Athlon FSB settings

[tricktx]

Following up on a recent post i plan to get a mobo which is a ECS K7S5a motherboard which has a FSB of 100/112/133/150 and a multiplyer upto 12.5.
I plan to get wither an athlon 1600 or 1800 depending on what i can afford but they both say 266mhz FSB . Is this locked as i can reach 1.4/1.6 GHZ ish with the high multiplyer.

Any info would be appreciated.
Richard

[deadkenny]

No, the FSB is not locked, only the multiplier.

Actually the FSB is 133MHz, it's sometimes referred to as 266MHz because of the two transmissions per clock cycle (like DDR memory). So, for example, an AthlonXP 1600 (which has a clock speed of 1.4GHz at the spec FSB of 133MHz and therefore a multiplier of 10.5) would have an internal clock speed of 1.575GHz if you OC'd the FSB to 150MHz. You couldn't change the multiplier unless you unlocked the CPU, which is a real trick with the Palominos.

[tricktx]

so if installed a 1600 on this machine it would auto recognise and run at 1.4GHZ or do i have to changle summet

[deadkenny]

The AthonXP 1600 is normally clocked at 1.4GHz (i.e. the "1600" is not the clock speed, but rather a "performance rating" created by AMD for marketing purposes). The spec settings for the XP 1600 are 133MHz FSB and multiplier of 10.5 giving 1.4GHz. If you want to OC it then you would simply set the FSB to something higher than 133MHz. To increase the multiplier you would both have to unlock the CPU and have a board that supported the multiplier setting. The FSB setting is much easier, as you simply go into the bios and select a faster FSB (assuming you are running jumperless, otherwise you have to set jumpers on the board).

[SnomanJack]

The ECS K7S5A mb has 100 and 133 speed settings only. The board defaults at 2st boot to 100/100 so you need to enter the BIOS and change it to 133/133. If you don't you think your CPU is slow (eg Athlon XP 1800 shows as 1150mhz). Once you change this the machine will show the performace rating speed of 1400mhz (1600+) or 1533mhz (1800+). If you have DDR memory then the 133 settings give you the 266mhz FSB. This board is a solid runner but really has no OC features. I have the 020226 BIOS upgrade applied but it still maintains only the 100 and 133 speed settings. Voltages are also not changeable. Kind of a bummer but the board is inexpensive so you get what you pay for.

[tricktx]

thanks for that guys, ive done some research and the there is a way of getting the FSB to 150mhz and also is there a "easy" way to unlock the multiplyer, if its a flick of a switch then thats fine but if its change voltage,this that etc then i wont touch it and just run at 1.4 or 1.53GHZ

[SnomanJack]

What lets you change the FSB to 150? Id' be interested in that!

[tricktx]

http://www.ocworkbench.com/hardware/elite/k7s5a/k7s5ap4.htm

this page says that with some things that i dont understand about voltge you can change the FSB to 150/150. Have a look.



also

http://www.amdmb.com/article-display.php?ArticleID=112

this clearly states that the mobo can handle 150 FSB

[deadkenny]

Originally posted by tricktx
thanks for that guys, ive done some research and the there is a way of getting the FSB to 150mhz and also is there a "easy" way to unlock the multiplyer, if its a flick of a switch then thats fine but if its change voltage,this that etc then i wont touch it and just run at 1.4 or 1.53GHZ

AFAIK there's no 'easy' way to unlock the multiplier on an XP.

[tricktx]

cheers DK, i wont bother messing about with it for the moment. I think 1.53GHZ is fast enough for anyone.
Ive not got the system yet.i have to wait till monday but heres how iot goes.

ECS K7s5a £57.50
Athlon XP1800 £73.46
Hestsink + Fan £5.00
ATX 300W Case £29.40
total £165.36

+ Radeon VE 64MB
+ 256MB Ram PC133

So i think that for an extra £165 ive got a pritty major boost in system performance.

Thanks for all your help and advice guys, its made the purchasing process a lot easier..

Richard :)

[deadkenny]

A couple suggestions. I'm not sure what the prices are like in the UK, but if you are thinking about going with DDR memory, you might want to check out the newer boards with the SiS 745 chipset (the board you're looking at is the SiS 735). If you don't want to OC the ASUS A7S333 might be OK, since it sounds like you do want to OC then the MSI 745 Ultra is a better choice.

Regarding the video card, the VE is OK for 2D, but not great for 3D. I would suggest going with at least the Radeon 7500 or an equivalent GeForce2 based card if you think you'll be doing any 3D gaming.

Last comment, powersupply is critical, especially with the board you have listed. A lot of people only refer to the wattage when describing the powersupply, as if the total power supplied is all that matters. What is critical is that the powersupply is of high quality, and keeps the various voltages supplied near spec in a narrow range (i.e. a nice 'clean' power signature). You can get a 10,000 watt p/s, but if the 5v signal varies all over the place your system will be unstable.

[tricktx]

thanks for that DK. The board i am getting has already got 2 ddr slots (the ecs k7s5a)

http://www.ecs.com.tw/products/k7s5a.htm

As for the rest. Im guna upgrade each part of the pc but by bit. Ive got a 80GB hard disk on the line for £50 soon and im thinking about getting a 7500 or 8500 radeon (if i an afford it).

And how do you chack if the power supply is a good one befopre you buy. all i know is that its an ATX case with a 300W PSU for £30.

Richard

[deadkenny]

Regarding the mobo, yes I was aware of the fact that the K7S5A has both SDRAM and DDR slots. I was just making the point that there are more attractive alternatives, IF you are going to get DDR to start with. I'm not familiar with any SiS 745 chipset boards that have both SDRAM and DDR slots (only DDR afaik). So if you're going to start with SDRAM and then later upgrade to DDR, then the K7S5A is the way to go.

Regarding the p/s, I suggest that you check the manufacturer and verify whether or not it's on the AMD approved p/s list. A 300 watt p/s should be adequate, but as I noted it still should be a good quality (approved) 300 watt p/s. If you get a generic (no name) p/s, with that board in particular, you're asking for trouble imho.

Regarding upgrades in general, one should really look at the cost today and think about the cost of upgrading carefully. To give an 'artifical' example, let's say you get a $50 video card today because the one you want is $150 today, and you don't want to spend that much. At some point in the future, the card you want drops to $100, so you buy it and upgrade. Now you've spent $150 in total but you've lived with lower video quality for a period of time. You have an extra video card that you would not have had if you had spent the $150 up front. But it's really obsolete by that time (it was already an older model when you first bought it). A contrived example to be sure, but you get the idea.

[tricktx]

thanks for that. Ive checked the case is amd apporved so i shouldnt have any problems.

Also agree with wht you said im a sucker for cheap buys. Ive had a
Geforce2MX200 £50
Geforce2MX400 £55
Radeon VE £50

So ive spent a total in the last 5 months of £155 on gcards , that could have got me a Geforce 3 at the time or a geforce 4 now,

Advice taken and appreciated

Richard