K7S5A

[nancy2394]

Anyone know anything about this board? I am just looking for a basic board to put in my sister's computer. She does not use it that often and does only basic things on it.... so she doesn't have to have the caddilac of boards. I just need it to be okay for her AMD Thunderbred Athalon 1800 xp, a 120gb maxtor hard drive, and 512mb of sdram. I looked at the specs for this board and as far as I can tell it will do just fine. The only thing that had me a little puzzled was under the chip settings description it said:
LAN: Mac integrated in Sis 735 & PHY on board
What the heck does that mean?? I emailed the person who I may be buying the board from to explain that to me but he hasn't had a chance to reply and I am a bit in patient I guess. So, if anyone can give me any advice on this board I'd appreciate it.

[Peter M]

To make a LAN connection, you always need a MAC (a Media Attachment Controller) and a PHYsical interface chip.

Now the MAC is the digital part, while the PHY deals with the signal that goes through the wire. Most PCI ethernet chips have both parts in one chip, making them analog/digital "mixed signal" ... but with chipset integrated LAN, you don't want that because (a) making such a large chip mixed-signal makes it hard to manufacture and (b) you need the PHY to be close to the actual connector for signal integrity reasons.

So just like with chipset integrated sound or FireWire, you have the data engine in the chipset, and the interface chip detached and near the connector.

Now to the board ... it's been the best selling board ever. Things you need to watch is to use a quality power supply of adequate strength, and because of the currently awful average quality of RAM, you need to verify yours works. www.memtest86.com

regards, Peter

[Tick]

Good board. Power supply is a must have (300 watt or more). Got one myself worked perfect OTB!


Tick

[BipolarBill]

As an alternative to the K7S5A, I'd suggest this:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=N82E16813130354 (added after being reminded that I'm stooopid)

Utterly foolproof and it has 6 USB 2.0 ports. It also has thermal protection so you won't cook the Athlon. It's purty too. :)

[sm8000]

You'd suggest what?

[BipolarBill]

LOL!

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=N82E16813130354

[stix_kua]

Originally posted by BipolarBill
As an alternative to the K7S5A, I'd suggest this:

Utterly foolproof and it has 6 USB 2.0 ports. It also has thermal protection so you won't cook the Athlon. It's purty too. :)

what is it?


huh?

I need to know....please? tell me....

ahhh

i'm going to go nutz if i don't find out

[stix_kua]

I guess that was late

[nancy2394]

I only have a 250 watt power supply. If this board is just going to be used as a basic board... will that power supply be enough. My sister is not going to use that LAN integrated thing or anything that was explained above (too confusing). The board is cheap (50.00) and even though it has some more complex capabilities.... she will not be interested in them. The price was right, and that is why I am considering it. Any by the way... what brand name is this board? With some of those vibrant colors on the board... I'm thinking it's gigabyte.. but I'm a newbie to the computer world, so I really have no idea.

[BipolarBill]

A 250W PSU will not work well with the ECS. The board that I recommended is the MSI (Microstar) KT3 Ultra2. I still recommend it - if you're willing to buy DDR RAM.

What does your sis have now? Will she require new memory or will you be using older PC100/133 RAM? If you're using older RAM, look at this:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=N82E16813130035

Although cheap, the ECS is very demanding. Stop being cheap and start being smart. Cheap has gotten you trouble, hasn't it?

[nancy2394]

I'm not exactly a cheapo... I have been known to buy higher price items if they are what will suit my needs. But if I can find a bargain... I'm all for it. As far as my sister's computer.. I really don't want to spend a lot on her motherboard. And she just bought sdram, so ddr is not an option at this point. This website you gave me the link to brought me to the board you wanted me to see. What is an additional p4 voltage connector?

[BipolarBill]

Look at this picture:

http://www.slota.com/reviews/msi/k7tturbo2/socketa.jpg

the 4-pin connector in the upper left is a P4 connector. It's present on all P4-compatible power supplies. You can get a nice case w/P4 power supply here:

http://www.bestbyte.net/Product.cfm?ProductID=20&CategoryID=2&Keyword=

[causticVapor]

YEp, I've got to follow up on what BPB is saying -- for the K7S5A, a PSU that can deliver > 4.9v on the +5v rail is imperative. Antec, Enermax, Fortron, Vantec and Sparkle are all good names in my book.

[BipolarBill]

To sum up, you can buy a K7S5A and a quality power supply for $100 or get the MSI KT7 and a case/PSU for $100.

Funny how things work out, isn't it? :rolleyes:

[Peter M]

However the **** PSU you get with the latter combination will cost you MUCH more when it dies later. Overload is overload - no matter how expensive the mainboard is, there is no magic power source included.

To my experience, K7S5A tends to act up right from the start when presented with too weak power supply. Other boards tend to sort of work until the power supply really gives up - often dragging expensive drives and other equipment to death along with it.

So, whatever your choice of mainboard, DON'T THINK YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH A CHEAP POWER SUPPLY UNIT. Just don't.

[nancy2394]

I decided not to go with this board. She's already bought a 250watt power supply and I'm not gonna have her re buy something she already bought. So, I think I'm gonna take the advice of one of the earlier posts and go with this other board that is a little more money, but the shipping is less. So, in the end it will only cost me 20.00 or so more than what I wanted to spend. I just have to find out what an additional p4 voltage connector is before I decide to purchase that board. So, again.. if anyone knows what that is.. please educate me. Thanks!

[BipolarBill]

Darnit Nancy - I did already. Go back and read. If her new PSU lacks a P4 connector, you can't use that board.

[crucibelle]

Nancy - I'm assuming you are female from your name. If you are not, then I apologize. If so, then I'll try to explain the P4 connector thing in terms we gals tend to understand more clearly.. heheh ;) Anyhow, look at the psu - there is this big wad of wires that hang out the back of it. At the end of these wires are little plastic things. Most of the plastic things are rectangular in shape. Look for one that is pretty much a perfect square shape (as opposed to rectangular). That would be the P4 connector. If your psu does not have the square-shaped plastic thing - then you don't have a P4 connector, and you can't use the board that BPB was speaking of. Hope this helps! :D

-jeanna

[BipolarBill]

:p

The whosit's connected to the flirtnot? :D

[crucibelle]

Originally posted by BipolarBill
:p

The whosit's connected to the flirtnot? :D

That's it, exactly. LOL! :p

-jeanna

[Rocketmech]

Bill ,
I thought the 12v, 4-pin power connector was included as an " option " . I don't remember hooking up a 12v connector for the cpu on a K7T TURBO2 awhile back for someone, but I cant remember if it was with a Duron or an Athlon. Regardless, I'm seeing this feature on more AMD mobo's now , so whats the true skinny on this.

[BipolarBill]

Newegg claims that it's needed on the K7T.

[Rocketmech]

LOL , yep... in big bold letters for us who need glasses.:p So I guess it was an issue for them , to have to post it anyways. Something to take heed to. Every mobo will be different I suppose, some using it for AGP pro, some required for cpu , some optional. I do like the feature though, given many are adding on to there 12v rails these days.
Thanks for the tip.

[Peter M]

Originally posted by nancy2394
I decided not to go with this board. She's already bought a 250watt power supply and I'm not gonna have her re buy something she already bought. So, I think I'm gonna take the advice of one of the earlier posts and go with this other board that is a little more money, but the shipping is less. So, in the end it will only cost me 20.00 or so more than what I wanted to spend. I just have to find out what an additional p4 voltage connector is before I decide to purchase that board. So, again.. if anyone knows what that is.. please educate me. Thanks!

Let me warn you again ... your power supply will still be too weak for the combination you target. No matter what mainboard. Power doesn't appear out of thin air just because you spent more money for the board, you know.

[nancy2394]

Bill, I never even saw your post about the p4 connector... sorry. Had I seen it, I would not have asked for a second time for someone to explain it to me. Her power supply does have a p4 connector. Jeanna, thanks a bunch for taking the time to explain it again. I always feel so out of place in these forums because I know most of you are so far more advanced than I am... but I'm learning and usually understand things fairly easy;)
But when I am confused or ask silly questions.. just remember that every one of you started out where I am not having as much computer knowledge as you do now. I am grateful that I can come to a place like this and get answers that I know I can trust for the most part... it has saved me a lot of aggrivation on numerous occasions.. so thanks to all!
Now, for clarification to my earlier posts. I am NOT getting that original board I was talking about due to the fact that her power supply is not strong enough. I have not decided to get a K7t turbo2 now that I've established what a p4 connector is (thanks again for the info). This board does not recommend what watt power supply to use, so I am assuming that the 250 watt will be sufficient or they would have specified a particular watt psu. If my assumption is wrong, could someone please let me know (I have not officially placed my order yet)

[nancy2394]

Had I taken the time to preview my previous post.. I would have noticed a typo. I WILL be purchasing the k7t turbo2 provided it will be okay with a 250watt psu.

[nancy2394]

When I first read one of your replies on one of my questions.. I thought you were thinking I was still considering purchasing the first board I was talking about that needed at least a 300watt psu. Now, after reading it again, I am thinking that you are telling me that this second board I am talking about also needs a higher watt psu. So, at the risk of you getting irritated at me... :( Could you please clarify which board you were referring to when you said the 250watt psu would not work.

[BipolarBill]

If this is a really good quality PSU your sister has, it will be fine. If funny things start happenng later, you know where to go:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=N82E16817103420

[nancy2394]

Okay guys, for those of you who have already posted replies to my postings... thanks a bunch. I should never try to use my brain regarding computers when I've had no sleep (I work nights) And here I am (after a few hours of sleep) now realizing that I looked at the wrong psu. Mine is a 400watt and has that p4 connector. But my sister's psu is the 250watt with NO p4 connector. So, that board I was considering buying obviously will not work. I really don't have the time to go back through all the posts now to see what people recommended. If you have it in your heart to recommend a board that meets this criteria.. please reply.
*must support 120gb hard drive
*NO p4 connector
*can be agp x4
*if it has sound on the board, I really need it to have the option
to be disabled since she just bought a new sound card
* amd thorobred athalon 1800
* 250 watt psu (deer brand??)
* SDRAM
I think I mentioned everything I can think of. I am desperate to find something quick considering I already told a little white lie and told her I already ordered her board and would have it ready to ship out in a few days:r :r
She has been driving me nuts asking me when it's gonna be shipped.. she's going through withdrawal I guess.. lol.
I also would REALLY like this board to not exceed 70 dollars or right around there.... I am so broke at this moment:(
Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my post! I really do appreciate it.

[sm8000]

I'd say get a good 300 watt unit with either board, just to be on the safe side. Surely somebody out there will buy the current one from you for a small, low-intensity rig.

[BipolarBill]

Forget it. There's no way that you can do this without buying a new power supply. End of story. Free up some more funds or tell Sis she has to wait awhile.

[crucibelle]

Nancy - no problem; I enjoy helping people when I am able to do so ;)

Would you happen to know what brand the psu is? Also, you never mentioned if your sis has a video card or not. If not, maybe you should consider purchasing a mobo with on-board video. With onboard video, you would have less of a power draw, I think. Anyways, how about this board? It's the Biostar M7VIG PRO:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?description=13-138-217

Specs:

Supported CPU:AMD Athlon XP , Athlon and Duron
Chipset:VIA KM266 / VT8235
FSB:200 / 266MHz system interface speed
RAM:Both 2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM and 2 x 168-pin SDRAM DIMM Maximum 2.0 GB PC2100 (DDR266)
IDE:Ultra DMA33/66/100/133
Slots:3 x PCI 1 x AGP 1 x CNR
Ports:1xLPT, 1xCOM, 6xUSB2.0 , 2xPS/2, amd Audio Ports:
Onboard VGA:S3 Savage 4 Video Integrated
Onboard Audio AC 97 Audio 6 Channel
Onboard LAN:10/100mbs
****

It looks nice, as well - I can't tell if from the pics if that is an orange or red PCB, but it looks cool, nontheless :D

-jeanna

[crucibelle]

Oops, didn't see the other replies before i posted. Nancy, I must agree with Bill on this. You are going to have to get another power supply. If you want to even get close to getting away with a 250 watt, you are probably going to HAVE to use onboard sound and video. Even then, you may be pushing it. Good luck! :)

-jeanna

[Logan[TeamX]]

Agreed!

Logan

[nancy2394]

Okay, I've decided to just give up my new 400watt power supply to my sister so I can just order her a board and get this sent to her because I'm sick to death of looking at it now. I have looked at all the boards people have suggested. I am not willing to buy ddr memory for her computer considering I'm already investing a lot more than I ever anticipated. I don't mind spending it on my own.. I can appreciate the finer products. But she has no clue and hardly ever uses her computer for anything other than word processor tasks and occasional surfing of the web. I have a feeling what kind of replies I'm going to get on this next question... but here it goes: Is a powermax 400watt psu a crappy brand psu? Whether it is crappy or not is kind a after the fact question considering it's already purchased and sitting here in front of me. It will have to work.. I hope. I'm now hoping I can purchase that original board I was telling you about that everyone said I had to have a good watt power supply for that board. Will this psu I just told you about be adequate for:
ECS K7S5A SIS 735 DDR SDRAM W/ LAN V3.X
Well, I'm off to work... I will check for messages when I get home in the morning.. thanks everyone, I really do mean that.:t

[BipolarBill]

Powermax is OK, but I cannot guarantee it's output. You keep looking to save money, but remember this:

"Penny-wise, dollar-foolish."

[Rugor]

Ok my PSU is a 400W Macron unit; and one thing that is very noticeable about the PSU if you have it on your desk and are looking at it. It's liberally festooned with AMD and Intel approved stickers.

If your PSU doesn't have such, I wouldn't want it.

[nancy2394]

I guess I really am learning the hard way:(
I wished I had found this forum before I started to buy all this stuff. I already have two abit boards sitting here I can't use, now I have one power supply that is pretty much useless and another one that is a generic crappy brand that is probably also useless. I now find out I bought generic memory that may not even work right, and a monitor on the fritz. At least I can say that I bought some really nice boston acoustic speakers, a radeon video card that I am hoping is a decent one, and an adequate board for myself. My sister is gonna kill me, I'm no closer to finishing her computer than I was two weeks ago... :(
Well, I guess I'm gonna have to start over with mine after I throw something together for her that will suit her. This is a really dumb question... but exactly how many ghz is an amd athlon thorobred xp 1800?? I was assuming it was 1.8 ghz. (I don't remember seeing a previous reply on this question.. so forgive me if I"m repeating myself) But I have an amd palimino 2100 and I thought I was buying a 2.1ghz, but in the literature it said 1.7ghz. So, I am confused about this. If an 1800 xp series turns out to be something like a 1.4 then I am just gonna shoot myself now... lol because I have a board sitting right here that will support a cpu that speed with a bios flash.

[nancy2394]

In retrospect.. I guess I shouldn't have used the term "just shoot myself" I was only kidding, but I suppose it would be hard to detect the sarcasm in a typed reply. So, to clarify my frustrations... I am not really gonna shoot myself. Okay, now I can go to sleep and not worry that someone is gonna think I am suicidal. You have to forgive me, but I just got off from a busy night of work being sleep deprived. Thanks for listening to me!

[Rugor]

Ok Nancy, the XP 1800+ (tbred or palomino) is a 1.533 GHz CPU. AMD had to go to peformance ratings because the original P4 Willamette had a terrible IPC, and so an AMD CPU could perform, and often still can, like an Intel P4 CPU that's clocked a lot higher.

One way to think of PR ratings is to imagine CPUs as being collector's editions worth so many dollars. When the PIII and Athlon were competing they were both performing very similarly at a given clockspeed so MHz was a reasonable comparison. Enter the P4. It clocks much higher, but doesn't perform as much better as the speed would indicate. It's like one company suddenly started listing values of their collectors editions in Canadian dollars without telling anyone. Now everyone else has to show Canadian prices for a comparison.

Good luck with the systems though.

Also, which Radeon card do you have there, and what's it going to be used for?

They have nice image quality even the older slower Radeons.

[paul0660]

If your psu is not specifically AMD approved, look for the rated output of the 3.3 and 5.0 voltages. The minimum required is 220 watts combined. I run a K7S5A 1800 XP overclocked to 147 fsb, with a no name PS with those parameters and it works ok.

[nancy2394]

Paul, I'm not sure I know how to check the parimeters you gave me on the power supply. I just pulled it out and here's what it says: Powmax atx switching power supply
model no. LP-8800D DC out put: 400W max
Input: 100-127V~10A 50/60Hz
200-240V~6A 50/60Hz
Output: +5v / 30A Max. +12v / 25A Max
-12v /0.8A Max. +3.3v / 28A Max
-5v /0.3A Max. +5Vsb / 2.0A Max

I know there are brand names for all products, but I never really thought it mattered too much with a power supply. I guess I just assumed that if it said 400watts, that it was what it said. I'm grateful that I am learning all these things, I'm just so aggrivated that I wasted so much time buying less than standard stuff. But, it's my ignorance that got me to where I am. So, if you can tell me in easy words that I can understand... is this power supply **** or is it going to do an adequate job?

[nancy2394]

I am gonna have to find a board that I can use for my sister's computer with that powmax power supply. But that means I will now have to replace my power supply. I was wondering if this one is a good one to get: It is an Antec and it is about 100.00. I just want to know if someone could look over the specs and tell me if it's a good price for it or not. I don't have to have the best, but I would like to have something decent, I'm tired of buying ****.

Maximum Power
480 Watts

Switches
ATX Logic on-off additional power rocker switch (115/230 Volt selector switch)

Special Connectors
AUX Power

3-pin Fan Sensor
Fan Only

Transient Response
+5V,+12V outputs return to within 5% in less than 1ms for 20% load change.

P. G. Signal
100-500ms

Over Voltage Protection

recycle AC to reset
+5V trip point < +6.5V
+3.3V trip point < +4.1V
+12V trip point < +14.4V

Overload Protection
Latching Protection
+5V @ < 47A
+3.3V @ < 48A
+12V @ < 18A

Leakage Current
<3.5mA @ 240VAC



DIMENSIONS

Unit Size
5.9"(L) x 5.5"(W) x 3.4"(H)
15cm(L) x 14 cm(W) x 8.6 cm(H)

Net Weight
5lbs.
2.3kg


INPUT

Input Voltage
115VAC / 230VAC

Input Frequency Range
47Hz to 63Hz

Input Surge Current
< 60A @ 115VAC

Input Current
9.0A for 115VAC
5.0A for 230VAC

Hold-up Time
>17ms at Full Load

Efficiency
> 68%

EMI/RFI
FCC Class B
CISPR22 Class


OUTPUT

+5V
-5V
+12V
-12V
+3.3V
+5V
SB

Max. Load
38A*
0.5A
22A
1.0A
30A*
2A

Min. Load
0A
0A
0.8A
0A
0A
0A

Load Reg.
±3%
±5%
±3%
±5%
±3%
±5%

Ripple V(p-p)
50mV
50mV
120mV
120mV
50mV
50mV

* +5V, +3.3V &mp; +12V maximum output 460 Watts max.


ENVIRONMENTAL

Operating Temp.
10 to 50ºC

Operating Alt.
Sea Level 10,000 ft.

Non-Operating Vibration
Operating: 10-300 Hz, 0.5G, 3 axes, 1 hr. ea. axis
Non-operating: 10-300 Hz, 2.0G, 3 axes, 1 hr. ea. axis

MTBF
80,000 hrs. @ 25ºC

Approvals
UL, CSA, TUV, CB, CE, SEMKO, NEMKO, DEMKO

[BipolarBill]

You're overreacting (and overpasting!). The 330W Antec is sufficient at half the price. Ratings don't mean **** if the manufacturer doesn't guarantee them. Antec does.

[nancy2394]

sorry, I didn't mean to overpaste. I guess it got the best of me. I figured that if I went for a higher watt psu then it was better. I have the K7 Triton 400 motherboard... so the 330 watt antec will be okay for that board? I also have a bunch of fans and a stupid blue light that my daughter is really wanting hooked up. I suppose I should add up all the watts for the fans and that light and see what watt psu I have to have to run it all.

[BipolarBill]

I'm sure that the 330W will be adequate, but the True380W unit will afford you some headroom for later.