1.1G).

Hows your KingMax doing?

 

[KevinH]

You know this same sort of thing was going on when the KX133 chipset came out. It brought a whole new group of people making the jump to AMD. You know what? I hate to sound like I'm preaching but just because a BX chipset plugs and goes, doesn't mean you expect to do the EXACT same thing with the KT133A...

For me, after I went through the teething process with the KX133, I've never looked back and I've learned soooo much more about computers because of it. If you wanna plug and chug and get no joy out of tweaking a system, then by all means, Intel is for you. However, Walt, if you are willing to put in the effort, as have millions of happy AMD/VIa owners can attest to, the stability and performance of your rig is gonna bring you a million smiles. For myself, not only do I have a kick ass system, but I'm a LOT more confident about computer systems as well.

Anyhow, just taking a gander at your system, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're gonna be VERY happy. If the MX is your single "weak" link, then you're in GREAT shape . Personally, the reason why so many people are suggesting problems on this board bro is not that these boards are problematic...it's because they're overclocking this and that (which I know you're going to as well ). Short of making a garuntee, I can almost promise you that when you just slap that system together and run it at default you will have NO problems.

Kev

 

[CollinsCollector]

Hi Kev - thanks for joining in. I hear what you are saying.

I do enjoy tweaking and fine tuning a new setup. Tracking down problem areas can also be very rewarding - when the solution is finally found! Therein lies the challenge. Prior to hearing from all of you, I was thinking that the light at the end of the tunnel was a train!

Am I apprehensive? Yes. Is the adrenalin flowing? Definitely! Am I excited? Absolutely! Will I get it right? Ultimately, yes. Will I lose some hair in the process? Probably, but there's more where that came from!

My HDD arrived this afternoon. I'll install it tomorrow morning when I am "mentally fresh." And then comes the big moment, depressing the on-off switch for the first time! I don't normally drink a beer before evening time, but tomorrow may be an exception!

BTW, I'm considering making a BIOS update (to 1004) the very first order of business before doing anything else. Additionally, my A7V133 is currently setup just as it came from the factory (pure "jumperless&quot, with one exception. I moved the jumper on VIO to the 3.30V position (from the default position of 3.45V) per the recommendation of a frequent "credible" poster on Tom's forum. Lastly, I plan on starting out with the built in audio enabled, just to give it a try.

If anyone can think of any BIOS settings (or anything else for that matter) that should be immediately changed from the defaults, prior to installing Win98SE, I certainly would appreciate hearing from you.

Again, thanks to all

Walt