luckybob wrote on 2025-01-01, 18:46:

Actually that last heatsink is a commercial product from Swiftech. For a short time they made some Hellraiser-esque heatsinks in that fashion. I think I have one for socket 478 or 775 in my storage box.

I always thought they were COOL.

I kinda miss big CHONKY copper heatsinks. They are so pretty when new, but practically impossible to keep from corroding. 🙁

Wow, I would have never guessed!! I looked it up, and yeah! Swiftech MCX159 is the actual part No. I'll definitely be using the double spring clips when I install this on something, because this thing is heavy, about 9oz with the fan and that single spring seems like it's not enough.

Finally, I get back to work today. I'm working on getting the A7V600 (codename "Monk-2") up and running. Assuming it works just fine, I'll be installing windows 98 and XP on it once it's together. I recently acquired a ATI Radeon 9600 Pro, I think it will be a good fit for this system. The CPU I'll be using is a AthlonXP 2500+ and it'll be paired with either two 512/333 or two 512/400 (depending on how my pairs look).

I'll be using a single 256MB stick for installing Windows98 and move to the larger amount after I get the mem patch installed. I haven't tested this board yet, but I have no reason to believe it doesn't work. I'll be enjoying comparing this to my nForce2 boards which both have A-XP 2600 and 3000. Just running the benchmarks is OK, but a REAL race with them both running is what I want to see this time.

I'll be having my AMDs FIGHT two Intel 478 computers eventually. One 2.8Ghz, the other 3.2Ghz (One intel chipset, one SIS) I thought I had a VIA 478 board I could add to the brawl, but I can't find it, so maybe not.

The A7v600 is working well with windows 98. The GPU, on the other hand, seems to be faulty. It WAS untested. I'll want to test it in another computer. I installed the drivers last when I was setting the thing up, and that's when the problems started. It crashes (and gets hot, have been power-cooling it with 2x60mm) at the desktop and will prevent it from restarting into windows 98. 3dMark99 doesn't even see it as a 3D device. I'm installing WindowsXP on it right now, to test it in that environment before changing it out.

I picked up a Shuttle, too and have it apart. Someone was messing around in here. The PSU was all kinds of messed up and the computer didn't even turn on. It came to life when I removed it and used a different PSU. Booted my boot-all just fine, too. Pretty cool computer for it's size.

Re: Hmmm.... - maybe the cap was dropped there, somehow, during soldering pass? It doesn't look neat enough to be a factory rework...

Deunan wrote on 2025-01-08, 00:39:

Re: Hmmm.... - maybe the cap was dropped there, somehow, during soldering pass? It doesn't look neat enough to be a factory rework...

Looks like it was globbed on there violently by the previous owner. NO CLUE what would happen if I took it off. It looks like it's shorting the transistor it's boot-strapped on. When I get this reassembled and properly install windowsXP, I'll probably be finding out.

I'll try to finish my logo design today... Got a rough idea of what I really want, but terrible execution so far. Going to try again on white paper, scan it into my work computer and go over it with GIMP and the drawing tablet. I'm definitely no expert, but I think it'll turn out nice.

Computer related: The Radeon 9600 Pro I picked up is garbage... lame. I'm out of appropriate video cards to put in the A7V600 now. I have lots of P2 era stuff, but nothing that would even THINK about running UT2004 OR BF1942. All the FX5200s I've been picking up are all cooked. Good for GUI only.

Going to turn on my Dell 4100 later to get all my 3DMark99 results together. It was the designated data center. I got SO many runs to compare and re-analyze. I always run at 1280x1024x32 with 24b Z-buffer, which uses 19,200K of memory and lets me "feel" how all the computers are REALLY running when benchmarking. It's too boring and useless to me to watch it blow-by at default settings. It makes it WAY to easy to blow-by it. Only exceptions are the computers that CAN'T do it. I try to max those out, but video cards like the APAC 4M SIS, barely run at all, but it DID run.

Was finishing work of the Shuttle today. The PSU indeed has issues, so I'm back out with it again. Should be an easy fix, but don't have a functional soldiering iron at the moment, so it'll have to sit on the back-burner for a bit. Looking GOOD though.

I'm using my test PSU to run it right now, so I can get Windows installed. I have a fan savagely pointed at the GPU as well, but will be affixing one at a later time (probably when the OE PSU is back in action).

Since I had them both apart, there is quite the mess about, so I'm going to finish cleaning the PRO Magnum Plus today, as well. I already have all the parts clean and am in the process of re-assembly. The board tested GOOD and I used it to test some SIMM sticks I've been sitting on for years. They WORK!! This computer HAD 2x32MB sticks and I added two more 2x32M sticks, bringing the total to a whopping 128MB of SIMM. I never! Very happy with this so far.

OI. I've become totally obsessed over these PPROs since I got the last one. I finished my gallery today. Three VERY different systems, all running PPRO. Now I can finish assembling them, 🤣 I've been just staring them down in pieces, all week, 🤣

The Compaq is the only one that doesn't work. It gives me blinking cursor though, so I should be able to fix it. It is missing/damaged parts on the back of the CPU socket. I had it open to get the picture of the CPU and decided to insert an EISA card for the first time. It was AWESOME. It plugs in in two stages, the first ISA 16-bit part, then the deeper 32-bit EISA part. This card is the inoperative one, but I just wanted to do that.

Just stay away from the overdrive chips, and we will get along. I still need 2 for a project.

That micronics board is a bit unusual. That chipset was usually reserved for quad processor systems. Why they made some for solo setups, i have no idea.

Pay extra attention to benchmarks, memory bandwidth is going to be quite different compared to 440fx.

luckybob wrote on 2025-01-12, 01:52:

Just stay away from the overdrive chips, and we will get along. I still need 2 for a project.

That micronics board is a bit unusual. That chipset was usually reserved for quad processor systems. Why they made some for solo setups, i have no idea.

Pay extra attention to benchmarks, memory bandwidth is going to be quite different compared to 440fx.

Interesting. I haven't done any benchmarks yet, I'm somewhat deciding what other hardware to use with it. I love the opening bit from the manual:

I got the manual before wasting any more time. The IDE controller can ONLY do HDDs. I was coming in HOT from working with newer computers, I totally forgot about that. I plugged in a AHA-1510 and a SCSI CD instead. A NEC 4x, which was painfully slow installing windows(98). I got it ready to play with last night, so I should be able to start doing something with it today. I have a lot of external SCSI devices that need testing, figure I can do all that with this. Besides the Adaptec ISA, there is also AIC-7850, a Sound Blaster CT2940 and a OPTI "FineLine" USB.
I'm currently S.O.L. on a video card. The S3 Virge/DX and the TSENG Lightspeed 128 I have do nothing and I can't remember what I did with the Diamond Stealth64 I was using as my primary test card a few months ago. I've collected a fat stack of FX5200s, which is what I'm using to test now, but they are all fried. The moment them drivers hit, they're outta here. (in every computer tested in) I'm using it without the drivers and the rest of the system works great!

I'm testing ALL the SCSI right now. The Removable drive works! It's a SyQuest SQ555 according to the SCSI manager. I formatted a drive and it looks good!

Nice stuff 😀

Shuffling CPUs around today (and yesterday).

I swapped the 2.8Ghz P4 in the DiskWizard with the 3.2Ghz one I had in the P4S800.

I absolutely left the ASUS a mess. I'll probably be working on that last tonight. It was needing a video card, so it doesn't REALLY need to be bootable, but I'm on a roll here, so I'll put it back together, too. I have to remove every motherboard to service the heatsinks, so its taken a few hours already.

Right now I'm swapping the Athlon XP 2600+ out of the ChainTech 7NJL6 and put in the 3000+ from the ASUS A7N8X-E. I also put a heatsink on the 9600XT for the Chaintech.

I have benchmarks from both these systems with multiple GPU combos, so I'll see the difference swapping boards around the chipset. I plan on actually using the ChainTech (it "feels" fast, good) for gaming, so it sucks it has been back-burning for so long. Should be able to have it back together today.

I'll be using a MASSIVE Enermax PSU. Never seen one so powerful, 650W.

Started the ChainTech last night. Started like it was never apart. Windows 98 DID of course, install the Audigy, Gameport, and IEEE 1394 Controller. It also installed the Teac CA-200, which was just 4 "USB Disk", but it did know it was a Teac, which was cool.

Windows XP, pretty much the same deal, just less glorious and I did NOT have any drivers for the Audigy on Windows XP. Put the disc in and installed them through the new hardware wizard when it finally got to that.
I ran 3D mark 99 and 2001 in Windows 98 so far and the results are good.

I'm installing software on XP right now (so it's usable) and will run 2001 to see the difference between 98 and XP. XP usually does better in 2001. 99 doesn't run in XP (sp3) with ATI video cards. Not sure why XP doesn't like ATI cards... I need to add a fan connector to the fan on the GPU and tuck a few wires away, but I absolutely LOVE how this thing looks.

As I was writing this, it crashed in 3dMark2001 somewhere (wasn't looking). It was doing this before, pretty sure it's a driver issue. Looks like 2003 crashes after the first test. Hmmm... Guess I'll try some games, see if this is a real issue or not... Windows 98 works so good, so weird that XP is giving me guff.

Ah yes, interrupting my normal weekend work with some new parts to clean. Got two motherboards, two PCI cards, and two 5.25" floppy drives to clean. These boards are pretty gross and untested. I'm starting the cleaning now, with some before pictures:

Some of the 423:

Did the 423 first. Damn clean board. It was a little disappointing to find a 1.3Ghz P4 in it, but I don't think there were many options unless you use a 423/478 adapter. Learned that the board is a Intel D850GB. Hoping the "AUX Power" is one of the basic ones all my Enermax PSUs have. (Gnd,Gnd,Gnd,+3.3V,+3.3V,+5V)

Now that THAT is out of the way, I'm probably going to move some computers around to get some room around my work computer. I FINALLY got 3d printer fuel again, so I can start designing a few things. I hate designing something then not being able to print it, so I put even the designing portion of the activity on hold.

I just looked up the Slot1 board and believe it is Intel PD440FX.
https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/intel- … d440fx-portland
FX chipset with Slot1?! Isn't that Socket8/PPro chipset?

It was early slot 1 PII as well before the LX & BX boards.

Here is the one I have https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/micron … ess-09-00301-xx

Grem Five wrote on 2025-01-25, 23:35:

It was early slot 1 as well before the LX & BX boards.

Here is the one I have https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/micron … ess-09-00301-xx

Woah, that's a nice board! I'll guess that the VRM module is for the second processor?

I got the thing turned on. It has a Packard Bell BIOS, so I know it was from a Packard Bell of some sort. I plugged in my boot-all (and a FD-55GFR, to test it as well) and it booted fine off the Teac. Booted it again and let it boot my drive and went right into windows 98, no problem.

I suppose it's time to give it a hard drive of it's own now. I'll probably find drivers for this RageXL first, since I still don't know if it actually works. It has a picture, but I've had cards become crash-a-holics after getting drunk on drivers...