Via and G400 MAX

[Jonathan Beilin]

I am planning on building a system using the ASUS p3v4x mobo, which uses a via chipset. Will I encounter any problems? Thanks.

[burre burrito]

yeah you will get some serious problems... well i got at least... and then you wont get much help here either, since ppl here doesnt help u if u have choosed the wrong mobo...

[T-E-Monk]

Well.. Expect more problems than if you go with an intel based chipset. But it is possible to get a stable setup. I have a Biostar M7MKE and its quite stable.

Though as of yet no AGP4x support.
And some trouble with the KX133 chipset and win2k. Needed special drivers to get AGP working at all.

If you are after a stable system and ease of use, go for intel. If you want a fast tweakble with the latest features go for via.

Joakim Plate

[Joel]

We here at the MURC Forums are willing to help anyone with a problem just as long as they don't act like an ****ole, like burre burrito just did.

Joel

[Sanjuro Makabe]

Hi ppl,
I have a VIA mobo with a G400Max, no problems here, stable, etc... of course the VIA chipset isn't as fast as BX, but it's more stable and the P3V4X has better overclocking ability...

------------------
Sanjuro Makabe

P!!!550E @ 733Mhz
ASUS P3V4X 1005, 4in1 4.22, AGP 4.03
128Mb PC100 C2 Ram
Matrox G400Max PD6.00 beta
SBLive! LW3.0
WinMe 4.90.2535

[burre burrito]

well sorry for that...
i have had some problems with various things, and with everything besides my VIA problems i have gotten exelent help!!
but my VIA problem are still here... thats why i said that, because i still havnt gotten any help! i guess anyone in my position wud be a little mad, right?

[Sanjuro Makabe]

What problems are you having man?

------------------
Sanjuro Makabe

P!!!550E @ 733Mhz
ASUS P3V4X 1005, 4in1 4.22, AGP 4.03
128Mb PC100 C2 Ram
Matrox G400Max PD6.00 beta
SBLive! LW3.0
WinMe 4.90.2535

[ahartman]

Thx joel - when I read that, I got really upset.

At any rate, I've got an Iwill VD133 and I've only had one problem (shutdown problem).

It's absolutely possible to get a G400 (max) working with a VIA chipset.

If you have trouble, post your system specs and the problem you're having. We'll all figure it out together.

AMH

[Compton]

since ppl here doesnt help u if u have choosed the wrong mobo...

I think he does make a good point though

[paulcs]

People seem to be feeling warmer about VIA since the release of the PD 6.0 betas.

The Matrox issues with the newer VIA chipsets appear to have been resolved. Part of the secret, I suspect, is the order in which you install the drivers. Anticipating problems with a new VIA-based Athlon motherboard, I just asked about driver installation sequence in the Matrox hardware forum. I received two quick answers, by the way. (Don't let John's post scare you. He's dual booting, has NTFS partitions, a couple of SCSI boards, and a RAID array.)
http://forums.murc.ws/ubb/Forum5/HTML/008949.html

You'll note that Joel and John both advise the same sequence of driver installations. In addition, there are some non-Matrox specific issues you should be aware of, however.

The P3V4X has some idiocyncracies. If you buy this board, no matter what video board you're using, you should use the VIA 4.03 AGP driver. The 4.02 driver is included in the 4.22 4in1 set, so you must download and install 4.03 driver separately.

After you install the 4in1's, check you disk drives in device manager. If your hard drives are identified as "GENERIC IDE DISK TYPE47," your busmastering drivers did not install properly. Just install them manually from device manager.

The P3V4X likes fast RAM and hard drives. I found it was best to connect an ATA-66 hard drive to the first IDE channel. Performance is greatly enhanced by CL2-rated PC133 RAM. Let SPD set the timings.

When you turn on your system for the first time, note carefully the BIOS version. If your board shipped with BIOS 1002, flash it immediately. The board did not function properly until 1003. I know Sanjuro has had good luck with 1005, the latest.

Good luck.

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[Electric Amish]

Jonathan-

Don't let people worry you. I have an Abit KA7 with a G400 running just fine. The only real problem I had was trying to get Quake 3 running. That has all been fixed with the new PD 6.0 and VIA 4.22 and 4.03 AGP drivers.

Things are running great, now. (except the shifting texture problem in Asheron's Call with the PD 6.0 drivers. )

If you run into problems, don't be afraid to ask around here. There's bound to be someone that can give you a hand.

amish

[flenn]

After you install the 4in1's, check you disk drives in device manager. If your hard drives are identified as "GENERIC IDE DISK TYPE47," your busmastering drivers did not install properly. Just install them manually from device manager.

My HD's are listed as DISK TYPE47 on my MSI 6309 (VIA Apollo Pro). I always thought this was a VIA thing. Are you saying the drivers are not installed correctly? If so, how exactly do I reinstall out of Device Manager? I've tried to "Update Driver" at Hard Disk Controller/Via Busmaster PCI IDE Controller/Driver in Device Manager with no success. When prompted for new driver, I point to VIA 4.03 driver directory and no drivers are found. If I point to the Win9x directory (inside VIA 4.03 driver directory) I get a prompt that says "best driver is already in use" and would I like to change anyway. I say yes and it displays one driver to choose from, the Standard Dual PCI controller included in Win98. Can anyone shed some light on this?

[This message has been edited by flenn (edited 26 June 2000).]

[paulcs]

Flen, you're pointing at the wrong drivers. You should point to the directory with the busmastering drivers and not the 4.03 AGP driver.

If you haven't already done so, download the VIA 4in1's. You'll find the busmastering drivers there.

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[paulcs]

Or did you mean the 4.22 directory?

Possibly, VIA fixed the installation problems with this newest set.

Maybe someone can give Flen a hand here. I'm still using the 4.20 busmastering drivers, which work for me, along with the 4.03 AGP driver.

Has VIA fixed the installation issues with the new 4in1 set?

Also, should they be installed from c:\Windows\Temp ?

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[flenn]

Thanks paulcs,

I had a temporary brain cramp and was thinking the 4.03's were the busmaster drivers. It's been awhile since I've dealt with the VIA drivers and because the 4.03's were the only VIA drivers on my hard drive, I figured it was the 4 in 1's. The original 4 in 1's that I installed came off the CD that came with the mobo.

Anyway, I'm all set now. Off to benchmark.