Rookie Question: PIII coppermine on an Old 440BX Board

[tyoung88]

I have an old MSI-6119 motherboard that does not allow me to set the voltage. Reading in the forum I'm guessing that the default voltage for the PII coppermine 800 is 1.65. I think my motherboard can only go down to 1.7 or 1.8. Is it dangerous for me to try to run the PIII coppermine on my board, will it even work? What is a slocket and will it help my situation? Thanx to everyone in advance.

 

[tweakr]

Hey there


First, you WILL need a slocket - the slocket converts the new PIII FCPGA chips to slot-one, which is what the 6119 has. You also need one that supports voltage configuration via jumpers on the slocket - such as Abit's Slocket !!!. Additionaly, download the latest bios for the 6119 from this page at Microstar's website and flash the board... After this, and assuming you configured the slocket correctly, you should have a functioning PIII in the 6119....

Good luck

tweakr

 

[tyoung88]

So a slocket will enable my motherboard which is unable to select voltage setting to select a voltage setting using the slocket, even if the motherboard's voltage only goes down to 1.8? Therefore I have to get the socket 370 PII 800 and not the slot 1 right?

 

[tweakr]

hi again

The slocket *should* force the motherboard to detect the correct voltage - how do you know that the motherboard only goes down to 1.8v? Msi's homepage states that the 6119 is capable of taking a PIII-700, which AFAIK are only made on the coppermine design...If this is the case, then the 6119 should auto-detect the voltage from the slocket without any problem, and yes you should buy the FCPGA version rather than the slot-one version, as the slocket gives you more options for voltage than the motherboard, which, from what you're telling me, offers none....

cheers
tweakr

 

[tyoung88]

Supposedly my revision 1.1 of the MSI 6119 is missing the "blue sticker" on the voltage regulator and is therefore not coppermine compatible. That's what the MSI website says. I got the 1.8 figure from a post on the MSI message board. But from the sounds of it I should be able to use the slocket as the regulator to get down to 1.65 and be up and running.

 

[tweakr]

Well, the coppermine shouldn't have a problem running at 1.8v anyway, even if the slocket doesn't reduce the voltage down (which it should)...you MIGHT need to buy a large heatsink for the chip, but nothing major - a low-end globalwin unit should do it.

cheers
tweakr

 

[tyoung88]

first of all thanks for all the help tweakr. Since we're talking about voltage so much, I have to be honest and admit that I havne't got a clue what this is all about. I overclocked my PII by upping the bus speed to 112mhz but that was easy a couple of jumpers and a softbios. How does the voltage effect the CPU speed, how do I manipulate the voltage, and what is considered a safe spectrum of voltages to run a PIII at? Sorry to throw all of it out at once.

 

[IaPuP]

If the Motherboard doesn't support the voltage, the Slocket will not allow the VRM to use a lower voltage.

All the jumpers on the Slocket do is "tell" the motherbaord which voltage it is requesting. PIII CPUs already do that. The only thing the jumpers do is allow you to override the 'default' voltage.

You will have to check the MSI website. See if they list a revision number or some such that must be exceded before the board supports Coppermine.

For example, I had an old BX board (Epox KP6-BS). In order to run a Coppermine on that board, you must have PCB revision 1.2 or higher. Since I had a rev1.3 board, I could run coppermine, but if I had a rev1.1, I wouldn't be able to do it.

It is not only the voltage requirements that are being considered (although that is most of it). I don't recommend buying a Coppermine CPU if you're not sure that your motherboard could run it. And buying a Slot 1 or FC-PGA w/ slocket makes no difference unless you plan to overclock (the Slocket will give you more options).

Eric

 

[tyoung88]

In that case is my MSI-6119 revision 1.1's VRM can only go down to a 1.8 voltage setting, is 1.8 too high of a voltage to run the PIII Coppermine? Will it even work?

 

[Dark4ng3l]

oh yea and there are no p2 coppermines like you said in your post. I think klamath and deshutes are the 2 diferent cores the p2 had.

 

[tyoung88]

Sorry for the typo, I meant PIII. So can I run one at 1.8?

 

[squirrel dog]

sure,thats what you would set it at to overclock it,really more like 1.85 At 1.8vlts,it will get a little hotter,or produce more heat,therefore a better heatsink/fan could be in order,but try the retail version first,it may well work.