Will Asus sp97-v support an AMD K6-3 333?

[Stang]

I want upgrade my P133 to a faster processor. My mobo is an Asus sp97-v. Will this mobo support an AMD K6-3 333? The processor is the AFK 2.2 volt version. It is the L2 cache that I am worried about.
Thanks,
Stang

[This message has been edited by Stang (edited 08-20-2000).]

[Ultima]

There is no such thing as a k6-3 333Mhz, they begin at 400Mhz and up.

Being 400, 450 and 500.

But to answer the question, maybe with the latest bios update, but check before ya buy a k6-3.

Pim

[Psycho-holic Slag]

sorry, but that's not correct. K6-3 333s are on sale at fry's right now... real cheap too. there is also a 350mhz k6-3. as far as compatibility, i'm willing to bet www.asus.com (http://www.asus.com) would yield an answer.

edit: of course their site is down right now... http://smilecwm.tripod.com/ruinkai/biglaugh.gif

[This message has been edited by Psycho-holic Slag (edited 08-27-2000).]

[Psycho-holic Slag]

to ultima's credit i was browsing AMD's website and in their FAQ they state the available processors for the K6-3 line are 400 and 450. they also state they are available in stores now http://smilecwm.tripod.com/cwm/laugh.gif . to my knowledge they pulled the line before the 500 was ever produced.

[This message has been edited by Psycho-holic Slag (edited 08-27-2000).]

[Ultima]

Well,

it indeed seems so, so I stand corrected.

I thought they started producing k6-3's from 400 and up, but seems like I'm wrong.

Pim

[Peter M]

Indeed, there have been K6-III below 400 MHz. These are from the original wave of K6-III processors, and they're "mobile" P-types (lower voltage, higher allowed temperature). The desktop K6-III had 2.4V and 60/65°C back then, and was available in 400 and 450 speed grades. The P type was 2.2V, 80°C, and was offered in 333, 350, 366, and 380 speed grades.

The latter are what is now surfacing on retail shelves. They are completely compatible with normal K6-III, same case, same pinout, only that they're slower and consume less power (which is not a bad thing on an old board).

To the original poster: As long as your board has 2.2V support, you're in business. If your SP97-V is young enough to have asynchronous PCI bus and 83 MHz CPU clock setting, run it 4.0x83 or 4.5x75 MHz. Otherwise, do 5.0x66.

The L2 cache in the K6-III will be enabled if the SP97-V BIOS knows how to do that. No harm done to any component if it doesn't, so just make sure you got the frequency, multiplier, and voltage right, and give it a try.

Regards, Peter

[Stang]

Peter Missel,
My motherboard does have the asynchronous PCI bus and 83 MHz CPU clock setting. It also supports 2.2 volts.
Would going with the K6-3 333 be a good alternative to going with a k6-2 500? I would have to run the 500 at 6x83MHz. I have heard the k6-3s are faster even at lower clock speeds because of the additional cache. Is this true? Thanks for all the help.
Stang

[Psycho-holic Slag]

here's one benchmark...

http://www.gemair.com/~raseyb/350/cpumark.gif

as you can see, it claims the k6-3 350mhz outperforms the k6-2 500. i might believe it, but not by a margin of 33%. the on-chip L2 cache is running at processor speed and is an additional 256k over the on-die (L1) 64k . the external cache on your motherboard a L3 cache runs at bus speed. as you can imagine this makes a big difference. if you can go with a K6-3 400 or 450 i would definately do it... will your motherboard support anything higher than the 333mhz?

[This message has been edited by Psycho-holic Slag (edited 08-28-2000).]

[Stang]

My highest FSB is 83MHz. If I get a K6-2 500 MHz I would have to try to run it at 6x83. If that doesn't work I would have to underclock it. My motherboard has the asynchronous PCI bus jumper, so I think it would work.
Regards,
Stang

[doctj]

Your memory may not support 83mhz. I ran my system at this speed for a few days and it was slower than at 75mhz. 450 may be what you can realistically achieve on this board.