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Deschutes to Katmai

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Reply 20 of 62, by retro games 100

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I think those caps look OK. A couple of weeks ago, on a slot 1 mobo I was testing that I mentioned earlier, the caps were very closely positioned to the back of the CPU area. Someone before me may have pushed down a CPU in to the slot 1 area, and the clip at the back of the CPU's heatsink may have bashed the caps, because some of them looked chipped.

Re: overheating. I did this experiment: I took a P3-600, and removed its fan entirely. For a temporary measure, I "half-heartedly" propped up a 800 RPM (that's slow!) case fan next to it. I used Windows 98 for about 20 minutes, then felt the top of the CPU's heatsink. I had to withdraw my fingers almost immediately because of the heat. But the system worked fine. No reboots, no problems. If the front part of the heatsink area on your CPU feels tightly adhered to the back part of the CPU - in other words, the whole cartridge arrangement feels as if it's not loose at all in any way, I would rule out an overheating issue.

I've used a couple of POST cards. Generally speaking, I have been unhappy with them. They sometimes report daft things, which are not related to the problem you are dealing with.

Re: Powerleap adapters. I believe you can put any socket 370 P3 in to them. Probably starting at approx. 600, and going up to 1.4 GHz. However, I'm concerned that your mobo may be unhappy with one of these adapters. At the moment, IMHO, it's not worth the risk investing in one. (Unfortunately, they're not that easy to find cheap these days.)

If I were you, I would get another P3-450 to test, and not the SL35D. Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

Reply 22 of 62, by AdamP

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Thanks

If it is an overheating issue, then there's a possibility I may have damaged the cpu because I once left it on for a while after it hung.

As for power, is 235W enough for a PIII 450, 192mb RAM, an AGP 2X video card, a Sound Blaster Live! CT4760, a PCI NIC, a hard drive, and a DVD drive? (I'm assuming the PIII gets its power from the 3.3v rail like the PII) I don't think it's a voltage issue as the PIII Katmai uses the same voltage as the PII Deschutes.

I also don't think it would hurt to add a case fan (I'm not sure there are any that small though; I tried a couple of 80mm fans, but they were too big). The motherboard does have 3 3-pin fan connectors, so it must be possible.

If all else fails, I might try a kB0 PIII 450. I'm also don't think Powerleap is feasible; the only one I found on ebay was £64.99, and the motherboard only supports 450mhz and there doesn't seem to be any way to underclock.

Thanks again.

Reply 23 of 62, by retro games 100

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Yes, I think 235W is enough to power a P3-450. Years ago, my main rig was a P4-2.4GHz, with Radeon 9700Pro, Audigy, few other bits. My PSU was 250W! (I never liked that system, but it never went wrong either.)

I did a quick search on ebay uk for: pentium 3 450. IMHO, I think you're next best move is to get a P3-450 replacement. ATM, they seem fairly cheap and plentiful.

Reply 25 of 62, by AdamP

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I don't think the psu is dying. I cleaned its fan with compressed air (because the case felt a bit warm after it had been running for a while) not that long ago (several months ago at most).

Also, I've been wondering, is it possible to upgrade to a SE440BX-2 motherboard? It should work on that and according to this, it supports up to 800mhz Coppermines. Also, having looked at this, I think it's very possible that only kB0 PIIIs are supported on the original SE440BX.

Thanks

Reply 26 of 62, by Tetrium

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AdamP wrote:

I don't think the psu is dying. I cleaned its fan with compressed air (because the case felt a bit warm after it had been running for a while) not that long ago (several months ago at most).

Also, I've been wondering, is it possible to upgrade to a SE440BX-2 motherboard? It should work on that and according to this, it supports up to 800mhz Coppermines. Also, having looked at this, I think it's very possible that only kB0 PIIIs are supported on the original SE440BX.

Thanks

If you decide to upgrade, you might as well upgrade to a really decent board. That Intel is standard ATX anyway so if that fits, anything will fit (if the case can take it ofcourse!).
And iirc that Intel board (I have the same one) has several revisions, not all will support coppermine! (mine supposedly doesn't)

Reply 27 of 62, by Anonymous Freak

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A "Seattle 2", as the SE440BX-2 is commonly called, would fully support your Pentium IIIs, yes. SOME SE-2s support Coppermine (0.18 micron, 650 - 1000 MHz plus some 533-600) chips, but not all. And Coppermine support isn't just a BIOS thing, it's a VRM (Voltage Regulation Module) thing. If your goal is just to run the P3 you have, any SE-2 should work fine. Those were the "bread and butter" of Intel's desktop board lineup. They sold millions of those.

Reply 29 of 62, by AdamP

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Hi,

I've tried a SL364 and it worked 😀. I also didn't have any problems with the heatsink locking mechanism and the capacitors this time.

However, I think the fan's dead (typical, I get something working then something else breaks 🙁). I heard a loud noise when I started it up, twice, then the PC seemed a lot quieter. I looked inside and the CPU fan was not spinning. I'm not sure if there's a way to remove it and I can't find an individual PIII fan (at least not for slot 1) on ebay.

Does this mean I'll have to get yet another one?

Thanks for your help

Reply 30 of 62, by swaaye

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Do one of your Slot CPUs have a big OEM fanless heatsink that you can transfer to this working CPU?

Secondarily, can't you rig up some snazzy rubber banded / zip tied fan contraption?

Reply 31 of 62, by retro games 100

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It's awesome the SL364 works - congrats! 😀 But that loud noise you heard is a bit worrying. I wonder what that could have been? I would inspect all areas of your mobo for any signs of damage. Also, please check to see if any wiring has inadvertently got stuck near the fan area and is simply preventing the fan from spinning. I'm concerned that the fan header on the mobo may be damaged.

If you get a new CPU, then its fan might not work either. Have you got any fast fan you could temporary plug in to the mobo's CPU fan header port, to check if this port is still functioning? Any fast fan will do. (You could even try one of your existing CPUs!) Sometimes a retro mobo's BIOS can get confused if you use a very slow fan - the low RPM and also low amperage used on modern fans for example can confuse old retro mobo BIOSes.

Emergency purchase idea: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Intel-Pentium-3-450-MHz … 4-/220423397415 (It's a fanless SL364, ~ £7.50 incl. postage)

Reply 32 of 62, by AdamP

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Thanks

swaaye wrote:

Do one of your Slot CPUs have a big OEM fanless heatsink that you can transfer to this working CPU?

My SL35D came with a large heatsink.

But I hopefully won't need it because:

retro games 100 wrote:

Have you got any fast fan you could temporary plug in to the mobo's CPU fan header port, to check if this port is still functioning?

I tested all 3 motherboard fan connectors with an Arctic F8 Pro (it didn't fit on the case; I just used it to test the motherboard), and they all worked fine.

I managed to take the fan off the heatsink. From there I tried fiddling with the wires to get it working to little anvil. I tried the fan while separated from the heatsink. The best I managed was the fan spinning every few moments as though something was stuck or it's not getting enough power. The good news is that even if I can't fix it, I think I may be able to replace it. Would something like this or this fit/work?

The CPU with the fan removed:

P1010087.jpg

The fan:

P1010088.jpg

P1010089.jpg

Thanks again

Reply 34 of 62, by AdamP

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Actually, they won't; they're too small 😀.

I've ordered a 5cm one, but I may not get a chance to try it for a while. I'll post back when I do.

Thanks for your help

Reply 35 of 62, by retro games 100

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Oops. 😦 I had a rummage in the attic of doom / retro warehouse, and found a SL364 with a cooler master heatsink & fan. You're right, the fan is 5cm. Good job you didn't listen to me, I'm a bit stupid sometimes. 😉 BTW, I've got a P2 here, and it's got a 4cm fan, so that might explain the confusion, although I'm just making excuses...

Reply 37 of 62, by retro games 100

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>>A p2 with 4cm fan?
Behold, non believer! 😉 😀

CPU = http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SL357.html
Mobo = Packard Bell (OEM) version of the MSI MS6119, PCB version 1.2 BX2.

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Last edited by retro games 100 on 2010-11-01, 19:44. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 39 of 62, by swaaye

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These CPUs barely need fans, partly because of them being so low power (~20-30W) and partly because Slot 1 let them make nice big heatsinks. I love the big fanless OEM heatsinks of the day.