K7M...BIG DIFF over FICs and Gigs...

[kelin]

Well, I finally took the second -in a series of 2- SD-11s back, and also had tried the Gigabyte GA-71X...some of you had probably read my whining posts re: all the probs I had with both the FIC and GIG mobo...the reboots during win98 install at Hardware Detect, PNP...etc...and the Video errors (openGl, model, etc..errors)...Anyway, took the FIC SD-11 and my K7 600 back..traded up for the 650 (it was almost the same price as my 600 was three and a half weeks ago!!!) and got an Asus K7M...
Well, its working fantastic!!! Not a single spontaneous reboot during 98 install...and everything else seems to be fine...Asus really makes a classy well made mobo(mofo)...and I am really inpressed with the K7M...so far...will probably only last for a while, as I will HAVE to GET a new mobo when the 133 chipsets come out!!!
Its also nice to be able to use my thermistors again to keep an eye on the temps...
Kelin

[Greebe]

Kelin, hope you don't intend on OCing it. The K7M is to narrow (front to back) to accept a real HS/fan!

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Designer of the first Athlon mod. Currently marketing the "Eclipse" mod through AZZO Computers.
Anyone up for an Eclipse'd Athlon 800? Email me for more information

2614 mips, 1.024 gflops @ 800 mHz 1:3 latency

[kelin]

Yeah...I realize that...for now, I am just happy having the damn thing run with no problems...I can always make my own heatsink at work (I am a process engineer at a factory that does machining...I program CNCs) maybe one that points up (out) instead of front to back..anyway, from what I have seen the results from ocing the FSB aren't that special on the K7s yet....Like I said, still waiting for the Kx133 or whatever the 133 Mhz FSB chipset K7 mobos to come out...and get some use out of this expensive HSDRAM!!!
Kelin

[Greebe]

Kelin, So you do any AB PLC5 stuff? I use the GlobalWin FKK32 Athlon HS/Fan(s). It states it's only 120.2mm x 58.3mm x 34mm, but that's without the fans!
True deminsions are 120.2mm x 60mm x 63mm! In order to fit this one you also must remove the screw from the bottom right corner to get around the power plug. It's a tight fit on a 6167. Impossible on the K7M without removing one of the fans and not placing any memory into the socket nearest it as the screws will touch the chips! Let alone block air flow on an otherwise crippled unit.

[This message has been edited by Greebe (edited 23 November 1999).]

[kelin]

Yeah...I talked to a guy who owns Mill-"something" - I forgot...
Anyway, he had both the Alpha and the Global...says both will fit, but with the smaller 50(mm) fans...he is sending me the Alpha with both the 60 and 50mm fans, so if the biggies don't work, I can use the 50s...
also, he said the Alpha had the fans screwing into a clip/bracket which you can reposition a little, so that might help with getting the clearance over the damn ATX power connector...
I am running 2 128 meg sticks of Enhanced Memory Systems HSDRAM PC133...so I leave the slot closest to the CPU empty, anyway...the guys at EMS said to always try and leave a slot open between the DIMMS (with my P3 boards, they had 4 slotz and I could leave 2 open in the middle) but, according to the Asus manual, the Dimms should be in adjacent slots...
I will tell ya, I am just soooo happy that the darn thing is running with NO APPARENT probs!!!
As for cooling, besides running with my case side off (I am a overclocker from a ways back) I have 2 6" AC fans blowing over the whole mess...over the top 3 PCI Cards, into the CPU, and on the other side of the vertical brace in my full tower, blowing over the AGP card, the Chipset, RAM, and giving FREAH air to the CPU cooler...Also running 2 homemade thermistors, one on CPU and one on the G400 MAX....as I said before, nice to put the thermistors to use again...
My current BX mobo is a Soyo, which has Hardware Monitoring, but gets the CPU temps from the P3 "On die Thermal Diode"...supposed to be more accurate...
Anyway, so far, the K7 650 seems to be running reasonably cool...NOt as cool as I want, but I have a pretty crappy generic heatsink at the moment...
Had it overclocked to 700 last night...for a while...didn't get much temp increase..
Well, thankx people...
Kelin