Sick and tired of my VP6!!!!

[finger]

Howdie~

So I think I've had it trying to get this damn mobo to stabilize. The IRQL blue screens in win2k and XP, freezing, unexplained bluescreens... I even went over to linux for 6 months and had no tangible improvements.
So I've had it. I want to run dual P3's (I figure since I've got 2 933's I might as well use them) I want an AGP slot and at least 3 PCI slots. ATA100 would be nice and a promise controller would be really nice. I'd like to avoid the via chipset as I'm hearing they have a problem with NV based graphics cards (I've got a Ti4400)

I'm hoping someone could recommend a dual P3 board for me? I'm considering a Tyan but I'm not finding much in the way of serious reviews or recommendations. The VP6 came highly recommended but after going to vp6-board.com I see that I'm not alone and it seems to be a manufacturing thing (shoddy capacitors and via chipset)

anyone got a stable dual P3 system running? thanks

~fing

 

[mechBgon]

I used the Microstar counterpart with good results (using a stepping-matched pair of P3's). It was stable under extreme dual-processor rendering sessions for 36 hours at a time, with total memory usage of over 1600Mb. However, it got smoked in real-world usage by a single-processor AthlonXP with the same exact total MHz (1466MHz AMD versus 2 x 733MHz Intel) so I sold it. Have you considered a fast single-CPU system as an alternative?

As for options for dual FCPGA 933's, there are the Serverworks-chipset boards such as the Intel STL2 and others; there are the VIA-based boards; and theoretically there are 440BX boards, but I'm not sure any BX boards supported 933's (Tyan Tiger100 Rev. F supported up to 800MHz Coppermines on slockets, if I recall correctly). For a reasonable price, it's going to be VIA boards or nothing.

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

Doesn't the VP6 use the same Via chipset as the MSI 694D Pro? I've had the MSI for a long long time with no troubles at all, nothing relating directly back to the mobo.

 

[klein297]

The cheap Acorp dual 815 board I got from Compgeeks is running 2 866's on W2k quite nicely.

 

[finger]

THanks for the input folks.

Yeah, the change over to a single cpu board will come eventually. The thing that keeps me from it is financial. If I go the Athlon route I've got to get another power supply, another CPU, another Board and probably different RAM. I'd like to just buy another dual P3 board and use the stuff I've already got.

thanks for the input!

~fing

 

[FemtoHz]

See this Thread

 

[Brutuskend]

link to WHY your board is bad

I'm dealing with the same thing right now myself. Time to fire up the iron and replace some caps!!

pic

How to

 

[Zap]

cheap Acorp dual 815 board I got from Compgeeks

That would be a decent option, if you're not going over 512MB RAM or using high density RAM. If not, then it would be under $50 well spent. Otherwise, yeah, gotta go with a VIA chipset board. FWIW I haven't had any problems related to the VIA chipset itself. Shoddy boards are another issue completely.

If money's an issue, you could probably sell your 933's and put that money together with the money you would otherwise spend on a dual CPU board, and buy all the parts needed to go single Athlon XP. Those P3 CPUs seem to retain value.