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First post, by GasparB123

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Does anyone know a good website where I can find drivers for a PCChips M825G motherboard, or does anyone have them available or archived?? Any help would be much apreciated, since the PCChips site does not exist anymore.

Reply 1 of 13, by Doornkaat

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Welcome to the forum! 😀
What drivers exactly do you need?
The chipset with all related features should be fine with the usual Via Hyperion 4-in-1 driver pack.
You can find various versions near the bottom of this page. Version 1448 is usually ok for KM266 and Win9x.
What other devices do you need drivers for?

Reply 2 of 13, by Doornkaat

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Btw. there appear to exist multiple versions of the board. Those don't all use the same components. The chipset driver is ok for all of them but the rest may be different.
Here is a good collection of Via drivers that should cover your board.
This should help with your onboard audio (if the board uses the codec in the south bridge).
The rest may depend on your board version.

Reply 3 of 13, by Horun

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Yes the 825G has at least 3 variants though all very similar: http://web.archive.org/web/20040810121819if_/ … d-mainframe.asp
V8.0: KM266/8235, ProSavage8 3D Graphics w/ 32M share memory, LAN - VIA VT6103 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet PHY, Audio - VIA VT1612A dos canal de audio Codec
V9.2A: KM266PRO/8235, Embedded ProSavage8 3D Graphics w/ 32M share memory, LAN - VIA VT6103 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet PHY, Audio - VIA VT1612A 2-channel audio Codec
V9.2C: KM266PRO/8235, Embedded ProSavage8 3D Graphics w/ 32M share memory, LAN - VIA VT6103 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet PHY, Audio - VIA VT1612A 2-channel audio Codec

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 4 of 13, by GasparB123

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Hey thanks everyone for the feedback.

Yes, I forgot to mention that the MB is revision 9.2C.

I've also been having a problem trying to change the CPU base frequency, that being I can't do it 🤣. I'll attach an image of how it looks (JP3 and JP4)

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The jumper is there, but it is bodged with wires, instead of a normal pin header with female jumpers. Does anyone know how I could change the position of said wires, or guide me to a tutorial of any kind that I could learn from?? I'm no electronics expert when it comes to a soldering iron, but I'd like to give it a try.

Reply 5 of 13, by Horun

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The board is locked to 100Mhz by those soldered jumpers and uses the BIOS to set cpu frequency (your board is near identical to my ECS K7VTA3).
In the BIOS you go to the CPU PnP SETUP section, change CPU Over-clocking Func. Disabled to Enabled.
Change CPU Frequency 100 MHz to 133 or 166 and save. I would leave DRAM frequency at Auto.
You could remove those solder bodges with and good solder iron and install two 3 pin headers but the 9.2c board is actually designed to use the BIOS. The previous v8 and 9.2a did have the jumpers afaik

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 6 of 13, by GasparB123

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Horun wrote on 2021-06-26, 21:54:
The board is locked to 100Mhz by those soldered jumpers and uses the BIOS to set cpu frequency (your board is near identical to […]
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The board is locked to 100Mhz by those soldered jumpers and uses the BIOS to set cpu frequency (your board is near identical to my ECS K7VTA3).
In the BIOS you go to the CPU PnP SETUP section, change CPU Over-clocking Func. Disabled to Enabled.
Change CPU Frequency 100 MHz to 133 or 166 and save. I would leave DRAM frequency at Auto.
You could remove those solder bodges with and good solder iron and install two 3 pin headers but the 9.2c board is actually designed to use the BIOS. The previous v8 and 9.2a did have the jumpers afaik

Hey, I just tried it. It only goes up to 132 mhz, and when I reboot I get one long beep from the PC speaker, sooo I guess thats not good. I'll reset the CMOS, but I'm back at square one.

Thanks for the idea anyway 😀

Reply 7 of 13, by Horun

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GasparB123 wrote on 2021-06-26, 22:09:

Hey, I just tried it. It only goes up to 132 mhz, and when I reboot I get one long beep from the PC speaker, sooo I guess thats not good. I'll reset the CMOS, but I'm back at square one.

Thanks for the idea anyway 😀

edit: according to the manual on the CPU PnP setup:
The system will automatically detect the kind of CPU that you have installed and make the appropriate adjustments to the items on this page.
you might need a BIOS update and that is why it is not auto setting... just a guess or you do need jp3 and jp4 set for 133 MHz or 166Mhz because the cpu is unknown to the BIOS version.
what cpu are you using ?

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 8 of 13, by GasparB123

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Horun wrote on 2021-06-26, 23:19:
edit: according to the manual on the CPU PnP setup: The system will automatically detect the kind of CPU that you have installed […]
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GasparB123 wrote on 2021-06-26, 22:09:

Hey, I just tried it. It only goes up to 132 mhz, and when I reboot I get one long beep from the PC speaker, sooo I guess thats not good. I'll reset the CMOS, but I'm back at square one.

Thanks for the idea anyway 😀

edit: according to the manual on the CPU PnP setup:
The system will automatically detect the kind of CPU that you have installed and make the appropriate adjustments to the items on this page.
you might need a BIOS update and that is why it is not auto setting... just a guess or you do need jp3 and jp4 set for 133 MHz or 166Mhz because the cpu is unknown to the BIOS version.
what cpu are you using ?

I recently installed the latest BIOS, and the options are still the same.

I'm running a Sempron 2300+, but the BIOS sees an Athlon MP at 950Mhz. I installed Everest and the CPU is running at 100 base clock, with a 9.5x multiplier, which I asume is max multiplier, but this Sempron should work at 1583 MHz, which would be 166mhz at 9.5x multiplier.

Reply 10 of 13, by melbar

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I agree with Doornkaat.

This chipset supports only FSB 133 officially.
https://www.viatech.com/en/silicon/legacy/chipsets/km266/
--> 552-pin BGA VT8375 North Bridge

wikipedia is listing a 'KM266 Pro' chipset which is not existing on the official website.
https://www.viatech.com/en/silicon/legacy/chi … sktop-chipsets/

According to wikipedia, the 'KM266 Pro' should be able to run FSB166.
From my point of view, this is nothing else as a VIA KM266 , where some mainboard manufactures offer the OC mode FSB166.

Accoding to wikipedia, also the southbridge can be different:
For KM266 :
VT8231, VT8233, VT8235
For KM266pro :
VT8235, VT8237(+), VT8237R(+)

#1 K6-2/500, #2 Athlon1200, #3 Celeron1000A, #4 A64-3700, #5 P4HT-3200, #6 P4-2800, #7 Am486DX2-66

Reply 11 of 13, by Doornkaat

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melbar wrote on 2021-06-27, 06:04:
wikipedia is listing a 'KM266 Pro' chipset which is not existing on the official website. https://www.viatech.com/en/silicon/leg […]
Show full quote

wikipedia is listing a 'KM266 Pro' chipset which is not existing on the official website.
https://www.viatech.com/en/silicon/legacy/chi … sktop-chipsets/

According to wikipedia, the 'KM266 Pro' should be able to run FSB166.
From my point of view, this is nothing else as a VIA KM266 , where some mainboard manufactures offer the OC mode FSB166.

Accoding to wikipedia, also the southbridge can be different:
For KM266 :
VT8231, VT8233, VT8235
For KM266pro :
VT8235, VT8237(+), VT8237R(+)

Wikipedia does not even list a part number for the north bridge of the supposed KM266 Pro. The chipset doesn't exist in the German article either. 'KM266 Pro' is probably just coined by motherboard manufacturers for a combination of the older VT8375 north bridge from the KM266 series paired with a south bridge from the later KM400 series to get features like USB2.0 and ATA/133 at lower cost. This would be typical for a budget oriented brand like PCChips.
I'm doubtful of the 166/333MHz FSB listed on Wikipedia. You're probably right that the FSB rating is made up by motherboard manufacturers and somebody just pasted the promised clock speeds from some board into Wikipedia.

Reply 12 of 13, by GasparB123

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Doornkaat wrote on 2021-06-27, 05:35:

There's a chance the CPU is not supported seeing as it is supposed to run on a 333MHz FSB (166MHz DDR) while the chipset only officially supports 266MHz FSB (133MHz DDR).

One of the BIOS updates listed that it was granting support for Sempron CPUs, like the 2300+ I have, and I installed the latest BIOS, so I believe that's not a problem.

Reply 13 of 13, by GasparB123

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Doornkaat wrote on 2021-06-27, 06:45:
melbar wrote on 2021-06-27, 06:04:
wikipedia is listing a 'KM266 Pro' chipset which is not existing on the official website. https://www.viatech.com/en/silicon/leg […]
Show full quote

wikipedia is listing a 'KM266 Pro' chipset which is not existing on the official website.
https://www.viatech.com/en/silicon/legacy/chi … sktop-chipsets/

According to wikipedia, the 'KM266 Pro' should be able to run FSB166.
From my point of view, this is nothing else as a VIA KM266 , where some mainboard manufactures offer the OC mode FSB166.

Accoding to wikipedia, also the southbridge can be different:
For KM266 :
VT8231, VT8233, VT8235
For KM266pro :
VT8235, VT8237(+), VT8237R(+)

Wikipedia does not even list a part number for the north bridge of the supposed KM266 Pro. The chipset doesn't exist in the German article either. 'KM266 Pro' is probably just coined by motherboard manufacturers for a combination of the older VT8375 north bridge from the KM266 series paired with a south bridge from the later KM400 series to get features like USB2.0 and ATA/133 at lower cost. This would be typical for a budget oriented brand like PCChips.
I'm doubtful of the 166/333MHz FSB listed on Wikipedia. You're probably right that the FSB rating is made up by motherboard manufacturers and somebody just pasted the promised clock speeds from some board into Wikipedia.

That may be the case. I already saw evidence of PCChips inventing names and stuff to make it look cool. Originally the BIOS said that the original processor on this machine (AMD Mobile Duron 800) was a "Pro 2200" (whatever that means), and this Sempron is a "Pro 2000a+", so it wouldn't amaze me to realize it doesn't support the bus speeds that the manual says.