VIA (accidently) admits to PCI bus problems

[jaeger66]

Originally posted by: Pabster
Gibzilla wrote:

"Personally, I wouldn't touch VIA stuff with a 12' pole. Your milege may vary."

And I wouldn't touch it with YOUR 12' pole

It's a little late for them to admit anything. The issues surrounding VIA chipsets are well documented. And PCI bus problems are just the beginning. Save yourself a lot of headaches and avoid them like the plague.

Ever get sick of bleating the same tired old tune?

 

[Gstanfor]

I'd still like to know if any reviewers out there knew/suspected what was wrong and if they did the reasons why they didn't inform us in product reviews.

Greg

 

[kgraeme]

Originally posted by: Gstanfor
I'd still like to know if any reviewers out there knew/suspected what was wrong and if they did the reasons why they didn't inform us in product reviews.

Greg

Me too. I bought an Iwill KK266 based on Anandtech's review and high praise. Worst peice of crap ever. I'm avoiding VIA like the plague and I'll take Anand's "reviews" with a heaping bunch of salt.

Some links that hardware sites did post:
ViaHardware 686b FAQ
686B testing (note that this review includes the Intel i815).

 

[bigboxes]

Well, I have had an Abit KT7A-RAID board for over a year with no stability problems. It has VIA northbridge and southbridge and my SBLive works great with no snaps, crackles, or pops. Now, win98...that caused a lot more problems. Thank God for winXP!

Of course, I've also have 2 ibm hdd's, which are now on everyone's pos list because of a bad initial batch.

 

[Lord Evermore]

So, if it's a PCI 2.2 compliance issue, then I don't think it's VIA's fault.

Both the SBLive! and SBAudigy list as their system requirements "PCI 2.1 compliant slot". Not PCI2.2. If they required "bus parking", then they have misrepresented their products requirements. Looking at Netgear, their current products list 2.2 as a requirement, but previous products only list a PCI bus with bus mastering, which doesn't mean 2.2 is required, so again if there were problems, it wasn't VIA's fault. Same thing with Adaptec cards. Promise cards indicate *either* 2.1 or 2.2 slots are required.

In fact I don't think any of the devices I have ever used have specified a requirement for PCI2.2. If they said anything at all, it was that they required PCI2.1 compliance (many only specify they require 32 bit PCI with bus mastering). Until today, I didn't even know that there was such a thing as a consumer board with PCI2.2.

Looking at motherboards, many don't seem to specify whether they're 2.2 or 2.1 compliant, even in the manuals and spec sheets. However Asus lists the A7V333 as being 2.2 compliant, which uses the VT8233A southbridge. Again, not VIA's fault if the motherboard manufacturer doesn't include specifications regarding PCI compliance.

VIA's own website is sparse on information about the PCI bus, they never seem to list anything regarding version compliance (one can draw one's own conclusions about why).

As far as I can tell, it's not really VIA's fault, if bus parking is in fact the problem. They never claimed to have a part with compliance for the 2.2 spec which included that. Nor do most mainboard makers seem to even mention what specification their boards comply with. Nor do most card makers even specify that they require a 2.2 compliant board. If they are including this requirement, then they are doing so outside of the 2.1 specification, making it their fault if it doesn't work with a 2.1 compliant motherboard.

 

[Carrot44]

I have had all the chipsets in my systems. Never a problem with any of them.
From TX to BX to ALI to AMD to VIA. Am currently running a Hybred AMD VIA chipset with not problems

Ken

 

[VFAA]

Same here. I've worked with all kinds of chipsets and never had any problems. Currently running a VIA KT133A / VIA 686B on a ABIT KT7A with a SB Audigy Gamer flawlessly.
IMO, if you got problems with VIA, install their VIA 4in1 Drivers and don't b|tch. That should solve the problem.

 

[kgraeme]

Originally posted by: VFAA

IMO, if you got problems with VIA, install their VIA 4in1 Drivers and don't b|tch. That should solve the problem.

Ah, but it doesn't solve the problem. That's the rub.

 

[Mem]

What do all those who defend VIA and refuse to believe there is a PCI bug have to say now?

No problems with my Soundblaster cards and VIA boards ,however no chipset is perfect since you`ve BIOS updates for all chipsets,drivers etc to help improve the stability .I`ve had Intel,SiS,VIA and they have all worked great & have been rock stable for me.

I don`t know why some members knock VIA all the time ,they`re not perfect but not as bad as some people here make out & threads like this just start flame wars.

 

[bigboxes]

Don't forget to flash your motherboard with the latest bios if you are still having problems after updating VIA's 4-in-1 drivers. There are also settings in your bios that you can set if you're still having problems. Check with faq support of your motherboard model. Also, make sure you have updated your sound card driver.

 

[MrGrim]

Originally posted by: bigboxesOf course, I've also have 2 ibm hdd's, which are now on everyone's pos list because of a bad initial batch.

You don't really know what you are talking about, do you?

 

[kgraeme]

Originally posted by: bigboxes
Don't forget to flash your motherboard with the latest bios if you are still having problems after updating VIA's 4-in-1 drivers. There are also settings in your bios that you can set if you're still having problems. Check with faq support of your motherboard model. Also, make sure you have updated your sound card driver.

Yes, and after doing all that the problems can still exist. It's because it's not a bios setting or a driver issue.

 

[MrGrim]

I am more than glad that some of you never had any problems with your computers and especially with VIA chipsets. You just keep buying them so that Intel/SiS chipsets get cheaper for us ungratefull and incompetent fools.