Super-7 System Unstable, Looking for stable Slot-1/A/whatever stopgap PC-100/133 mobo

[chucky2]

I think my long time Super-7 motherboard/CPU combo has just had enough. I'm running a Radeon 9500 128MB AGP card in it, an add-in PCI USB2.0/Firewire/LAN combo card, a PCI SB16 sound card, an 80GB hard drive (also have a spare 120GB SATA drive with add-in PCI SATA controller that's not being used right now), and 2x256MB of PC-100 Mushkin CAS 2 SDRAM. Power supply is a 300w unit, however after I RMA my brothers dead Antec, I'll take the power supply out of his which is an Antec TruePowerII 430 - so, plenty of juice for an older motherboard/CPU.

What I'm looking for is: Advice on the best stable motherboad that takes PC-100/133 (the Mushkin will run at 133 CAS 3 lets assume) and that has the best CPU upgrade route.

I'm just looking to swap out the motherboard and CPU and keep all my existing components, that way I can eek out another year+ on this hopefully until 802.11n is finalized and real product begins shipping in notebooks. At that point, I'll finally get an up to date system... <fingers crossed>

Thanks in advance!

Chuck

P.S. While I've coaxed my MVP3 board here to what is probably beyond a reasonable limit, and I'll give Tyan credit here even though their support sucked for others and I, I really would rather have non-VIA options if at all possible. VIA induces eye twitching with me....

 

[Zap]

You won't be able to get anything new, but for used perhaps look for an Intel 815EP chipset board with a Tualatin Celeron of some kind. The later VIA chipsets (694 and 694T) were not bad - actually decent performers and you just have to remember to install the Hyperion 4 in 1 drivers. Yes, I've used MVP3 boards (mostly Shuttle 691P but also a few others) and for Super 7 I preferred the ALi chipset for being easier to deal with.

Alternately you can get an Intel BX chipset board with a Coppermine Pentium III or Coppermine Celeron, or even a *GASP* VIA 133A chipset board with an Athlon or Duron. Indeed such a setup would be the pinnacle of SDRAM systems. Again, with VIA chipsets just install the latest drivers.

UNFORTUNATELY many boards from a few years ago had capacitor issues, regardless of brand/model.

Perhaps you should consider picking up a used Athlon XP with Nforce2 board, or a used socket 754 with Nforce3 board. You should be able to find such a combo for well under $100 since you can even get a NEW Athlon 64 CPU with Nforce3 board for $99 these days (recent Newegg Special) so older stuff should be cheaper - if not, pass it by and look for another seller.

You'd just have to get a stick of 512MB PC3200 DDR RAM.

If you end up with the Nforce3 board, you can sell off your old RAM, sound card, PCI SATA controller and even your USB/Firewire/LAN card if you don't use Firewire (or new board has it onboard). Not only will going this route not cost too much after selling off the excess stuff, but you'll have a system that's modern for very little money.

 

[chucky2]

Zap- Those are all very good ideas...I think maybe I'll go do some research on a modern CPU/board/RAM upgrade... I can just see myself getting carried away though...

...it's been a little while since I had a modern PC...

Thanks!

Chuck

 

[xgsound]

If you go very new you will need the 4 pin 12V connector on the power supply. If your avaliable Antec has that it should work on the new boards.

I just had my Athlon 700 Mhz go out, and like you was trying to use my OLD stuff. I skipped right over DDR/skt A/754/939 and went with an AM2 X2 3800 and 1 Gb DDR2 on a MSI K9NMG2-fid for $337. A Semperon and 512 Mb Corsair value should be about $140 less. This AM2 board has NO overclock functions of any kind for mem (must be 1.8 or 1.9V) or CPU at this time. There is a huge thread on the K8NMG2-fid, the Skt 939 version of this board, right here in the AT motherboard forums if your interested.


Jim

 

[jjmIII]

Get some DDR and go this route. The PC Chips has onboard graphics/AGP too. The others are AGP.

EDIT: sell the other stuff (pc100) in the FS/T forum .

 

[chucky2]

xgsound- I still have to send my brothers dead Antec in to be replaced, however when that comes back, I'll get the p/s he's using now, which is a new Antec TruePowerII 430...it's got all the necessary connectors on it.

$337 is lots more than I wanted to spend, however it looks like you all are right in that going new modern is a better way than going old school. I looked around last night and for what I need (CPU, mobo, RAM) I can spend about $150 shipped and be done with it - Socket-AM2 at that. Sempron may be weak for most folks, but it's not even a comparison to what I'm running now, and really, what I'm running now works just fine...except for the new instability...

jjmIII- I checked that link out, however I noticed that those are Socket-754 boards...so effectively their EOL'd. $100 more or less can get a Socket-AM2 Sempron and a cheap Socket-AM2 motherboard. In a year, the CPU's that are $160-$180 will be $70 and I'll be able to drop one right in. Could be a cheap Socket-AM2 motherboard could run K8L's...who knows. I think I'm going to go the AM2 route...if I'm going to spend $$$, mine as well be something that can be upgraded later on...

Thanks for the suggestions all!!!

Chuck

 

[xgsound]

When I checked things out that's how I felt too. For $150 or so I could get the cheapest new stuff, with a few bells and whistles (Firewire, Gb lan, 4 SATA ports) so why spend the same and have old. I find the 6150 display to be good enough for me. I don't game, but have always got a video card up until now.

EDIT: Wow .. Just noticed you are running a K63+. You held out even longer than me, and by 3 or 4 years too! I had a similiar deal with add-in cards for USB and so on. You'll be very happy with the new system.

Good luck
Jim