Will this ECS K7S5A Pro setup work well?

[BehindEnemyLines]

I'm considering getting the K7S5A PRO version but don't know if it has the same problems as (lost CMOS...etc) the K7S5A (I don't know which version since the majority of posts just say K7S5A) has.

Does it have any annoyances or problems I should know? I'm considering running it with an Athlon XP 1700+ or 1800+ with a 350W fortron/sparkle fsp350 model for $48 shipped from newegg or 450W true power Allied ATX450BE model for $46 shipped from newegg and (2) 256MB RAM PC133. It'll also have a 5400rpm HD, TV tuner, sound card (if required), NIC (if required), cdrw, and dvd rom, and Chaintech Nvidia TNT2 M64.

Will this setup work well? Do I need a different PSU? I'm not sure of which PS to use.

 

[tenoc]

Either PSU should be plenty. Lots of info here.

The reason you haven't heard of any problems with the "Pro" version is because it doesn't exist. ECS is ignorant about it, at least.

There are ver. 1.x and 3.x listed on their site, no Pro.

Who made up this name anyhow?

 

[Peter]

The "pro" aka revision 5.x is brandnew. Adds an USB 2.0 controller for a total of ten USB ports (four 2.0 on the back plate, six 1.1 on headers for front USB or slot bracket use), loses the legacy gameport.

 

[BehindEnemyLines]

It does exist, at least at ECS K7S5A Pro from ECS and K7S5A PRO from newegg

I hope this version doesn't have like the other versions do. Anyone had experiences with this board?

 

[DaiLun]

Just look at the ECS knowledgebase for your answer. Many people are having problems getting the board to run in a stable fashion in 133/133 (CPU and DRAM). It's rock solid at 100/100 MHz but this board SEEMS to have bugs.

I have posted my frustration on several boards and I'm waiting for a (satisfactory) answer from ECS, although no one on the ECS board has gotten one yet.

Just My .02 The jury's still out on this one. Great design, poor execution (so far).:disgust:

 

[Peter]

99.9 percent of people who can't run 133/133 have poor power supply, insufficient CPU cooling, or bad RAM.

 

[Cat13]

I have two Pro's that I got last week and after some trouble they are running fine. They wouldn't boot with my 2000+ chips until I put in my Duron. Once I did that, I was able to pop in the 2000+ and all is good. Running both, one with a 1800+ and the other a 2000+. I am going to try the new Cheepo bios for the pro soon.

 

[BehindEnemyLines]

I hope I'm have better luck. It'll arrive in a few days. I read somewhere that the chipset heatsink might be at fault too since it uses the double-sided thermal tape and may get overheated. People had good success in running at 133/133 if they modified the chipset heatsink (warranty may void) by replacing the tape with thermal paste and some superglue. Just hope it works without (much) modification.

 

[Bulletbait]

I've been running a K7S5A for more than a year now, and it's never had any problems. The only occasional annoying thing I've had is if the power fails, the bios settings sometimes get reset. Also, I recommend getting a real sound card, the onboard one is decent, but it has issues with BF1942 (lots of crackling). I have an XP1600+ with 512mb of PC2100 DDR.

 

[s0ssos]

i'm running at k7s5a pro. it has a xp 1800 on it, and runs fine at 133/133. however, i can't seem to get any of the usb 2.0 ports in the back working with win2k pro. and looking on the forums at ecsusa, it seems other people have problems with usb (albeit the front ports, which are usb 1.1). ecs hasn't responded to my email for support, and i think they have horrible customer service. so if you want an easy ride, don't go with ecs