Dual Athlon MP 1600+

[StarTraveller]

Just wanted to start a thread about my new box. I'm liking it more and more .

The full specs are as follows:

Chieftec Dragon Full Tower Case (blue w. door)
Chieftec 360W PSU
ASUS A7M266-D Rev. 1.04 (BIOS 1006)
2 x AMD Athlon MP 1600+ (1.4GHz)
2 x Taisol CGK760092
512MB Kingston Registered ECC PC2100 (CAS 2.5)
ASUS AGP-V7700 GeForce2 GTS Deluxe
Adaptec AHA-2940U2W
3Com Fast EtherLink XL (3C905C-TX-M)
18.5GB Quantum Atlas 10K II
30GB IBM Deskstar 75GXP
Plextor UltraPlex 40TSi
Pioneer DVD-303S
Panasonic SuperDisk LS-120
Samsung Floppy Drive

The Taisol heatsinks were lapped and polished using various levels of sand paper. Finishing off with 2000 grit paper for a mirror like finish. The heatsinks where then installed using Arctic Silver 2.

I have a PSU update planned when my bank accounts comes back to life . I have my eyes on the Antec TruePower True550.

My positive voltages are quite satisfactory, though. All of them are at or above spec and only slightly above at that. +3.3V is at 3.42V (I think ASUS overvolts this to 3.4V by default), +5V is at 5.03V and +12V is at 12.15V. The CPU voltages are stable at 1.78V and 1.76V.

My negative voltages are bit more suspicious. -5V is at -6.30V and -12V is at -10.48V . I've checked them using both MBM and SpeedFan. Does anyone know if these voltages have much influence on stability?

There is a storage upgrade on the horizon also. I want to replace all my old 30GB IBM Deskstar 75GXP drives (I have 4 of them in another computer). The most likely drive to succeed the one in this box will be an 80GB IBM Deskstar 120GXP. Yes, I know - most of you like WD better , but I don't like the 33% premium on the price tag...

I've tried pushing the system a little while I was making the initial BIOS setup. I was able to POST at 148MHz FSB and occassionally at 150MHz if I let the CPUs cool a little. Obviously, it's the cooling solution that's holding me back.

My Athlon MP 1600+'s are both unlocked, but the motherboard doesn't allow for multiplier changes so I can't play with that . For the moment I'm running at stock speed and default voltage.

Even though my cooling wouldn't let me POST every time at 150MHz FSB, I still maintain decent temps in Windows. With an ambient temp of about 24C at the air intakes, the motherboard sensor reads about 33C and the CPUs idle at 46C.

I pushed the CPUs for 20 minutes using CPUburn at high priority and after only 7 minutes the temps levelled out at 54C. The case and CPU temps remained at 33C and 54C for the rest of the CPUburn run.

[DeMenAce]

Please post some pictures when you can !!!

[Noah_abx]

Sweet system ST!

Brings me back to my January 2002 project

Don't worry about those negative voltage reads. For some reason, all monitoring utilities are wrong on these ones from windows.

A7M266D won't run stable over about 146fsb. It's just the limit of the dual AMD architecture with passive cooling.

I never did try adding a fan to the chipset HS or using ASIII though.

That was a good board... a beast, but a gooden.

[StarTraveller]

I won't be able to post any pictures since I have neither a scanner nor a digicam .

I can only do screenshots and that's just not as fun .

Noah, if only I had a multiplier setting to play with then I would definitely be testing out how much FSB speed I could squeeze out the system, but as it is now I think I'll just stick with stock speeds.

... At least for a while, hehe .

[Noah_abx]

MSI K7Dmaster has multiplier adjust. There is a whole thread dedicated to finding a bios mod to add in that feature for the A7M266D over at 2cpu.com. Far as I know, the effort has not yet succeeded.

[StarTraveller]

Interesting. I was told that it is a chipset limitation...

I'll have to press my source a bit on this .

[Noah_abx]

Nope, it's per mobo. In your case, it might be worth the switch. The MSI board is slightly less expensive and has had an almost equal amount of time to mature.

If I went back duallie AMD road, I'd get a K7DmasterL (the red one).

[Noah_abx]

Or... with a little patience, you might be able to paint in a locked multiplier using this:

http://www.ocinside.de/index_e.html?..._painting.html

[StarTraveller]

I picked ASUS because I have more faith in their products in general. More than I have in MSI products.

I did consider the MSI board, though. It has the heatsink mounting holes and had I known about the multiplier switch at the time of purchase then I might just have bought MSI in stead.

I actually thought that the ASUS A7M266-D did have a multiplier switch .

Originally posted by Noah
Or... with a little patience, you might be able to paint in a locked multiplier using this:

http://www.ocinside.de/index_e.html?..._painting.html

And no, I won't be doing any painting. I wanted the option to play around finding the optimum setting. Painting is a bit too permanent for my taste .

[Pascal_abx]

One guy that has a hosting company said that from his experience Athlon XPs and Durons are highlly unstable for servers but that the MP line of CPUs and mobos are great and stable.

I see you are using ECC memory, this is a serious workstation

Now just install the latest Linux 2.4 and keep it running for years without need to reboot

[StarTraveller]

Originally posted by Pascal
Now just install the latest Linux 2.4 and keep it running for years without need to reboot

That might happen sometime down the road. First I need to learn more about that OS, though (I want too).

I need this box up and running when I need it and with my current skills in the MS Windows/Office environment the open source counterparts are just no match.

Hopefully I will have acquired the necessary skills in open source software in a about 6-12 months when I have worked more with the Linux/Unix boxes at the university .

[StarTraveller]

BTW, I'm still working on an update on the page for my system setup link in my signature.

I've been busy lately with the university intro-week...

=> => => => => :alien: => => :ZZZ: => LECTURE =>

[mackrveli]

I know I replied a month later lol. But that sounds like my kind of system =)

[StarTraveller]

It's never too late to revive an old thread .

Unfortunately, everything regarding my computers are on hold at the moment because I'm simply swamped at uni.

The little time I have at home is spent relaxing while surfing on the forums and chatting with the buddies...

Sad to say it, but the above box has served purely as print server for the last few weeks :o . I should be whipped, I know , but no one is hating the scenario more than me .

[mackrveli]

I was wondering. have u ever tried running a dual XP setup on that baby. I know there was an article by hardwarezone where they used 2 xp2100+ just by modifying the L5 bridges. They even did a dual duron setup with no problems hehe.

Have a great day everyone (or night)!