A newbie hello to all and a Sdram Question

[SirFrank]

I have a new gigabyte Ga-586tx3 MB and didn't find any help from giga. The manual doesnt state if the SDram is buffered or unbuffered or if theres SPD. Anyone know the kind of SDram I should purchase?
Also if anyone has this board know of any major problems with it. I plan on putting a 233mmx intel in it.
The last computer I upgraded was a 386 and things have changed since then so I'll probably be back here asking stupid questions. But I guess thats how you get smart. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[PassnThru]

I did this research for you - yahoo.
http://www.tomshardware.co.kr/motherboard_socket7_gigabyte.html

Looks bad.

[SirFrank]

Thanks for the link passnthru. Toms still didn't say anything about the ram though. I know the board will take the intel 233 at 66mhz. I have been looking at 32meg 66mhz sdram but still would like to know if it has to be buffered or not. Which brings me to another question I failed to post. Can I use SDram 100mhz or will I have to have the 66mhz in order for it to work? I wish these guys would give you all this info in the manual.

SirFrank

[PassnThru]

Check the link again -
I quote "You will never be able to run the 6x86MX PR233, which runs at 187,5 MHz (75 MHz bus x 2.5) nor the 6x86 P200+ (75 MHz x 2)" Please understand that if the MB maker does not support speeds above 66 Mhz then they have not stressed their components above that speed. Sure - you might get lucky occasionally but they prety much know what their MBs will support. You should try to clock the bus speed down to 66 no matter what you end up with in clock speed - if it works then - the answer is obvious.

[SirFrank]

The top bus speed on this MB is 66mhz. Unless Im reading this manual wrong it says I can have a 233mhz chip. I scanned the manual and it shows the chips I can use. Let me know if im reading this wrong. Also still would like to know the exact type of memory I need. Anyone know? http://www.crosswinds.net/~duckhead/duck.html
SirFrank

[This message has been edited by SirFrank (edited 09-02-2000).]

[This message has been edited by SirFrank (edited 09-02-2000).]

[PassnThru]

Rereading my last post I realize that the PR233 they refer to is a Cyrix chip. I followed your link to the manual - it is a little confusing. One page says Pentium 90-233 while the next page says Pentium 90 to 200. It seems to matter which core the chip has although the 233 may have been MMX only. In that case it looks like it should work. What is the highest multiplier on the board? As for the memory, looks like you can do DIMMs or SIMMs. If you are buying memory go for the 168 pin SDRAMS - your next computer can use them. As for the speed, buy at least 100, even go 133. That just means it is guaranteed to run at that speed - you can always run it lower and you will have the headroom to put it in another computer later that has a 100 or 133 FSB.

[SirFrank]

I was hoping that was the case on the chips.
The manual had dip settings for the intel 233 mmx and I know how some manuals can be for making errors. The only multipliers I see are on the chips that are not intel. This board is just for general internet and documents so I really wasnt worried about over clocking.
Thanks for the info on the SDram. I searched the internet on SDram but found nothing about backward compatability. This is my first time with SDram and I wasnt sure. Things sure change in a short period of time.
I noticed what you had mentioned about the two different pages on the chips. Looks like an error on their part. Nothing new with manuals.
Thanks for the help PassnThru. It is greatly appreciated!

SirFrank

[wildbuffalo]

As already suggested, go head and buy the best quality memory that you can buy. I have used PC133 SDRAM with my Pentium 233. Also regarding the multiplier setting on the M/B, if your M/B has multipliers upto 3X, set it to 1.5X,which is interpretted as 3.5x (times 66) will give you 233MHZ (update your BIOS to the latest available).

Wild

[big_block_buick]

when i was buying ram i was told by 3 different shops 100mhz will run at the lower speeds.no way i bought some and no go worked like a hot **** for about a min then illegal ops across the board.went back paid for the hard to find 66mhz and no probs..
(but i only know about mine)

[This message has been edited by big_block_buick (edited 09-05-2000).]

[SirFrank]

Big buick
What kind of cpu,Intel Amd? What speed was it? Do you know who made the motherboard?
Do you know if you bought buffered or unbuffered? How long ago did you try it?
What brand name of computer?
Real curious!

Sir frank


[This message has been edited by SirFrank (edited 09-05-2000).]

[big_block_buick]

hi sir frank,i hope i dont steer you wrong..the others would really know what will go and what wont better than i..my pc is a digital 3100..intel 166mmx@200,specs say board supports 233mhz..it has the same 430tx chipset yours does.i have no idea if buffered or no.AGAIN:my experience is small and limited to my pc..hope i didnt screw you up in any way

[SirFrank]

Big Buick
No you didnt screw me up. After about a week I got a reply from a Kingston tech (if I can say that here)That I could use the 100s but unbuffered. I guess that means I wont get a Headache!
Maybe your cpu wasnt fast enough or you got
buffered ram. I dont know I haven't studied it enough.
Wild buffalo it never entered my mind about upgrading the bios. Good Idea. Thanks!
Sirfrank

[big_block_buick]

staying with this thread,i wonder about this sandra info,i went from 32-96 megs anybody think i should take one out?.sandra seems to sit on the fence lol *** (e.g. Intel Triton chipsets cannot cache more than 64MB). While the overall performance may be higher if you’re using all the installed memory, you may get higher performance if the additional memory is not used. Alternatively upgrade the mainboard with one using a more advanced

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