The board will serve me well.. The reason I'm building this PC is that I never ever had a Pentium or Voodoo 1. I went from gaming on a 486DX4-100 in software mode straight to a PentiumII-333 and Voodoo 2 in 1998. Now I want to remedy that by building a Pentium MMX Windows 95 OSR2.5 PC to play 2D and 3D games up to 1998. For that purpose, this will likely do. I will later also try my hand at building a Pentium III & Radeon 8500 Build for a meaner machine 😀

So.. A big haul of parts arrived today (will post in what you bought thread as well 😎 ) But here's the stuff that matters. For the board model (I took the liberty of installing the MMX processor and setting voltage to 2.8V):

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_567630.jpg
http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_318018.jpg
http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_495958.jpg

Does that ring any bells? Can't seem to figure out anything other than that it's a Triton II VX 256K board..

As for the P133 CPU - this one sure as hell seems to have its Heatsink built in - it seems completely inseperable.. The fan can be taken off, though. I've never seen a P133 like this, can anyone comment?

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_350844.jpg
http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_165615.jpg

Finally, I got 4 sticks of EDO RAM with it, but I can't tell for sure how many MBs they are. The bottom two, I think, are 8MB each, but the others?.. Never saw EDO RAM with 6 SIMM modules on them:

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 11505_74222.jpg

In other news, I actually scored an AT case, for free!

Just needs some drive bay covers 😀

appiah4 wrote:

So.. A big haul of parts arrived today (will post in what you bought thread as well :cool: ) But here's the stuff that matters. […]
Show full quote

So.. A big haul of parts arrived today (will post in what you bought thread as well 😎 ) But here's the stuff that matters. For the board model (I took the liberty of installing the MMX processor and setting voltage to 2.8V):

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_567630.jpg
http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_318018.jpg
http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_495958.jpg

Does that ring any bells? Can't seem to figure out anything other than that it's a Triton II VX 256K board..

As for the P133 CPU - this one sure as hell seems to have its Heatsink built in - it seems completely inseperable.. The fan can be taken off, though. I've never seen a P133 like this, can anyone comment?

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_350844.jpg
http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_350844.jpg

Finally, I got 4 sticks of EDO RAM with it, but I can't tell for sure how many MBs they are. The bottom two, I think, are 8MB each, but the others?.. Never saw EDO RAM with 6 SIMM modules on them:

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 11505_74222.jpg

In other news, I actually scored an AT case, for free!

Just needs some drive bay covers 😀

For MB - you might have to boot the machine and google the BIOS string at POST.

For CPU - I spotted a "166" on the corner, and the CPU looks like a Pentium Overdrive to me. Could you please flip it over and write down or take a photo of the string printed at the bottom of the CPU, if there is any string?

For RAM - The bottom two are 8MB each. Could you please take a photo of the back side of the top one? It's sure interesting to see RAM modules with 6 chips.

For cpu would this help? http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_165615.jpg

appiah4 wrote:

For cpu would this help? http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_165615.jpg

It's a regular Pentium 166.

lazibayer wrote:

For RAM - The bottom two are 8MB each. Could you please take a photo of the back side of the top one? It's sure interesting to see RAM modules with 6 chips.

appiah4 wrote:

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_11505/gallery_60983_11505_74222.jpg And some EDO RAM.. The bottom tw […]
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And some EDO RAM.. The bottom two are 8MB/piece I believe but the top two, I have no idea. Anyone can tell?

Probably 4x2MB chips (if they have chips on the other side as well and it seems that they do) and with the extra chips it looks like 8MB parity modules.
Chipmunk didn't seem to have this manufacturer with that "W" but many memory manufacturers used very similar codes on their chips and the chips look very similar to other ones with big chips which turned out to be 2MB/big chip.

So 32mb total great! Now if I can ID the mainboard..

appiah4 wrote:

So 32mb total great! Now if I can ID the mainboard..

You should probably disable parity mode in the BIOS (if you manage to make it POST) and perhaps it's a good idea to first test each pair individually. The POST screen should show if the weirder modules are indeed parity or maybe some other odd incompatible SIMMs.

Have fun 😀

Tetrium wrote:

You should probably disable parity mode in the BIOS (if you manage to make it POST) and perhaps it's a good idea to first test each pair individually. The POST screen should show if the weirder modules are indeed parity or maybe some other odd incompatible SIMMs.

Have fun 😀

According to wikipedia 430VX doesn't support parity or ECC, so I doubt if such setting is present in the BIOS. The board will probably treat them as regular chips or refuse to work with them at all.
There is a small possibility that these chips are FPM, but can't tell from the model number. Could the OP please take a picture of the other side? It would be odd to have 6 identical chips on one module, unless the manufacturer was willing to waste 1/4 capacity. Chances are, there are two 4bit chips on the other side and we may be able to ID these chips.

WRT the 6 module SIMM, if it helps any, I've learned that the W logo is Winbond for certain:

But I can't seem to find solid info on the SIMM modules themselves. The only useful info I could find is that Winbond chip names start with W, so searching for W3118164CJ is actually more helpful and gives me this: http://www.atari.org.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10745 a foreign language thread that seems to imply it's 8MB but how that is possible with a 6 chip configuration, I do not know. I will check the other side tomorrow and post photos, but IIRC it was the same. Regardless, all four sticks of SIMM RAM came on the mainboard so I assume they work with it.. 4x8 for 32MB isn't too shabby for a Pentium MMX DOS/Win 95 PC 😀

lazibayer wrote:

Tetrium wrote:

You should probably disable parity mode in the BIOS (if you manage to make it POST) and perhaps it's a good idea to first test each pair individually. The POST screen should show if the weirder modules are indeed parity or maybe some other odd incompatible SIMMs.

Have fun 😀

According to wikipedia 430VX doesn't support parity or ECC, so I doubt if such setting is present in the BIOS. The board will probably treat them as regular chips or refuse to work with them at all.
There is a small possibility that these chips are FPM, but can't tell from the model number. Could the OP please take a picture of the other side? It would be odd to have 6 identical chips on one module, unless the manufacturer was willing to waste 1/4 capacity. Chances are, there are two 4bit chips on the other side and we may be able to ID these chips.

Cheers for clearing this up 😀

VX was more a lower budget consumer chipset and it may be that parity is not supported because of this.

I agree taking a pic of the other side of these modules is a good next step 😀

Photos coming soon.. In the meantime, the board has a ps2 header and a ps2 bracket. Would it boot with a ps2 keyboard or is an at keyboard mandatory? Asking because I have a serial to ps2 adapter but no at to ps2 adapters..

appiah4 wrote:

Photos coming soon.. In the meantime, the board has a ps2 header and a ps2 bracket. Would it boot with a ps2 keyboard or is an at keyboard mandatory? Asking because I have a serial to ps2 adapter but no at to ps2 adapters..

There are adapters for using a more modern PS/2 keyboard on the older AT-style. These should work and I used them all the time 😀

Tetrium wrote:

appiah4 wrote:

Photos coming soon.. In the meantime, the board has a ps2 header and a ps2 bracket. Would it boot with a ps2 keyboard or is an at keyboard mandatory? Asking because I have a serial to ps2 adapter but no at to ps2 adapters..

There are adapters for using a more modern PS/2 keyboard on the older AT-style. These should work and I used them all the time 😀

Oh I know.. I was just wondering whether the PS2 header on the mainboard can be used for connecting a PS2 keyboard or whether it's for mouse only and keyboards only work through the AT port (in which case PS2 to AT adapter, here I come..)

In the meantime, minor update on the mainboard id process.. I looked at all 1000+ Socket 5/6/7 mainboards on TH99 and couldn't find a match for mine. Then I remembered old mainboards sometimes had ID stickers on the ISA slots and I found this: http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_378117.jpg

Not sure if it really helps at all.. As for the SIMM sticks, here's the flip side: http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … _11505_1967.jpg

I didn't bother with removing the warranty stickers but you can clearly see from the markings that show underneath that they are the same Winbond chips indeed.

And the parts keep coming 😁 The P3 cooler came in the mail, it's for Socket 370 and fairly modest so I'm feeling it should fit on my board no issues:

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_324535.jpg

http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_422138.jpg

The problem is that the mainboard has no fan header (obviously.. it actually has a spot to solder a 4 pin header onto - 12V G G 5V, but I can't be bothered) and I have neither a molex to fan header converter, nor a desire to hear a noisy chinese P3 cooler fan.. So the question is, do you think the 166MMX would be fine with the heatsink alone, cooled passively? I'd wager yes?

Keyboard:
I guess you have a PS/2 keyboard? I had ps/2 - com adapter that made ps/2 mouse work on com ports but not sure about keyboard. I think the board will boot with ps/2 keyboard on ps/2 port.

RAM:
Can't see the part number on the covered chips but I reckon they are all 2MB chips because they all have 42pins. Well I guess the manufacturer did waste 25% capacity.

Cooler:
It should fit. I wouldn't run a P166MMX without a fan, especially when your heatsink has a smaller contact size on the base. I will just cut two rods from paper clip and stick one end into the fan's power connector and the other into a spare molex connector.

Well.. the cooler didn't fit, not enough clearance around the slot for a 65mm heatsink. Looking for a 55mm now.. The paperclip pin trick sounds amazingly easy - I'll do it 😀

In searching my mainboard for make/model markings I actually found this: http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_765018.jpg

It has a USB Header, yay! And also it DOES support 75MHz FSB so I can try OC'ing it to 75x2.5 (187,5MHz) 😀 http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/ … 1505_647700.jpg

The RAM sticks I think is a 36-bit Parity module and all the chips are 6-bit. There's no other sensible explanation IMO?

Mainboard finally identified (through searching for baby-at 430vx on google and browsing through literally thousands of images): PC Chips A101 V1.4 (Also sold as Amptron PM-7900 V1.4 Goniema): http://th2chips.freeservers.com/a101/index.html

Phew. That eases my OCD mind a little.

Congratulations on your new findings. I guess it wasn't my first board then 😁

AT case came in today and it actually came with a Win98SE serial.. Should I go for it on a 166MMX build or stick to Win95OSR2.5? Similarly can I use a dvdrom with a 166mmx or should I just get a cdrw?