I’ve started my next build (p166 or p200), which is going to be based on a 430hx chipset motherboard. I have 3 in my parts pile to choose from:
1. Gigabyte GA-586HX
2. Supermicro Super P5STE Rev 4
3. Biostar MB-8500tuc-a rev 3.2
Any opinions on these boards?
Supermicro Super P5STE - standard coin battery, 4 PCI and 4 ISA. But looks like it can't be upgraded to 512mb cacheable RAM.
I must be some kind of standard: the anonymous gangbanger of the 21st century.
I second The Serpent Rider's opinion. The Supermicro board is the only one of the three with a coin cell battery. The others have RTC chips which is a call for trouble in my book.
Shame on us, doomed from the start
May God have mercy on our dirty little hearts
I have the RTC bit sorted, so that isn’t a worry.
In that case it depends on the revision of the GA-586HX. If that's a late-version board with split voltage support and socket for second TagRAM, it's the one to go for. On the other hand, if it's an early one with no split voltage support and no cache or Tag onboard and just an COAST stick for cache and a single TagRAM it's a lot less attractive. In that case the Biostar board, which has Tag onboard and a Coast slot, and MMX support, would be my preferred option.
The GA-586HX is the later revision, with both tag ram sockets filled. The Biostar is a later revision, with no COAST slot and 512 kB of cache on the board.
Both tag ram sockets filled on the GA-586HX and the RTC sorted? Then that's your board 😀
