First post, by teh_Foxx0rz
Hello all,
I've been building a Slot 1 PC that I've hoped could be versatile enough to alternate CPUs between a 233MHz Klamath Pentium II (downclocked to 133MHz), all the way up to a 1GHz Pentium III with a 133MHz FSB.
The board I've picked for now out of what came my way is a Gigabyte GA-6VXE+, which has a VIA VT82C693A (Apollo Pro 133), which of course does support 133MHz FSB (without overclocking the expansion slots).
However, as the title says, when I put a PIII 1000 EB in it (using a slotket adapter, though I don't think it makes a difference, it works fine on slower speeds), I simply get a loop of Windows 98SE saying it's "restored a good registry", and never getting past this point. I've also just tried a PIII 933MHz CPU, just in case the 1000EB was just slightly over some threshold (and they're cheap so it's no biggie), but sadly, as somewhat expected, still the same issue.
The manual does say it supports processors between 233-800MHz, but admittedly, I perhaps naively thought this was merely advisory, perhaps put as this simply because the fastest PIIIs at the time of its release were 800MHz rather than a hard limit in the scope of its design. Certainly, a 1GHz Slot 1 system seems to be a popular project, even on 100MHz FSB boards, so I don't feel like this was an implausible hope.
So, my question: am I simply out of luck, and need to look out for a different motherboard? Or is there a possible way I could get around this by any chance?
Additionally (maybe relatedly?): This board's method of changing the FSB configuration is very different to the Socket 370 boards I have. The Socket 370 boards just need a jumper or DIP switch (or couple) switched, and it just simply runs the CPU slower accordingly. However, this board has the DIP switches, but also a jumper that needs to be on when it's 66 or 100, and needs to be off to make it anything above 124MHz, and this also doesn't simply run the CPU slower, it just simply doesn't boot if this doesn't match the CPU's listed spec.
Is this normal for Slot 1 boards?
I realise the extra board the CPU is mounted on might make some electrical features of the CPU more distanced from the board, such as this. And I know slotket adapters tend to also have a FSB speed jumper on them (and this *does* downclock the CPU accordingly, if the motherboard is set the same so that it actually boots)
Some other, merely tangential info about my system, for flavour/context:
I was primarily building this particular PC to make the most of my Voodoo 3 3500 (I heard they scale well all the way up to a 1000MHz CPU); it was originally in a Socket 370 board with an Apollo Pro 133A chipset, which would be easy to put a 1000MHz PIII into, and downclock the FSB when needed for better compatibility with earlier '90s DOS games.
However, I was also wanting a PC for a Voodoo 1, but the case I have aside for that is only a Micro-ATX. Micro-ATX Slot 1 boards with AGP, two PCI slots (or three if one is a combo) and also an ISA slot seem to be rather hard to come by. I have a S370 board that fits that description that I was hoping to put a 533MHz PIII into so I could go up to 533MHz for some things, then all the way down to 266MHz for V1 stuff, but those seem to be scarce or expensive, so I looked to Slot 1 boards. But Slot 1 boards which fit all of that description seem to be even more hard to come by than PIII 533's. (I'm not sure I'm ready to dive into the AT form-factor yet either, haha.)
But then this GA-6VXE+ came up and looked ideal, supporting PIIIs as well as PIIs, and 133Mhz FSB, plus two ISA slots and other neat things (like a SB-Link header which I never imagine using but would be neat to have to play with if such a card came up), so I figured I would try just combining the two systems, and leveraging the Slot 1 platform's flexibility. I've got the Voodoo 1 working just fine alongside the Voodoo 3 3500 (and dipped into a bit of Dreams to Reality! Weird but intriguing game) and the Soundblaster 16 working just fine alongside an OPTi 82C929A chip ISA sound card (and Audigy 2 ZS without the DOS drivers installed) but sadly, maybe this is its compromise.
Of course, I'm fully aware that things are rarely completely ideal and straightforward with these old PCs, but we can always hope, you know?
Thanks for all the comments and help.