Help finding dual motherboard.

[Guru]

I would need some help finding a dual motherboard that would take FC-PGA Copermines or Celerons!

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PIII450@558, ABIT BX6-2, 256RAM, G400MAX, SBLIVE, HOTROD-UDMA66
Join the MURC SETI team!

[RoGuE]

I've just purchased a MicroStar 694D Pro (MS-6321) dual FC-PGA motherboard, and so far I'm very impressed with it.

Just a note, the board accepts any PPGA/FC-PGA chip, but FC-PGA Celerons are not SMP capable.

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MSI 694D Pro
2 x PIII 700E
256MB Crucial PC133
Millennium G400 Max
Hauppauge WinTV
SBLive! Player 1024
Linksys LNE100TX NIC
Maxtor 40GB ATA/66 HDD

[dZeus]

If I would be you, I would go the Intel BX route for max stability and compatibility:

either the Epox KP6-BS or the DFI P2XBL/D are very nice boards and inexpensive

[Sisyfos]

Be sure to get a cB0 Coppermine as the cA2 isn't dual capable.

Update: The cA2 is sort of dual processor capable. It's just that it won't be validated by dual processor apllications.
http://support.intel.com/design/pent...t/24445319.pdf

BTW, it seems the cC0 is starting to trickle.

[This message has been edited by Sisyfos (edited 10 August 2000).]

[RoGuE]

I ought to point out I'm having massive difficulties getting my G400 Max to function properly on this system. The 5.10 and 5.11 drivers cause the machine to reset when the logon screen should appear, and the certified 5.04 drivers work, but when dualhead is enabled, every time I try and play a movie file with media player the machine resets.

The problems with the 5.10 and 5.11 drivers on SMP machines are apparently known to Matrox as several people have had the same problem over on the Matrox tech support forums.

[dZeus]

someone I know who owns the DFI board I mentioned and a G400 too, has had no problem whatsoever wince the 5.04 release....

choose max. compatibility and go the BX route

[RoGuE]

To be honest at this point, if you go SMP I would avoid using a G400 for the time being.

[moreau]

I just built a dual system for a client. I wanted "max compatibility", so I chose the BX based ASUS P2B-DS. This will support coppermines if you select PCB revision 1.06. http://www.asus.com/products/techref...ine/index.html

This board is just around US$400, but is, in my opinion, worth it. You get onboard U2W, with a complete cable kit (including 68pin SE to external converter).

Don't know its virtues as an overclocking board, however.

[This message has been edited by moreau (edited 11 August 2000).]

[Guru]

Tanx for the help! I did not now about that cA2 thing! The ASUS P2B-DS looks great it either that or the new ABIT BX-RAID mobo (not dual)!

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PIII450@558, ABIT BX6-2, 256RAM, G400MAX, SBLIVE, HOTROD-UDMA66
Join the MURC SETI team!

[MultimediaMan]

You might wanna check out http://www.2cpu.com ...goood info there...

[fds]

My previous motherboard was an ASUS P2B-DS, there weren't any real problems with it except for it being BX and just getting too behind the times. No AGP 4x, no AGPPro slots, the useless ISA slots just taking the space, no ATA66 support and so on.

I also had one more significant problem with the P2B-DS, early rev. boards didn't work well with the ACPI Multiprocessor HAL in Win2000 (wasting 50% CPU time idle). For me it was just simpler to move on and get a new motherboard than to send it back to ASUS for the free hardware rework neecessary or trying to do it myself and risk ruining the whole thing.

I would strongly recommend against buying a BX based motherboard today. You'll be sorry later when you will need all the new stuff. And a dual motherboard isn't something you could afford replacing just a few months later.

As for compatibility and reliability you are sure to have a lot more headache with third-party additions to your BX motherboard like those Highpoint controllers on Abit boards than going the 8xx way and getting the Intel one. I never had the slightest problem using the new motherboard with Win98SE, Win2000 or BeOS 5. My experience with the ABIT BE-6 in my other machine was a far less enjoyable and problem free journey.

If you don't go with an dual FC-PGA motherboard and wish to run dual FCPGA P3's you are in for major trouble. Been there, done that. I tried about eight different FCPGA P3 667's, finally came across the list at Intel and made sure I have the right stepping but still no luck. One alone worked prefectly. You put in the second CPU and the system won't even boot or give a beep. The problems could also be due to the slotket converters you need in this case. Tried four different types of them as well, including Abit's Slotket3 which is supposed to support dual processing.

Then finally I could get them in good old secc2 packages and it works perfectly. With secc2 you don't even have to check the stepping as all are officially supporting dual processing, except for the 1Ghz one. I haven't checked the list at Intel lately though.

Hope you'll get your new rig working fine first time around.

My current configuration as follows, follow the links for more information:

<style type="text/css">.sgn {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11; color: black;} .sgnlink {text-decoration:none; color: #242472;}.sgnbold {font-weight:bold;}.sgnp3 {font-family: Arial;}</style><hr><div class="sgn">
Supermicro <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.supermicro.com/PRODUCT/Chassis/sc750.htm">SC750A (CSE-017)</a> chassis, <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.supermicro.com/PRODUCT/MotherBoards/840/840.htm#Table 2">PIIIDM3</a> motherboard
Intel <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.intel.com/pentiumiii/">Pentium <span class="sgnp3">III</span> 667MHz</a> x2
Matrox <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/mill_g400/home.htm">Millennium <span class="sgnbold">G400 MAX</span></a> -&gt; iiyama <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.iiyama.com/indexy/product2/9017e.htm">VisionMaster Pro 17 MT-9017T</a>
Creative <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.soundblaster.com/products/sbliveplatinum/features.asp">Sound Blaster Live! Platinum</a> -&gt; Cambridge SoundWorks <a class="sgnlink" href="http://americas.creative.com/speakers/desktop-theater-2500/">DTT2500 Digital</a>
Microsoft <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.microsoft.com/mouse/explorer.htm">IntelliMouse Explorer</a> (on USB)
Quantum <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.quantum.com/products/hdd/atlas_IV/atlas_IV_overview.htm">Atlas <span class="sgnp3">IV</span> 9 WLS</a>, <a href="http://www.quantum.com/products/hdd/fireball_lct/fireball_lct_overview.htm" class="sgnlink">Fireball lct08 26, 17</a>, WD Caviar <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.wdc.com/products/non-current/drives/ac420400.html">AC420400D</a>
Pioneer <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.pioneerusa.com/dvd_single.html#DVD103/113">DVD-303S</a>
ZyXEL <a class="sgnlink" href="http://www.zyxel.com/html/product/ta/lcds.html">omni.net LCD Plus</a> (on COM1)
TV Tuner card with Conexant Bt848</div></font>

[dZeus]

I don't see the point of buying a Asus dual motherboard... they are far overpriced compared to Epox and DFI solutions, that offer almost the same stuff.. of course Asus boards are a bit better, but is it worth the extra money? Not in my opinion

[C=64]

I own an Epox KP6-BS, and I'd recommend AVOIDING it for the time being. It still does not properly support APCI under Win2k, with no hope in sight for truly usable support.

Also, as Rogue pointed out, G400's and SMP aren't good friends..


C=64