predator_085 wrote on 2024-04-22, 06:49:
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Do you guys have any experience with Gigabyte GA-7IXE or Slot A boards in general?
There are two chipsets for Slot A, the AMD 750 and Via KX133. You can compare them to i440BX and Via ApolloPro133a for P3 - the 750 is a bit lower spec (AGP 2x, SDRAM only synchronous i.e. 100MHz), the KX133 slightly higher-specced but a bit more problematic (AGP 4x, SDRAM async at 133MHz). More specifically, the KX133 doesn't officially support Thunderbird Slot A processors and are not stable. That's not as bad as it sounds as most Slot A CPUs aren't Thunderbird (they were never released retail), but still it's a limitation. Some boards (like the Asus K7V-T) claim to fix it, but they are (even by Slot A standards) rare.
So for widest compatibilty, AMD750 is a better bet, and the GA-7IXE is one of the most solid boards with that chipset. If I wanted a Slot A board, this would be the one.
Would you recommend them ? If yes which Athlon XP cpu would you guys consider to a perfect partner for the Voodoo 3 ? I also need to mention that in the long run the V3 is going to be replaced with a Gf3/4 or with a Radeon 9000 series to enhance my Win98SE gaming series?
Well, given the lack of AthlonXP for Slot A, I'd suggest changing either the platform or the requirement. With Socket A, nForce2-Ultra is the fastest option, but it's AGP 8x, so no good for the Voodoo3. The last chipset with AGP 4x support that can handle 3.3V cards is the Via KT333A. Boards with this chipset have universal AGP slots which *should* be able to run 3.3V cards, but the last generation of boards with that slot didn't always implement the circuitry well, so if you want to go that new, check on a per-board level if it can supply 3.3V.
And which power supply would you recommend for a save using experience? I have read that getting the right power supply is tricky part of the Athlon gaming experience.
This is actually getting to be less of a problem. With recent PSU designs, the 5V line is drawn from the 12V line anyway, which means that any PSU that is rated to deliver enough on the 5V line should be fine. Check the TDP of your CPU, calculate current draw (I=P/V), for safety's sake add the same for the Gf4Ti GPU (AGP is fed from 3.3V, 5V and 12V lines, which one is used for 1.5V depends on the board, assuming 5V is safest bet), and add maybe 5A margin for other stuff. That gives you what your PSU needs to be able to deliver.
So for Slot A, the hottest CPU is the 1000MHz Orion, at 65W -> 13A, the hottest Gf4 is the Ti 4600, at 45W -> 9A. So 13+9+5=27A on the 5V rail should be fine. Now, finding a modern PSU that does over 20A on the 5V rail can be a challenge, but it's certainly possible, you'll just get overkill on the 12V line.
Things only get hairy when you go for top-of-the-range AthlonXP on boards without 12V ATX connector (a lot of KT400A boards) and combining them with hothead FX-series GeForces. Or of course the early AthlonMP boards that still drew CPU power from 5V, with two CPUs up to 66W (13A) that needed feeding. That sort of combo needed 50A on the 5V rail. That is beyond almost any modern PSU.