If not happy with what's in the board, at least a couple of 333's can still be bought for reasonable money 😀

mrfusion92 wrote on 2023-11-28, 21:32:

An Intel DK440LX with two unknown PII for 25€. It has also ethernet and sound built-in.

This will be the starting point for my Windows NT build with SCSI drives (I have a tape drive that asks to have a home).

It looks like you're going to need an E-ATX case to fit that beast. It's quite lovely though.

I will definitely let you know what processors it has when it arrives.

Kahenraz wrote on 2023-11-29, 12:50:

It looks like you're going to need an E-ATX case to fit that beast. It's quite lovely though.

I don't have one yet but I have this in my watchlist, it should be good. But I will test the board before buy the case too. It was sold as working but you never really know until you have it in your hands.

Bagged this dual Pentium III server this week...

Now need to decide on what OS is most appropriate. I'm thinking Windows Server 2000 or SME Server (Linux)...

Apparently the dual slot-1 builds hunting season is open

acl wrote on 2023-11-28, 19:15:

Except this is against the rules of the forum

Sorry about that! Won't happen again!

nfraser01 wrote on 2023-11-29, 14:52:

Bagged this dual Pentium III server this week...

Now need to decide on what OS is most appropriate. I'm thinking Windows Server 2000 or SME Server (Linux)...

Oh I love those Dell PowerEdge dark cases...

mrfusion92 wrote on 2023-11-29, 14:57:

Apparently the dual slot-1 builds hunting season is open

Ha! I have a P2L97-DS with dual 333s and 1GB of RAM somewhere, need to take it out during the cold winter 😀 I have a pre-configured HDD for it running Windows 2000, it works like charm.

I just got this little microATX Slot1 motherboard - a Siemens D1115 (ZX chipset version). I'd been looking for a compact board with both AGP and ISA for a while, so when I found this on eBay I thought it would be ideal! It was described as "untested" and "only collectable", and shipped from Italy, but it was relatively reasonably priced compared to the premium I've seen other AGP+ISA microATX boards listed at.

Thankfully, it works! I'm looking forward to putting this together as a compact build that can live at a desk in a spare bedroom rather than be confined to the workshop.

One question - the RetroWeb lists this board as compatible with Katami PIIIs (and PIIs and Celerons) and I understand these go up to 600Mhz. However the manual gives switch combinations for "Pentium III with 100Mhz FSB" up to 800Mhz. Does that mean the board can supply the correct lower voltages for a Coppermine 800Mhz? Or is it more likely the manual just hypothecated the FSB and multipliers up to 800 for Katami CPUs that never happened?

justin1985 wrote on 2023-11-29, 22:48:

One question - the RetroWeb lists this board as compatible with Katami PIIIs (and PIIs and Celerons) and I understand these go up to 600Mhz. However the manual gives switch combinations for "Pentium III with 100Mhz FSB" up to 800Mhz. Does that mean the board can supply the correct lower voltages for a Coppermine 800Mhz? Or is it more likely the manual just hypothecated the FSB and multipliers up to 800 for Katami CPUs that never happened?

I would suggest that it has max fsb of 100 and max multiplier of 8, and they just listed every option that allows for, rather than thinking 800 MHz Katmai was likely.

debs3759 wrote on 2023-11-29, 23:53:

I would suggest that it has max fsb of 100 and max multiplier of 8, and they just listed every option that allows for, rather than thinking 800 MHz Katmai was likely.

Thanks - that does sound likely.

I seem to remember there are slotkets that have their own voltage jumpers etc - would that be likely to make a 700 or 800Mhz Coppermine work? (Or is BIOS support for the CPU likely to be a barrier?)

Or sticking with what's officially supported, would a 600Mhz Katami be a worthwhile upgrade from the 450 that it came with?

I also have an IBM Aptiva system with a K6-2 450, so I'd kinna like to have as much distance between the two systems as I can, for slightly earlier / later Win98 games etc 😀

Also with original Sony CRT tube and Original Keyboard and mouse, all in superb condition and a low price

It's been many years since last time I bough a mystery box with unknown parts inside it. Finally I found one again. Actually I bought a Voodoo 2 and asked if the seller has some other stuff as well. He offered to send me a box full of older stuff and then we can negotiate a price later for the stuff I find useful. How can I refuse an offer like that? Obviously I couldn't.

What was inside it? I was hoping some nice ISA sound cards or maybe ISA VGA cards but not much of those (couple of usable but common ISA sound cards at least). But the box contained lots of other insteresting stuff, especially some of the motherboards are really interesting. It does not appear in pictures but the box also contained shoe box filled with RAM sticks. Mostly SDR-SDRAM but some DDR RAM, RDRAM and 72 pin SIMMs as well. I'll need to examine that one later. Here are the pictures.

I decided to keep everything. How much would you have paid? There are some good motherboards (like Asus P3B-F) and some other interesting stuff as well. I paid 250 euros. Perhaps I could have gotten it with less, or maybe not. Perhaps I paid too much since everything is untested but then again I didn't want to pay too little.

aitotat wrote on 2023-11-30, 09:49:

It's been many years since last time I bough a mystery box with unknown parts inside it. Finally I found one again. Actually I b […]
Show full quote

It's been many years since last time I bough a mystery box with unknown parts inside it. Finally I found one again. Actually I bought a Voodoo 2 and asked if the seller has some other stuff as well. He offered to send me a box full of older stuff and then we can negotiate a price later for the stuff I find useful. How can I refuse an offer like that? Obviously I couldn't.
isolaatikko.jpg

What was inside it? I was hoping some nice ISA sound cards or maybe ISA VGA cards but not much of those (couple of usable but common ISA sound cards at least). But the box contained lots of other insteresting stuff, especially some of the motherboards are really interesting. It does not appear in pictures but the box also contained shoe box filled with RAM sticks. Mostly SDR-SDRAM but some DDR RAM, RDRAM and 72 pin SIMMs as well. I'll need to examine that one later. Here are the pictures.

I decided to keep everything. How much would you have paid? There are some good motherboards (like Asus P3B-F) and some other interesting stuff as well. I paid 250 euros. Perhaps I could have gotten it with less, or maybe not. Perhaps I paid too much since everything is untested but then again I didn't want to pay too little.

I would say... Its worth what its worth to you.
For me its always hard to put prices on things i dont want or need (just pricing the old probably broken parts without any retro emotions)... I think i would have offered 100 Euros... The worst thing that could happen is that the seller wants more.
To send out stuff and get paid later is a concept that does not work with everybody that well like in your case.
But i think for the amount of stuff your price ok.

At first look I guess it could be worth much more than 250, assuming the interesting items work.

justin1985 wrote on 2023-11-30, 07:54:

Thanks - that does sound likely. […]
Show full quote

debs3759 wrote on 2023-11-29, 23:53:

I would suggest that it has max fsb of 100 and max multiplier of 8, and they just listed every option that allows for, rather than thinking 800 MHz Katmai was likely.

Thanks - that does sound likely.

I seem to remember there are slotkets that have their own voltage jumpers etc - would that be likely to make a 700 or 800Mhz Coppermine work? (Or is BIOS support for the CPU likely to be a barrier?)

Or sticking with what's officially supported, would a 600Mhz Katami be a worthwhile upgrade from the 450 that it came with?

I also have an IBM Aptiva system with a K6-2 450, so I'd kinna like to have as much distance between the two systems as I can, for slightly earlier / later Win98 games etc 😀

Looks like your latest BIOS (1.07?) already has some coppermine support (according to the change log) - hopefully to at least 800MHz. What cpu voltage chip does the board have (my similar era D1064 has a UNITRODE UCC3830 - 3.5 to 1.8VDC). If the board still doesn't have the correct cpu microcodes you can try the FSC update app (v2.0 r1.09) to inject them directly into the BIOS - Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

aitotat wrote on 2023-11-30, 09:49:

[...]

Perhaps I could have gotten it with less, or maybe not. Perhaps I paid too much since everything is untested but then again I didn't want to pay too little.

When I first read EUR 250 for a random box, my gut feeling was: "You overpaid". Then I took a look at the pics...

Some really nice stuff in there, both the rock-solid good stuff (MS-4143, P3B-F, MS-6163Pro, the two SE440BX-2, BE-6, NF7, Hercules Dynamite 3D/GL etc) in visually excellent condition and - as I'm spoilt with too much good stuff - some really nice oddball things too.

I like the PC Chips M585LMR with 'Via Gra' chipset. Yes, I have a puerile sense of humour and this tickles it. I am puzzled by the Trident MT600ST with Cyber9385T chipset - with what looks like VGA in as well as out.

Assuming 2/3 works, you could earn the EUR 250 back just by keeping one BX board and selling the rest. Not sure I could be bothered, but if I really wanted one of the boards/components in there, it would be a no-brainer. Nice catch!

Edit:
Far less spectacular purchase myself today; was in a thrift shop for non-computer related stuff. Didn't find that, but did spot a Mediavision Pro Audio Spectrum 16. Admittedly the most low-end version (IXW-PAS16LL) but for EUR 4.95 I'm not complaining, particularly not as my other PAS16 lost its rear bracket.

justin1985 wrote on 2023-11-30, 07:54:

debs3759 wrote on 2023-11-29, 23:53:

I would suggest that it has max fsb of 100 and max multiplier of 8, and they just listed every option that allows for, rather than thinking 800 MHz Katmai was likely.

I seem to remember there are slotkets that have their own voltage jumpers etc - would that be likely to make a 700 or 800Mhz Coppermine work? (Or is BIOS support for the CPU likely to be a barrier?)

Apart from one very very expensive slotket, slotkets that "set voltages" are really just setting 4 VID pins compliant with the VRM 8.4 spec to tell the motherboard which voltage to supply the CPU (overriding what the CPU would otherwise send on its VID pins). If the motherboard doesn't support the voltage requested, the slotket can't do anything about it.

dionb wrote on 2023-11-30, 20:48:

I am puzzled by the Trident MT600ST with Cyber9385T chipset - with what looks like VGA in as well as out.

I also find that interesting. It feels well build card unlike so many S3 cards from that time. I have no idea how the Cyber9385T performs. And shouldn't Cyber be mobile chip? When I have time, I'll definitely compare this one against S3 cards from that time. I hope it will be fast and compatible 2D card for DOS with good image quality. But that remains to be seen.

smtkr wrote on 2023-12-01, 02:31:

justin1985 wrote on 2023-11-30, 07:54:

debs3759 wrote on 2023-11-29, 23:53:

I would suggest that it has max fsb of 100 and max multiplier of 8, and they just listed every option that allows for, rather than thinking 800 MHz Katmai was likely.

I seem to remember there are slotkets that have their own voltage jumpers etc - would that be likely to make a 700 or 800Mhz Coppermine work? (Or is BIOS support for the CPU likely to be a barrier?)

Apart from one very very expensive slotket, slotkets that "set voltages" are really just setting 4 VID pins compliant with the VRM 8.4 spec to tell the motherboard which voltage to supply the CPU (overriding what the CPU would otherwise send on its VID pins). If the motherboard doesn't support the voltage requested, the slotket can't do anything about it.

There were a few Slotkets that could do voltage clamping too, IIRC you could feed it 2.0v and it would clamp it to 1.75v which was typical Coppermine core voltage.
Slotkets that can do this are even harder to find than normal ones and are only suited for slot1 motherboards that cant handle voltages below 2.0v which is a lot of the earlier pre coppermine boards.

I have personally only ever seen one that could do this according to its spec sheet, but the seller wanted far too much for it, but I was seriously tempted. Would have made for an interesting reverse engineering project to see if it could be easily replicated or adapted for non clamping Slotkets.