Last hope for my K7V-T.

[Dan]

Clever chaps,

Spec:

AMD K7-1000MMR24B (Slot A T-Bird 1ghz)
ASUS K7V-T
128mb RAM
SB Dead!
Intel Lan
Hercules 3D Prophet

My problem:

Ever since I put this system together I have had problems. ALL 3D stuff
locks up. I've fiddled with every BIOS setting, every driver, 4-in-1's, you
name it. I eventually started to get somewhere by upping the core voltage
of the CPU in the BIOS to 1.80v. This made a lot of difference but I still
got freezes (just less often). I eventually decided to move up to 1.85v
which is a LOT better, lots of Half-Life, Midtown 2, 3D Mark 2000 (6400
score) with no freezes.

As a result of this, obviously, the beast got hot. The MOBO was reporting
41-44 c (I don't have a CPU sensor) and I thought this to be a little bit
too hot, so I invested in a twin-fan and heatsink, 8mm at front sucking, 8mm
at back blowing. Now, the MOBO is at 27-29c!!!!!

Sorted, I thought. Came in this evening, switched on, drives spin up,
keyboard lights flash, monitor light keeps flashing but no POST. Tried a
few resets, nothing. Eventually, powered off at the PSU and back on and it
boots. It has done this a few times since.

Any ideas before I bin it and go Intel (yuk).

TIA

PS. I have already returned one of these mobos for a new one! (same model)

[afriend]

Hey Dan,

sounds like it could be your PSU is a tad too weak for the 1GHz slot A,
don't you think ? Cos, when you get improvement by upping the core
voltage (which is a bad thing from the heat point of view, as you
already have noticed), it means the power suppply does give enough
'juice' at the specified core voltage.

Have look at it the technical way:

P = U * I

P is the power consumption of the CPU, wich is a constant at a certain
operating frequency. If your PSU can't deliver 'I' at the required
voltage level, the only way to satisfy the CPU's hunger for power is to
raise 'U' (which is just what you did), but this has the major drawback
of the CPU's chip temperature hitting the roof (which is just what
you've seen).

You need to make that you get yourself a power supply with sufficient
current ratings especially on the lines that feed the CPU and the AGP
card. I am lacking the figures for those ratings at the moment, but I
suggest you take a look at www.amd.com for a list of recommended PSUs.

Hope this helps. Good luck !

[Dan]

Thanks for your reply. Makes a lot of sense, but I have a 300W PSU!
Wouldn't that be enough?

Dan
"afriend" <ba...@spammers.com> wrote in message
news:3A55A89B...@spammers.com...

[afriend]

Hi Dan,

good question ! And the answer is: you never know ! '300 W' is just a
number, you see, and it tell us nothing about the quality of the supply
on a single voltage output. I have been around for a while in the
Athlon-related support groups, and I have seen people running GeForce
cards and overclocked Athlons with a 250W PSU without any problems,
while others couldn't get a stable system with a 300W PSU.

Moral of the story: a '300' on your PSU certainly improves your chances
of getting a stable system, but it is *no guarantee* as there may be bad
PSU's around - take my word for it !

I am running a slotA Thunderbird 800MHz together with a GeForce DDR card
(Creative Annihilator Pro 32MB) with AGP4x and Fast Writes turned on
without a hickup on my K7V-T.

I use a CHANNEL WELL CWT-300ATX-A 300W PSU for my PC if that might
help...

again, good luck. If I were in your shoes, I'd definitely try a
different PSU before I'd bin that super-system ....

[Dan]

Thanks again,

i am going to change the PSU next weekend hopefully. Are you UK-based? If
so, where did you get your PSU from?

Thanks

Dan
"afriend" <ba...@spammers.com> wrote in message

news:3A5850AD...@spammers.com...

[R.G. Saunders]

Dan
The ciritical point about the power supply is not the total power eg 300W
but what it can supply on the +3.3 and +5 volt circuits. A good PS should be
able to supply 160W on these 2 voltages, see the AMD site for recommended
PS.
http://www1.amd.com/athlon/power
http://www1.amd.com/athlon/config
Ron

"Dan" <d.ho...@REMOVEcwcom.net> wrote in message
news:iJ166.34255$y5.132095@news2-hme0...

[afriend]

Hi Dan,

I have no idea where the PSU came from, it was just part of my generic
'Athlon-approved' case. Luck of the dumb I guess ...

You may want to try these URLs :

http://www1.amd.com/athlon/power

http://www1.amd.com/athlon/config

On the first page you get some more information about Athlon and PSUs
and a form where you simply enter 1000 MHz and ATX form factor. After
submit, you'll get a list of approved PSUs, most of which have a link to
the manufacturer's web site, where in turn you can find information
about local resellers worldwide. Or just copy the list, hand it to your
local dealer and tell him to get you one of those.

Before you actually go out and buy a PSU, it would probably be best to
have a fellow with a working 1GHz+ Athlon system, who would be willing
to borrow his PSU for a short test. Maybe you can even talk your dealer
into taking it back, should the PSU turn out not to be the problem.