I’d pick the TC430HX. It has a fast 430HX chipset that is at least on par with 430TX, working Turbo (sort of) and it’s made by Intel: these boards are solid and well documented.

With OS it’s rather a matter of choice. I don’t think you miss anything by sticking to Win95 on a Socket 7, but you’re not gaining anything either. Just pick the OS that looks better/evokes more nostalgia. I’d pick Win95 😀

The TX chipset has a faster IDE controller and it can handle SDRAM dimms at a higher density. The TX board also supports 256mb to the 128mb of the HX, which while dramatically overkill, is nice because a lot of diagnostic boot CDs and basic linux distros require at least that much memory to boot.

It depends on what is integrated as well. I would prefer whichever board doesn't have integrate graphics or audio.

mothergoose729 wrote:

The TX chipset has a faster IDE controller and it can handle SDRAM dimms at a higher density. The TX board also supports 256mb to the 128mb of the HX, which while dramatically overkill, is nice because a lot of diagnostic boot CDs and basic linux distros require at least that much memory to boot.

It depends on what is integrated as well. I would prefer whichever board doesn't have integrate graphics or audio.

You can run 512MB on an i430TX even if officially unsupported - just use two dual-sided DIMMs with 16x 16Mx8 chips.

But...

i430TX is castrated to max 64MB cacheable. i430HX can cache 512MB. So the question is how much RAM do you need? If <=64MB, go with i430TX for its slightly faster RAM and IDE. If >64MB, go with i430HX for caching ability.. Note that you need a second TagRAM for 512MB cacheable on the HX.

my TC430HX has 512k l2 cache, USB, 3 ISA and 4 PCI, and a onboard Yamaha OPL3-SA. It seems to be a great board for a Socket 7 build.

dionb wrote:

You can run 512MB on an i430TX even if officially unsupported - just use two dual-sided DIMMs with 16x 16Mx8 chips. […]
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mothergoose729 wrote:

The TX chipset has a faster IDE controller and it can handle SDRAM dimms at a higher density. The TX board also supports 256mb to the 128mb of the HX, which while dramatically overkill, is nice because a lot of diagnostic boot CDs and basic linux distros require at least that much memory to boot.

It depends on what is integrated as well. I would prefer whichever board doesn't have integrate graphics or audio.

You can run 512MB on an i430TX even if officially unsupported - just use two dual-sided DIMMs with 16x 16Mx8 chips.

But...

i430TX is castrated to max 64MB cacheable. i430HX can cache 512MB. So the question is how much RAM do you need? If <=64MB, go with i430TX for its slightly faster RAM and IDE. If >64MB, go with i430HX for caching ability.. Note that you need a second TagRAM for 512MB cacheable on the HX.

the 430VX is like a stripped down 430HX that can cache only 64mb, but has added SDRAM support.

my TC430HX has 512k l2 cache, USB, 3 ISA and 4 PCI, and a onboard Yamaha OPL3-SA

Should be obvious choice. It can also work with AMD K6-2 unofficially.

The Serpent Rider wrote:

my TC430HX has 512k l2 cache, USB, 3 ISA and 4 PCI, and a onboard Yamaha OPL3-SA

Should be obvious choice. It can also work with AMD K6-2 unofficially.

the downside of that board is that the HDD space limit is 8.4gb.

I'd go the TX board for it's ultra dma 33 support and SDRAM support. So the Intel AN430TX, with it's onboard yamaha audio, would be my choice

Chuck in the crustiest, oldest looking 64meg SDRAM DIMM you can find (make sure voltage is set correctly so you don't cook it) and put Windows 98 on it (for USB key support after installing Mass Storage support)

On a Pentium 200, you would struggle to get that much value out of having more RAM than 64meg, for the software that is suited for this CPU.

For the hx board, maybe this bios update would fix the issue ? http://intel-vintage-developer.eu5.org/DESIGN … /TC/TC_BIOS.HTM

jheronimus wrote:

With OS it’s rather a matter of choice. I don’t think you miss anything by sticking to Win95 on a Socket 7, but you’re not gaining anything either. Just pick the OS that looks better/evokes more nostalgia. I’d pick Win95 😀

I'd pick 98SE. Better driver support, can use USB, and it is just a little bit more comfortable to use.

If you want period-correct build then Win95 (OSR2) will be perfect and that's what I would choose as I have other Win98 machines.

If you want a bit more useability then go for Win98SE.

HanJammer wrote:

If you want period-correct build

Voodoo 2 and 40 GB HDD is already >1998, so Win98SE is fine time-wise.

Actually, I would never waste a Voodoo 2 in a pre-Pentium II system, but that's not what he asked advise for. 😊

the downside of that board is that the HDD space limit is 8.4gb

It actually isn't. This boards can work at least with 32gb HDDs, although it won't show you the correct numbers in BIOS.

derSammler wrote:

HanJammer wrote:

If you want period-correct build

Voodoo 2 and 40 GB HDD is already >1998, so Win98SE is fine time-wise.

Actually, I would never waste a Voodoo 2 in a pre-Pentium II system, but that's not what he asked advise for. 😊

Agreed! I keep my 430HX and P200MMX reserved for some future, Voodoo 1 based build (as that's what my best friend had back in the 96 or 97 - Pentium 200MMX, Soyo 430HX motherboard, Tseng ET6000, Diamond Monster 3D, AWE32, I think 16 MB of RAM -> and I was so jealous so I have to compensate now ;D Back then I only had PC Partner 430VX with K5 PR133 and S3 Trio 64V+, Opti931 sound card and 16MB EDO RAM).

The Serpent Rider wrote:

the downside of that board is that the HDD space limit is 8.4gb

It actually isn't. This boards can work at least with 32gb HDDs, although it won't show you the correct numbers in BIOS.

Some motherboards with early Award BIOS will simply lock up if they detect an hard drive that is 32 GB or more, not sure about AMI or Phoenix BIOS however.

Deksor wrote:

For the hx board, maybe this bios update would fix the issue ? http://intel-vintage-developer.eu5.org/DESIGN … /TC/TC_BIOS.HTM

My TC430HX has the latest (1.00.07.DH0).

Does TX board has the same feature set (Yamaha and USB)? RAM wise they have identical limitations, because there's no socket for a second TAG chip on HX board.

The Serpent Rider wrote:

Does TX board has the same feature set (Yamaha and USB)? RAM wise they have identical limitations, because there's no socket for a second TAG chip on HX board.

yes

why does the voltage regulator next to the CPU socket get really hot when i run it for a while?