Here's where I'm at:

Not possible to put ALL the computers on the same wall. A 180° turn reveals even MORE computers, several set-up. I find the area pretty calming, with all the wires and computer-filled hallways. Moving these things around gets pretty tiring, so I'm taking a break to work on the Atari. Parts should be here today.
I haven't updated in a while, but I got a functional tube and the video driver was repaired. The 5V regulator/amplifier board was "modernized" as well. It just needs the caps and the controllers cleaned and it'll be good-to-go. It's at my brother's place now, as he's quite a bit more experienced with soldering/electronics. I'll have more details later.

I'm almost done re-arranging all my computers, but I got to take a break, to breakdown and clean a few new additions (Two Sony VAIO PCV-series). There is also a stack of dirty boards that need cleaning an testing.

I'll be starting with the boards. There are TWO ASUS P5QPL-AM and a Intel DH61BE. Inspection reveals nothing so far. The sockets look good and there appears to be no signs of abuse. I'll get them cleaned then give them a second-lookover.

I'll most likely test these and store them, for now. Got a lot of projects on-the-table now. I'm really excited for the Sony VAIOs. I'll be working them for the rest of the week, I think.

Got the H61 Clean and then found out I only have a 3770k that is compatible. Nope, not putting that in there. Will remain "untested" for a while.

I have one of the P5QPL-AMs clean as well.

I have a few options for testing/building these boards. I have a Pentium 4 650, Pentium D 935, a Core2Duo E6750, and a Core2Quad Q6600. The Test CPU will be a P4 3.0 (weakest 775 in the drawer)

The first P5QPL-AM is alive! A lot of my memory isn't though, 🤣 I'll label it this time.

I was able to get 2x2GB Nanya DDR2-800s installed and am now installing windows XP with the onboard graphics.

Major Jackyl wrote on 2025-03-25, 02:05:

The first P5QPL-AM is alive! A lot of my memory isn't though, XD I'll label it this time. […]
Show full quote

The first P5QPL-AM is alive! A lot of my memory isn't though, 🤣 I'll label it this time.

I was able to get 2x2GB Nanya DDR2-800s installed and am now installing windows XP with the onboard graphics.

The attachment 20250324_204758.jpg is no longer available

The attachment 20250324_204822.jpg is no longer available

Interesting congratulations 🍾🎊🎉
I have some PCs with ASUS P5QXX cards, plus others not ASUS similar, like PCs they were in the late 2000s, very fast compared to 🫡 to P4HT, to be clear P4 520 VS E8400, it did the work of an hour in about 15 minutes.
I have a number of motherboards, ready to be tested, plus some to be repaired, the more complicated ones have SMD blown away in the back, currently working on S.7 and S.370, and related BIOS, the first of the 775 to try is an ASUS P5KPL-VM with Pentium Dual Core E2160, but I don't know when I could try it. For RAM, lately I have done some tests, and I have discarded about a dozen, it would be interesting if from those PCXXX SDRAM, you could make high-capacity 30 or 72 PIN SIMM modules, even if first you have to understand if those chips work.

PC@LIVE wrote on 2025-03-25, 08:58:

Interesting congratulations 🍾🎊🎉 I have some PCs with ASUS P5QXX cards, plus others not ASUS similar, like PCs they were in the l […]
Show full quote

Major Jackyl wrote on 2025-03-25, 02:05:

The first P5QPL-AM is alive! A lot of my memory isn't though, XD I'll label it this time. […]
Show full quote

The first P5QPL-AM is alive! A lot of my memory isn't though, 🤣 I'll label it this time.

I was able to get 2x2GB Nanya DDR2-800s installed and am now installing windows XP with the onboard graphics.

The attachment 20250324_204758.jpg is no longer available

The attachment 20250324_204822.jpg is no longer available

Interesting congratulations 🍾🎊🎉
I have some PCs with ASUS P5QXX cards, plus others not ASUS similar, like PCs they were in the late 2000s, very fast compared to 🫡 to P4HT, to be clear P4 520 VS E8400, it did the work of an hour in about 15 minutes.
I have a number of motherboards, ready to be tested, plus some to be repaired, the more complicated ones have SMD blown away in the back, currently working on S.7 and S.370, and related BIOS, the first of the 775 to try is an ASUS P5KPL-VM with Pentium Dual Core E2160, but I don't know when I could try it. For RAM, lately I have done some tests, and I have discarded about a dozen, it would be interesting if from those PCXXX SDRAM, you could make high-capacity 30 or 72 PIN SIMM modules, even if first you have to understand if those chips work.

Thanks! My next task is to run BOTH boards simultaneously, one running right now has P4 530J (the "test" CPU) and if the other board works, I'll put my Core2Duo E6750 in and compare it. I should be able to clone the drive I prepared already for the P4. This will leave me with two IDENTICAL platforms. Should be fun.

I main'd a Pentium D for YEARS back in the day, so I'm somewhat comparing them to how that thing felt before CPU burnt-out. I've replaced the CPU, but it's not the same. It was PD925@3.75Ghz! (on ASUS P5E-B) The one in that computer now is PD960@4.2Ghz. Even though the BUS is WAY faster, it "feels" a bit slower. The 25% overclock really added some punch. I did NOT have any kind of benchmark software back then. Only Minecraft. First computer I even installed it on, in Alpha 1.26... Man, the times have changed... I was using this when 3rd Gen i7 was new. I had one of those for a few months, but "downgraded" to X58 because all I ran was modded Minecraft and NEEDED the 24GB of memory and triple-channel. It ran (runs) GREAT! So glad I have that beast. I store it carefully, since it is somewhat my "prized possession" and has my old files and important Minecraft worlds . I'll be busting that out at some point for a LAN party, so I'll share the guts at that time.
Now I find my self rambling... On to the task!

I have the second board clean, but have not tested it yet. I straightened a bunch of pins on both sides of the board and prepped the heatsinks. I've been playing with the first one all week and it works GREAT! It scored a 6535 in 3Dmark 2001 with the onboard graphics. The onboard was able to run Unreal Tournament in a "playable" state @1600x1200. I only went one round with that, since there is NEVER a reason for me to suffer like that anymore. Enter THIS: Gigabyte GeForce 9500GT!

I picked it for a dollar some time ago and never tested it. Very happy that it indeed works! The score went to 17790 and of course, UT2004 runs VERY smoothly @1600x1200. I have an EVGA 9500GT I removed from my work computer (upgraded) to try with the other P5QPL-AM.

I want to run these at similar levels, so I can "feel" the changes when I make a modification (CPU, memory). I have some better memory to try, too. Ick. This Nanya that I'm using right now is straight office PC memory. 6-6-6-18@800 and the latency is 105ns. I'm so used to running 4-4-4-12@800, I thought it was standard. It was 775-era that I first made it to the TOP of the list (in everest). A silly achievement, perhaps, but I'm always excited when I do it!

How low can YOU go? (Is it possible to go?) My record is with my work computer (Athlon64X24600+) and it has a latency of 38.8ns! Second place goes to my X58 @42.6ns. Opposite record is 554.81ns!!

Major Jackyl wrote on 2025-03-27, 22:27:

Thanks! My next task is to run BOTH boards simultaneously, one running right now has P4 530J (the "test" CPU) and if the other b […]
Show full quote

PC@LIVE wrote on 2025-03-25, 08:58:

Interesting congratulations 🍾🎊🎉 I have some PCs with ASUS P5QXX cards, plus others not ASUS similar, like PCs they were in the l […]
Show full quote

Major Jackyl wrote on 2025-03-25, 02:05:

The first P5QPL-AM is alive! A lot of my memory isn't though, XD I'll label it this time. […]
Show full quote

The first P5QPL-AM is alive! A lot of my memory isn't though, 🤣 I'll label it this time.

I was able to get 2x2GB Nanya DDR2-800s installed and am now installing windows XP with the onboard graphics.

The attachment 20250324_204758.jpg is no longer available

The attachment 20250324_204822.jpg is no longer available

Interesting congratulations 🍾🎊🎉
I have some PCs with ASUS P5QXX cards, plus others not ASUS similar, like PCs they were in the late 2000s, very fast compared to 🫡 to P4HT, to be clear P4 520 VS E8400, it did the work of an hour in about 15 minutes.
I have a number of motherboards, ready to be tested, plus some to be repaired, the more complicated ones have SMD blown away in the back, currently working on S.7 and S.370, and related BIOS, the first of the 775 to try is an ASUS P5KPL-VM with Pentium Dual Core E2160, but I don't know when I could try it. For RAM, lately I have done some tests, and I have discarded about a dozen, it would be interesting if from those PCXXX SDRAM, you could make high-capacity 30 or 72 PIN SIMM modules, even if first you have to understand if those chips work.

Thanks! My next task is to run BOTH boards simultaneously, one running right now has P4 530J (the "test" CPU) and if the other board works, I'll put my Core2Duo E6750 in and compare it. I should be able to clone the drive I prepared already for the P4. This will leave me with two IDENTICAL platforms. Should be fun.

I main'd a Pentium D for YEARS back in the day, so I'm somewhat comparing them to how that thing felt before CPU burnt-out. I've replaced the CPU, but it's not the same. It was PD925@3.75Ghz! (on ASUS P5E-B) The one in that computer now is PD960@4.2Ghz. Even though the BUS is WAY faster, it "feels" a bit slower. The 25% overclock really added some punch. I did NOT have any kind of benchmark software back then. Only Minecraft. First computer I even installed it on, in Alpha 1.26... Man, the times have changed... I was using this when 3rd Gen i7 was new. I had one of those for a few months, but "downgraded" to X58 because all I ran was modded Minecraft and NEEDED the 24GB of memory and triple-channel. It ran (runs) GREAT! So glad I have that beast. I store it carefully, since it is somewhat my "prized possession" and has my old files and important Minecraft worlds . I'll be busting that out at some point for a LAN party, so I'll share the guts at that time.
Now I find my self rambling... On to the task!

The attachment 20250327_162643.jpg is no longer available

The attachment 20250327_165438.jpg is no longer available

I have the second board clean, but have not tested it yet. I straightened a bunch of pins on both sides of the board and prepped the heatsinks. I've been playing with the first one all week and it works GREAT! It scored a 6535 in 3Dmark 2001 with the onboard graphics. The onboard was able to run Unreal Tournament in a "playable" state @1600x1200. I only went one round with that, since there is NEVER a reason for me to suffer like that anymore. Enter THIS: Gigabyte GeForce 9500GT!

The attachment 20250326_175526.jpg is no longer available

I picked it for a dollar some time ago and never tested it. Very happy that it indeed works! The score went to 17790 and of course, UT2004 runs VERY smoothly @1600x1200. I have an EVGA 9500GT I removed from my work computer (upgraded) to try with the other P5QPL-AM.

The attachment 20250327_165514.jpg is no longer available

I want to run these at similar levels, so I can "feel" the changes when I make a modification (CPU, memory). I have some better memory to try, too. Ick. This Nanya that I'm using right now is straight office PC memory. 6-6-6-18@800 and the latency is 105ns. I'm so used to running 4-4-4-12@800, I thought it was standard. It was 775-era that I first made it to the TOP of the list (in everest). A silly achievement, perhaps, but I'm always excited when I do it!

How low can YOU go? (Is it possible to go?) My record is with my work computer (Athlon64X24600+) and it has a latency of 38.8ns! Second place goes to my X58 @42.6ns. Opposite record is 554.81ns!!

Ok very interesting Thanks
As I had written, among my 775 motherboards to try, there is this ASUS P5KPL-VM, with Pentium Dual Core E2160 (1.8 GHz) CPU, well I put it on the bench, and it works!!!
For now I haven't upgraded, except for the RAM that I brought to 2 GB 🇬🇧 total (2X 1GB), they are normal RAM, of the Unifosa DDR2 800, I did the PHIL's DOS benches, I didn't see exceptional results, because the DOS is not able to see the multi cores, later I will see to configure it better, I currently use the integrated VGA, the PC that will come out of it, could be a little different, with a change of CPU, and probably also of RAM.
However, I will do this later, because I am currently working on an S.370, an ABIT SE6 chipset i815E, it is the first i815 with integrated video that I have, because I have other i815 including an ASUS TUSL2-C with P3S 1.4 GHz, on the SE6 I currently have a P3-1000-133, which would be the maximum for that MB, except that you modify a Tualatin to make it compatible with Coppermine, or being on the Coppermine, you could put a P3-1100-100, but I don't see it better than 1000-133, then strangely in that ABIT in the BIOS there are only fixed values, it doesn't seem to me that you can increase the FSB by 1 MHz.

Dang! This other ASUS P5QPL-AM is a BUST!

I set it up with the same PSU as before. Used the same model CPU and the known good memory from the last test. Nothing. So I put the POST card in PCI slot 2. It shows all power good. Clock Good. But seems to be stuck resetting. I see it blip every few seconds. With the CPU removed, RESET light is on.

Not quite sure where to start checking.

CPU DOES get hot while sitting there, so I don't want to run it too much. It will still power off if I hold the button. If there's something I can try in the next few days, I'll try to fix it, but I have a few computers to process and only one workbench.

Swapping BIOS is a possibility, but from what I've read here, if I'm stuck where I'm at, the BIOS isn't even in play yet.

Well. I decided to look the board over again and found an issue. This might be the culprit.

I don't have tools small enough to try dealing with this right now. I'll make some notes about it and store it for future repair, when I've leveled-up.

Who is this showing up now? Another 775 board?! Nope. That's an AM3. Everyone knows to bring me their used computer stuff, I keep saying I will take ANYTHING. So I get THIS bad-boy. An ASUS M3A78-EM. "Worked last time" it was used, so I expect it should work.

Equipped with an Phenom II 965 Black Edition and 8GB of DDR2-800.

I'll try setting it up and preparing a drive for it, so it can be deployed whenever I find a case. I really need some mATX cases; I hate stuffing one of these tiny boards in a huge-@ss box.

I also got this cooked card: Probably not working, but I'll check anyway.

I keep getting distracted from these Sonys, 🤣 I got a "mystery machine", too that has heavy battery acid damage on the board. It's a 486 with much larger traces than the 775-era, so I should be able to repair it. It could be worse than it looks though, I haven't removed the board yet.

Ooof. It's wicked bad, doc!

Might not be able to save this one... I'll clean it up and see how bad it really is, though.

Yeah... Not going to do anything with this one for now. Everything in the path of the acid is destroyed. Acid leaked through the vias and ruined stuff on the other side, too. I'm assuming some acid is in-between layers now, too, since it got through the vias

The ASUS M3A78-EM that showed up works, though! I'm installing XPx64 on it right now. The fan on the cooler was bad electrically and mechanically, so I replaced it. I'm starting with the onboard graphics and will install one of those 9500GTs that I have laying around. Maybe test that cooked 9800GT?

Finished off yesterday with a complete build on the M3A78-EM. Due to the lack of appropriate GPU, I left that cooked 9800GT (works alright, massive squeal from the VRM under load) Pretty SNAPPY computer, if I do say so myself! I have it running windows XP x64 Edition on a 250G HDD

The rear fan was seized, I replaced it with a clear fan with mystery LEDs (they're RED, fan was untested) The drive trays were missing. My brother has some spares, but I stole one from my other case for now.
The PSU that came with the case was a very used Antec with leakers inside. Replaced with Enermax EG-565P-VE (was New, open box. Good smell)
Added USB panel to rear with two additional ports. Planning on possibly adding Audigy or Audigy 2, but it might not see action right away, so I'll save those for a more exciting PC. The new PSU filled the thing with it's smell and it's vibe'n hard now. The Hot/Cold theme was accidental, but looks real good in that case!

After that, I pulled the Intel DH61BE back out, so I can test it, now that I got a CPU. The CPU is a i3-3220. I paired that up with a pair of ADATA DDR3-1333 (known good this time). I just set a heatsink on it for the test, as I ran out of SATA drives, so I wasn't planning on installing anything, just checking if it works.

Bada-BING! Heck yeah, it works! Booted first try and monster-jammed right past the BIOS and complained about boot media. I looked around the BIOS and tried booting a flash drive (win7 installer) and it was one of those boards that needs drivers BEFORE you can even install the install media, 🤣 I would've gone further if I had a drive. I just shut it down and labeled it as "GOOD" and cleaned up my workbench.

Hold the phone, though. I still have ONE untested computer.

It's been assembled for months now (and on my desk for a few weeks), just need to push the power button. The wait has added to the suspense. I found the thing in the dumpster and cleaned it/prepared it, but that's all. I don't really have a need specifically for a windows7 computer, so I felt I could just let it fly. Last night was the night. I threw the blue 9500GT I've been using in and powered it up.

BOOM! SCORE! It's ALIVE! I set some BIOS settings, then plugged in the HDD (always nothing on a test-run) and installed windows7 from the flash media. I downloaded and burned the DVD for it months ago, so installing the drivers was a breeze. I even had Service Pack 1 I could install. It was pretty easy getting it ready for some action. For S&G, I ran 3Dmark 2001 and got 49345. I also put software and games on it, since it's faster than my work computer, I might use it for that. I won't main it, since I'd rather be using XP, but it's a good alternative if I want to travel with it.

This is ANOTHER system I don't have an appropriate GPU for... I passed on so many because I didn't think I'd get buried in PCI-E computers... damn.

NOW I can get to these Sony(s). I'll start with the PCV-240, since it is the higher-tier unit. These things are so cool. Hopefully my ideas of what all these ins and outs do, aren't dashed by the harsh reality of slow computer/old software. I found the official Sony recovery media and software package, so if they work, EVERYTHING should work! Time to dig in...

Gah. I've been waiting, so long, I forgot what they even were, 🤣. Those Sony(s) are actually a PCV-200 and 220. The discs are for the 240 and the 240 was the TOTL. Not sure what all was extra in it, but it couldn't have been much.

I broke down the PCV-220 first.

It came into more pieces than I was expecting. The plastics were WAY easier to remove than ANY Dell out there. Clip here, clip there, I was thinking about doing a tutorial on how to remove the plastic, but it was too easy (should've done that for the Dirty Dell, those things are level 100).

The Guts included: Intel AL440LX, Pentium II 266, 2x64MB PC100, ATI Rage3D (with tuner), ESS Maestro1, Linksys EtherPCI II, Lucient 56k Modem. All audio cables were connected. The ZIP was not. A HP CD writer was installed above it. The hard drive is the only other thing not original. The other devices include: a Sony MPF-920E, Sony CDU611-GI, Iomega Z100iDE ZIP, and Seagate ST31021A

Got all the parts clean today. I also had a module for the video card, so I brought that out. Looks correct.

Awesome. I was hoping for a splash screen as dramatic as that. Absolutely a SONY. The kind of performance you'd expect from a LX with a 266. My test AGP card was SiS6326. It just finished 3Dmark99 with a 494 (2620 CPU) at near-stock settings (had to set double buffering, not enough video memory).

Looking like it's time to reassemble. Freaking parts for this thing are EVERYWHERE, 🤣 It HAS to be assembled in order, too.

I got it all together and realized I didn't have the PSU ready...

Well, it's clean now, everything looks good. It's a DELTA and it's pretty beefy-looking. Deltas are known to be pretty solid, so that's nice. Sony really made thing thing with some quality parts. I jumper'd it and checked the voltages (good) with dummy load (4xHDD). Nothing left but to install the PSU and run the recovery CD.

The recovery CD for the Sony VAIO wanted windows95 already installed to do any restoring... I have 95, but... no. I installed Windows 98 and used the application CDs to install the drivers/programs. After all that, Whoo-Hoo! The thing works. (was testing with the VCR)

At least, that's what I'd like to say, but.... Damn. After using it for a few hours and a few power cycles later... I was trying to install some games after I got the base-machine working good, then IT happened... Dude, lame. The AGP bus took a dump! NOOOOO! It glitched at the desktop, gave me a few blue screens, then, NOTHING. It restarted and gave me the "no video card" beeps (Beeeeep, beep, beep, beep). My known good card also got the beeps of DOOM.

I had my SE440BX-2 sitting around from other tests, so I plugged that in and confirmed that INDEED, the AGP bus was the problem. The video card(s) work fine in the 440BX.

The bad AL440LX can still be used for something as the PCI still outputs video. Besides the faulty motherboard, the CDROM and the aftermarket burner were both kaput. I had a similar Sony CDROM and swapped trays (to maintain the aesthetic). The Seagate ST310212A was also BAD (main reason previous "tech" couldn't get it booting).. I replaced the HDD with a Quantum CR 6.4GB (early on, the defective part was stopping progress).

It's fully functional again, but with a speed-boost. I had a P2(400/512/100) installed in the BX for a long time, made for good testing. I replaced it with P3(600/256/100) only because after using it for the time that I did (before the board broke) it was sluggish to run the tuner program. I ended up slapping a 128MB stick of RAM into it, too, bringing the total to 256MB (2x64, 1x128). It's not the fastest computer, the Rage3d/all-in-wonder is pretty darn slow.

I still have to clean the casing for the second VAIO (removed the board for testing after the first one failed). The second AL440LX seems to work fine. I'll try to keep it stock, but I might be trying the PCI version of the all-in-wonder on a more modern board/OS, so I can see if I can have a more useful computer to "tab out" of when I'm playing games.

Yesterday, I picked up a few GPUs (didn't take any pictures all weekend 🙁 ) MSI 660GTX and 760GTX. Both work and immediately found homes. The 660 I put in the M3A78-EM, which made it 100% more useful. The 760 went into the Sabertooth 990FX build that's been sitting on my desk. FAST computer, that one. Running Windows7 on it, but don't have anything to play on it. During that era, all I did was play Minecraft, so I missed out on a lot of games. (my "junk" couldn't run sh*t at the time, anyway.)

What's something I could challenge these systems with?

M3A has WinXPx64. I have Inventor 2013 installed on both, and they run it way better than my work PC; I should upgrade at this point, but I really like the M2N-E, it was NEW when I got it and it works without fail, so I wouldn't want to disturb it's perfect track record.

Doom3 and Quake4 run without breaking a sweat. Call of Duty 5 runs like a top. Fallout New Vegas hits framerates I only DREAMED of hitting when the game was new.

The main use for these is LAN parties, so they play BF1942, UT2004, Call of Duty (1-5), Rainbow6 Vegas/2, SWAT4, Serious Sam, HL2DM, etc. Kind of a range, but the newer ones get newer games. Sometimes I'll install a game that's "too new" for a computer, to see how it runs (well, also to see how I used to be playing these things). Don't have any games like that for these. Everything is on STEAM now and I can't install anything from my library, which sucks.

I also tested my 9800GT which was BAD in another board. It worked in TWO other boards, and has had the heatsink replaced now, since it's working. I'll be playing on that tonight, to make sure it's happy. Pretty stoked about that. I was sure that card bit the dust, yay!

I finally cleaned my modern PC. It was a mess. All these things I've been cleaning and completely neglecting the main rig. Games run much smoother now, 🤣

I've had this case for a loooong time. The "side panel" is made of plexi and new models use tempered glass. I use/prefer no panel.

The 3d printed bracket for the fans was pretty easy to make, mostly because the GPU was assembled very simply. 6 screws for the fan shroud (was 3x92mm)

These GPU's weigh quite a bit... You CAN NOT use one without a support of some kind. I've seen some UGLY motherboards with the PCI-E damage.

Note about the tunnels: At full speed, the fans were starving (the center one, for sure) for air. Smoke tests confirmed this issue, but I could also feel it putting my hands near it. The stacks keep fans from interfering with each other. They also cut some noise. I personally find them aesthetically pleasing as well. Ties the whole thing together.

I have a P55TVP4 board that needs testing today, but it uses AT power supply. I finally got one and tested it. Result: bad fan (no turn). Easy fix.

The PSU had wires for the fan soldiered directly to the board. My replacement fan had a 2 pin connector. Rather than cutting the wires, I decided to add pins to the PSU.

Now I can test both AT motherboards that have been sitting around "untested".

One is the P55TVP4 as mentioned:

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/asus-p … 55tvp4-rev.-2.3

The other is Gemlight GMB-P55IPS.

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/dtk-pam-0055i-e0

I've powered on the ASUS P55TVP4 and it works!! It came with a 133 Pentium ,but I wanted to run MMX in this thing, so I installed one and it's also good.

There is a issue, here though... Not sure what it is yet. I've double checked the jumpers and it POSTs at 225Mhz.

I inverted the bus jumpers (I've seen jumpers be backwards before) and it got worse.

This board has some kind of modified RTC, could that possibly cause this? 75x3 would leave me at 225, but the bus *should* be 66 and the multiplier 1.5? (the board doesn't go to 3.5...) based on the manual. BUT... The screen printing on the board defines the jumpers differently and actually HAS a 75Mhz bus setting...

CPU Core is 2.78V and I/O is 3.32V, so those are correct. Multiplier jumpers are both 1-2, 1-2.