Packard Bell Milano scorching the 'net !

Hi Gang !

( sure would like to see more action here..........)

I have some Packard Bell projects backing up on me, but I just finished one
today.

Swapped out the Intel 440FX P II ( originally 233MHz, I swapped in a
333MHz ) motherboard out of the very lovely Packard Bell Milano case ( just
about one of the best looking PB's ever made in my opinion ) for an Intel
D815EEA2/D815EPEA2 (U) (note the very important U ) motherboard. This
board is a high performance Intel designed around the 815E ( B stepping )
chipset. The "U" means that it supports the Intel Tualatin CPU, so any
Socket 370 CPU "up to" 1.4GHz can be installed. Also Supports Coppermine P
III, Coppermine Celeron, and Tualatin Celeron.

I happen to really like Intel boards, because they are so damn completely
stable, and reliable. If you don't overclock, they are the best.

This machine is running:

Tualatin 1.33GHz
256 meg ram
10G HDD

Everything is built onto the motherboard, HOWEVER, it is a full size ATX
board, with 1 AGP and 6 PCI slots. It has onboard audio, video, 4 USB,
10/100 network, and kicks serious butt.

Had to create an I/O backing plate, but at no time was the Milano case
harmed. Matter of fact, I could have it back to factory specs in less than
an hour. The motherboard was a bolt in, and I'm even using the stock PSU.

This is a test cruise, I just finished installing Windows XP Professional,
and now need to do some serious "setting up".

Next up:

Gonna install an Orlando 685 motherboard from a Packard Bell Platinum
machine into my Packard Bell Corner Computer. I chose this board because it
has 2 USB ports, and 256K L2 cache. (I may change my mind and try to find an
810 board, but I can't get anyone on ePay to reply to my questions. ) Then
I'm going to install my brand new Evergreen 400MHz upgrade CPU, install
Windows XP, and really be styling. :-)

Gotta get these "winter projects" done before it's time to get out into the
yard..................

Have fun gang !

bobwatts
EartH

Yes, the D815 series boards are first-rate P3 boards and you got yourself the
very latest and the very best of them. Only the 512MB memory limitation keeps
them from running some combinations of memory-intensive software and operating
systems. Too bad Intel limted the memory for the 815 chipset to make its
Socket 423 Pentium 4 boards with 850 RAMBUS chipset look better.

I'm not sure you can find an LPX form factor motherboard with a Socket 370 CPU.
Very few of them were ever made, none by Intel, which moved on to NLX as the
successor for small form factor systems. IBM used a couple of Slot 1 LPX form
factor boards and even one with a Pentium Pro, but I suspect that they both had
some serious heat problems.

If you have the BIOS mods to go along with the Evergreen version of the AMD
K6-2, you should be OK.

While rummaging in my hardware pile the other day, I ran across an smallish LPX
board which would also run the 400MHz Evergreen with BIOS changes. It even has
a separate voltage regulator module to regulate the voltage and a COAST slot
which would handle a 512K cache module. If I have time tomorrow, I'll throw it
on the testbed and see what it can still... Ben Myers

On Sun, 4 Mar 2007 14:38:56 -0500, "Robert E. Watts" <>
wrote:

>Hi Gang !
>
>( sure would like to see more action here..........)
>
>I have some Packard Bell projects backing up on me, but I just finished one
>today.
>
>Swapped out the Intel 440FX P II ( originally 233MHz, I swapped in a
>333MHz ) motherboard out of the very lovely Packard Bell Milano case ( just
>about one of the best looking PB's ever made in my opinion ) for an Intel
>D815EEA2/D815EPEA2 (U) (note the very important U ) motherboard. This
>board is a high performance Intel designed around the 815E ( B stepping )
>chipset. The "U" means that it supports the Intel Tualatin CPU, so any
>Socket 370 CPU "up to" 1.4GHz can be installed. Also Supports Coppermine P
>III, Coppermine Celeron, and Tualatin Celeron.
>
>I happen to really like Intel boards, because they are so damn completely
>stable, and reliable. If you don't overclock, they are the best.
>
>This machine is running:
>
>Tualatin 1.33GHz
>256 meg ram
>10G HDD
>
>Everything is built onto the motherboard, HOWEVER, it is a full size ATX
>board, with 1 AGP and 6 PCI slots. It has onboard audio, video, 4 USB,
>10/100 network, and kicks serious butt.
>
>Had to create an I/O backing plate, but at no time was the Milano case
>harmed. Matter of fact, I could have it back to factory specs in less than
>an hour. The motherboard was a bolt in, and I'm even using the stock PSU.
>
>This is a test cruise, I just finished installing Windows XP Professional,
>and now need to do some serious "setting up".
>
>Next up:
>
>Gonna install an Orlando 685 motherboard from a Packard Bell Platinum
>machine into my Packard Bell Corner Computer. I chose this board because it
>has 2 USB ports, and 256K L2 cache. (I may change my mind and try to find an
>810 board, but I can't get anyone on ePay to reply to my questions. ) Then
>I'm going to install my brand new Evergreen 400MHz upgrade CPU, install
>Windows XP, and really be styling. :-)
>
>Gotta get these "winter projects" done before it's time to get out into the
>yard..................
>
>Have fun gang !
>
>bobwatts
>EartH
>

HI Ben!

( I always look forward to your replies, they are very informative. )

( inserting comments as I go, as usual. )

"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Yes, the D815 series boards are first-rate P3 boards and you got yourself
> the
> very latest and the very best of them. Only the 512MB memory limitation
> keeps
> them from running some combinations of memory-intensive software and
> operating systems. Too bad Intel limted the memory for the 815 chipset
> to make its Socket 423 Pentium 4 boards with 850 RAMBUS chipset look
> better.
>

Yep. There are literally probably a hundred or more Socket 370 boards to
choose from, but after considering the issue for a couple of months, I
decided to stick with Intel. I decided years ago, since I'm not an avid
overclocker, I just have never seen a more stable motherboard. And I've
probably used them all. Don't get me wrong, Asus, Gigabyte, Tyan, DFI, etc.
all make a great product, but for some reason, the Intel just "feels" better
to me.

Amazingly, all the "testers" usually praise Intel boards for reliability and
stability, but since you can't overclock them, they end up panning them. And
we all know the vast majority of PB's had Intel boards in 'em.



> I'm not sure you can find an LPX form factor motherboard with a Socket 370
> CPU.
> Very few of them were ever made, none by Intel,

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to this board:

http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/pb/mb/810.htm


The auction below claims to have an 810VX chipset.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...6779&rd=1&rd=1

Since I have never heard of such a thing, and am pretty sure it doesn't
exist, I have been trying to get an answer from this guy. Looks like a 430VX
chipset to me. I like the fact that it uses DIMM's. I'm trying to get him to
ID the board better, but that PICTURE looks to have L2 cache. On the other
hand, lots of auctions use that exact same picture for other boards.

I have to stick with an AT board anyhow. It's impossible to install an ATX
PSU. The 'corner has one of the Worlds most unique PSU, so I'm stuck with an
AT LPX board.


which moved on to NLX as the
> successor for small form factor systems. IBM used a couple of Slot 1 LPX
> form
> factor boards and even one with a Pentium Pro, but I suspect that they
> both had
> some serious heat problems.
>
> If you have the BIOS mods to go along with the Evergreen version of the
> AMD
> K6-2, you should be OK.
>



Yep, got the BIOS mods on CD. Complete new Evergreen kit.

Tempted to see if a K6-3 would work.



> While rummaging in my hardware pile the other day, I ran across an
> smallish LPX
> board which would also run the 400MHz Evergreen with BIOS changes. It
> even has
> a separate voltage regulator module to regulate the voltage and a COAST
> slot
> which would handle a 512K cache module. If I have time tomorrow, I'll
> throw it
> on the testbed and see what it can still... Ben Myers


Do you have the COAST stick, and the riser card ? That would be an
interesting board indeed.

bob

Bob,

The board being auctioned on eBay is definitely Socket 7. The auction item
even says so. An 810VX chipset simply does not exist. For Socket 7 and EDO
DIMMs, the chipset has to be 430VX.

Long ago, I began to use Intel brand motherboards and I have never regretted
doing so. Stable, reliable, and perhaps the best technical motherboard
documentation. Using one brand has other advantages. Pinouts remain
consistent, and so does the look and feel of the BIOS, up to a point. PB used a
lot of them, but also strayed to BCM and maybe another brand or two in later
days.

To go with the LPX motherboard, I have 512K coast modules (which also fit in the
Intel Endeavor) and a wide range of riser cards, including PB's from its tower
and desktop systems, IBM's, and maybe a few others. At one time, I had the
idea that LPX systems could have motherboard upgrades. Unfortunately, the
choice of motherboards was too limited for that to be an option. But I
collected LPX hardware (but not computer cases) anyway... Ben

On Mon, 5 Mar 2007 06:45:08 -0500, "Robert E. Watts" <> wrote:

>HI Ben!
>
>( I always look forward to your replies, they are very informative. )
>
>( inserting comments as I go, as usual. )
>
>"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>> Yes, the D815 series boards are first-rate P3 boards and you got yourself
>> the
>> very latest and the very best of them. Only the 512MB memory limitation
>> keeps
>> them from running some combinations of memory-intensive software and
>> operating systems. Too bad Intel limted the memory for the 815 chipset
>> to make its Socket 423 Pentium 4 boards with 850 RAMBUS chipset look
>> better.
>>
>
>Yep. There are literally probably a hundred or more Socket 370 boards to
>choose from, but after considering the issue for a couple of months, I
>decided to stick with Intel. I decided years ago, since I'm not an avid
>overclocker, I just have never seen a more stable motherboard. And I've
>probably used them all. Don't get me wrong, Asus, Gigabyte, Tyan, DFI, etc.
>all make a great product, but for some reason, the Intel just "feels" better
>to me.
>
>Amazingly, all the "testers" usually praise Intel boards for reliability and
>stability, but since you can't overclock them, they end up panning them. And
>we all know the vast majority of PB's had Intel boards in 'em.
>
>
>
>> I'm not sure you can find an LPX form factor motherboard with a Socket 370
>> CPU.
>> Very few of them were ever made, none by Intel,
>
>Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to this board:
>
>http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/pb/mb/810.htm
>
>
>The auction below claims to have an 810VX chipset.
>
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...6779&rd=1&rd=1
>
>Since I have never heard of such a thing, and am pretty sure it doesn't
>exist, I have been trying to get an answer from this guy. Looks like a 430VX
>chipset to me. I like the fact that it uses DIMM's. I'm trying to get him to
>ID the board better, but that PICTURE looks to have L2 cache. On the other
>hand, lots of auctions use that exact same picture for other boards.
>
>I have to stick with an AT board anyhow. It's impossible to install an ATX
>PSU. The 'corner has one of the Worlds most unique PSU, so I'm stuck with an
>AT LPX board.
>
>
>which moved on to NLX as the
>> successor for small form factor systems. IBM used a couple of Slot 1 LPX
>> form
>> factor boards and even one with a Pentium Pro, but I suspect that they
>> both had
>> some serious heat problems.
>>
>> If you have the BIOS mods to go along with the Evergreen version of the
>> AMD
>> K6-2, you should be OK.
>>
>
>
>
>Yep, got the BIOS mods on CD. Complete new Evergreen kit.
>
>Tempted to see if a K6-3 would work.
>
>
>
>> While rummaging in my hardware pile the other day, I ran across an
>> smallish LPX
>> board which would also run the 400MHz Evergreen with BIOS changes. It
>> even has
>> a separate voltage regulator module to regulate the voltage and a COAST
>> slot
>> which would handle a 512K cache module. If I have time tomorrow, I'll
>> throw it
>> on the testbed and see what it can still... Ben Myers
>
>
>Do you have the COAST stick, and the riser card ? That would be an
>interesting board indeed.
>
>bob
>

Bob,

I tossed the LPX board on the test bench. It was manufactured by Intel for
AST, yet another company that went the LPX route for a while. The unusual
features of the motherboard are a standard COAST socket for cache and a voltage
regulator module (VRM) socket. I have some Socket 7 VRMs gotten way back as
surplus from DEC. I plugged in a VRM, set the operating voltage to 2.8v via
jumpers on the VRM, inserted a 512K COAST stick, and dropped a 233MHz Pentium
MMX into the socket. It all works and plays nicely together.

Tomorrow, if there is a moment of calm, I'll drop in an AMD K6-2/400, set the
VRM voltage to 2.2v and see what happens. I sort of doubt anything will
happen, unless AST modifed the Intel-standard BIOS to get around the CPU
manufacturer check written by Intel... Ben Myers

On Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:49:28 -0500, Ben Myers
<> wrote:

>Bob,
>
>The board being auctioned on eBay is definitely Socket 7. The auction item
>even says so. An 810VX chipset simply does not exist. For Socket 7 and EDO
>DIMMs, the chipset has to be 430VX.
>
>Long ago, I began to use Intel brand motherboards and I have never regretted
>doing so. Stable, reliable, and perhaps the best technical motherboard
>documentation. Using one brand has other advantages. Pinouts remain
>consistent, and so does the look and feel of the BIOS, up to a point. PB used a
>lot of them, but also strayed to BCM and maybe another brand or two in later
>days.
>
>To go with the LPX motherboard, I have 512K coast modules (which also fit in the
>Intel Endeavor) and a wide range of riser cards, including PB's from its tower
>and desktop systems, IBM's, and maybe a few others. At one time, I had the
>idea that LPX systems could have motherboard upgrades. Unfortunately, the
>choice of motherboards was too limited for that to be an option. But I
>collected LPX hardware (but not computer cases) anyway... Ben
>
>On Mon, 5 Mar 2007 06:45:08 -0500, "Robert E. Watts" <> wrote:
>
>>HI Ben!
>>
>>( I always look forward to your replies, they are very informative. )
>>
>>( inserting comments as I go, as usual. )
>>
>>"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
>>news:. ..
>>> Yes, the D815 series boards are first-rate P3 boards and you got yourself
>>> the
>>> very latest and the very best of them. Only the 512MB memory limitation
>>> keeps
>>> them from running some combinations of memory-intensive software and
>>> operating systems. Too bad Intel limted the memory for the 815 chipset
>>> to make its Socket 423 Pentium 4 boards with 850 RAMBUS chipset look
>>> better.
>>>
>>
>>Yep. There are literally probably a hundred or more Socket 370 boards to
>>choose from, but after considering the issue for a couple of months, I
>>decided to stick with Intel. I decided years ago, since I'm not an avid
>>overclocker, I just have never seen a more stable motherboard. And I've
>>probably used them all. Don't get me wrong, Asus, Gigabyte, Tyan, DFI, etc.
>>all make a great product, but for some reason, the Intel just "feels" better
>>to me.
>>
>>Amazingly, all the "testers" usually praise Intel boards for reliability and
>>stability, but since you can't overclock them, they end up panning them. And
>>we all know the vast majority of PB's had Intel boards in 'em.
>>
>>
>>
>>> I'm not sure you can find an LPX form factor motherboard with a Socket 370
>>> CPU.
>>> Very few of them were ever made, none by Intel,
>>
>>Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to this board:
>>
>>http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/pb/mb/810.htm
>>
>>
>>The auction below claims to have an 810VX chipset.
>>
>>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...6779&rd=1&rd=1
>>
>>Since I have never heard of such a thing, and am pretty sure it doesn't
>>exist, I have been trying to get an answer from this guy. Looks like a 430VX
>>chipset to me. I like the fact that it uses DIMM's. I'm trying to get him to
>>ID the board better, but that PICTURE looks to have L2 cache. On the other
>>hand, lots of auctions use that exact same picture for other boards.
>>
>>I have to stick with an AT board anyhow. It's impossible to install an ATX
>>PSU. The 'corner has one of the Worlds most unique PSU, so I'm stuck with an
>>AT LPX board.
>>
>>
>>which moved on to NLX as the
>>> successor for small form factor systems. IBM used a couple of Slot 1 LPX
>>> form
>>> factor boards and even one with a Pentium Pro, but I suspect that they
>>> both had
>>> some serious heat problems.
>>>
>>> If you have the BIOS mods to go along with the Evergreen version of the
>>> AMD
>>> K6-2, you should be OK.
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Yep, got the BIOS mods on CD. Complete new Evergreen kit.
>>
>>Tempted to see if a K6-3 would work.
>>
>>
>>
>>> While rummaging in my hardware pile the other day, I ran across an
>>> smallish LPX
>>> board which would also run the 400MHz Evergreen with BIOS changes. It
>>> even has
>>> a separate voltage regulator module to regulate the voltage and a COAST
>>> slot
>>> which would handle a 512K cache module. If I have time tomorrow, I'll
>>> throw it
>>> on the testbed and see what it can still... Ben Myers
>>
>>
>>Do you have the COAST stick, and the riser card ? That would be an
>>interesting board indeed.
>>
>>bob
>>

Hi Ben !

> Bob,
>
> I tossed the LPX board on the test bench. It was manufactured by Intel
> for
> AST, yet another company that went the LPX route for a while. The unusual
> features of the motherboard are a standard COAST socket for cache and a
> voltage
> regulator module (VRM) socket. I have some Socket 7 VRMs gotten way back
> as
> surplus from DEC. I plugged in a VRM, set the operating voltage to 2.8v
> via
> jumpers on the VRM, inserted a 512K COAST stick, and dropped a 233MHz
> Pentium
> MMX into the socket. It all works and plays nicely together.
>
> Tomorrow, if there is a moment of calm, I'll drop in an AMD K6-2/400, set
> the
> VRM voltage to 2.2v and see what happens. I sort of doubt anything will
> happen, unless AST modifed the Intel-standard BIOS to get around the CPU
> manufacturer check written by Intel... Ben Myers


I don't know if I would do that......Since the board is not a SS7 board,
it's not going to run the K6-2 at 100MHz FSB, so it can't reach 400MHz. And
with a highest clock mulitplier on the board ( I'm assuming here ) of 3.5,
it's only going to run at 233MHz also.

There may be unforseen problems with dropping in a K6-2. I personally have
never installed a 100MHz version into a plain Socket 7 board. Or at least I
don't remember doing it. I know for a long time, I really liked the K6-233,
but the damn thing ran REALLY hot. Be interesting to see if a K6 would run
OK, as it has more L1 than the Intel CPU.

In any event, it still sounds interesting, because the Evergreen upgrade CPU
may work, getting the thing to 400MHz that way ( the interposer has a 6X
multiplier on it 66X6= 400MHz ), and at least the board has 512k L2.

What about a riser card, do you have those also? What slots does the riser
card have if you do, or is there any chance the PB riser is compatible ?

What other features does the board have ? Video, audio, NIC, etc. What is
the PSU connector ? ( AT I hope. :-)

Good luck.

bob

Bob,

In the past, I've run the AMD K6-2 in other boards (Micronics ATX) with Intel
Triton 66MHz chipset and the same VRM. The Evergreen interposer does it one
way, by hard-wiring the CLKMUL pins. (Asus, among others, manufactured Triton
chipset boards with jumper settings to overclock the chipset to 83MHz, allowing
up to 450Mhz with a K6-2.)

Here is how it really works. If you take the AMD K6-2 spec and the Intel
Pentium or Pentium MMX spec, and compare them, you will see that the Intel
CLKMUL pin values for 2x66MHz are identical to the AMD pin values for 6x66Mhz.
So to get 400MHz without any interposer, simply set the motherboard jumpers or
switches for 133MHz Intel.

Intel actually faked it a bit, too, with the Pentium MMX. To run the MMX at
233Mhz, use the 100MHz settings for the classic Pentium. Since Intel had only
2 CLKMUL pins for Socket 7, they had to reuse one setting to get 233MHz. AMD
picked a third pin, unused by Intel, for CLKMUL, giving the possibility of 8
possible CLKMUL values.

The board I have is entirely compatible with PB risers. The LPX riser card
standard, followed strictly by PB, NEC, IBM, HP, and AST, is EXACTLY like the
older EISA slot-and-edge-connector. The board is running with either an HP or
a PB riser, the kind that sits parallel to the plane of the motherboard with a
little gold-plated edge connector in between. Either an AMD K6-2 will run at
400MHz, or the BIOS on the board will stop the system from booting.

How many riser cards do you want? I have a carton full of them, from quite a
few brands. Maybe I should start the LPX riser card museum? ... Ben

On Thu, 8 Mar 2007 08:29:33 -0500, "Robert E. Watts" <> wrote:

>Hi Ben !
>
>> Bob,
>>
>> I tossed the LPX board on the test bench. It was manufactured by Intel
>> for
>> AST, yet another company that went the LPX route for a while. The unusual
>> features of the motherboard are a standard COAST socket for cache and a
>> voltage
>> regulator module (VRM) socket. I have some Socket 7 VRMs gotten way back
>> as
>> surplus from DEC. I plugged in a VRM, set the operating voltage to 2.8v
>> via
>> jumpers on the VRM, inserted a 512K COAST stick, and dropped a 233MHz
>> Pentium
>> MMX into the socket. It all works and plays nicely together.
>>
>> Tomorrow, if there is a moment of calm, I'll drop in an AMD K6-2/400, set
>> the
>> VRM voltage to 2.2v and see what happens. I sort of doubt anything will
>> happen, unless AST modifed the Intel-standard BIOS to get around the CPU
>> manufacturer check written by Intel... Ben Myers
>
>
>I don't know if I would do that......Since the board is not a SS7 board,
>it's not going to run the K6-2 at 100MHz FSB, so it can't reach 400MHz. And
>with a highest clock mulitplier on the board ( I'm assuming here ) of 3.5,
>it's only going to run at 233MHz also.
>
>There may be unforseen problems with dropping in a K6-2. I personally have
>never installed a 100MHz version into a plain Socket 7 board. Or at least I
>don't remember doing it. I know for a long time, I really liked the K6-233,
>but the damn thing ran REALLY hot. Be interesting to see if a K6 would run
>OK, as it has more L1 than the Intel CPU.
>
>In any event, it still sounds interesting, because the Evergreen upgrade CPU
>may work, getting the thing to 400MHz that way ( the interposer has a 6X
>multiplier on it 66X6= 400MHz ), and at least the board has 512k L2.
>
>What about a riser card, do you have those also? What slots does the riser
>card have if you do, or is there any chance the PB riser is compatible ?
>
>What other features does the board have ? Video, audio, NIC, etc. What is
>the PSU connector ? ( AT I hope. :-)
>
>Good luck.
>
>bob
>

Hi Ben !

Of course you're right about the multiplier. A couple of hours after I
posted my message, it hit me that the 2X setting will result in a 6X setting
with the AMD CPU.

Let me know how the tests turn out.

bob

> Bob,
>
> In the past, I've run the AMD K6-2 in other boards (Micronics ATX) with
> Intel
> Triton 66MHz chipset and the same VRM. The Evergreen interposer does it
> one
> way, by hard-wiring the CLKMUL pins. (Asus, among others, manufactured
> Triton
> chipset boards with jumper settings to overclock the chipset to 83MHz,
> allowing
> up to 450Mhz with a K6-2.)
>
> Here is how it really works. If you take the AMD K6-2 spec and the Intel
> Pentium or Pentium MMX spec, and compare them, you will see that the Intel
> CLKMUL pin values for 2x66MHz are identical to the AMD pin values for
> 6x66Mhz.
> So to get 400MHz without any interposer, simply set the motherboard
> jumpers or
> switches for 133MHz Intel.
>
> Intel actually faked it a bit, too, with the Pentium MMX. To run the MMX
> at
> 233Mhz, use the 100MHz settings for the classic Pentium. Since Intel had
> only
> 2 CLKMUL pins for Socket 7, they had to reuse one setting to get 233MHz.
> AMD
> picked a third pin, unused by Intel, for CLKMUL, giving the possibility of
> 8
> possible CLKMUL values.
>
> The board I have is entirely compatible with PB risers. The LPX riser
> card
> standard, followed strictly by PB, NEC, IBM, HP, and AST, is EXACTLY like
> the
> older EISA slot-and-edge-connector. The board is running with either an
> HP or
> a PB riser, the kind that sits parallel to the plane of the motherboard
> with a
> little gold-plated edge connector in between. Either an AMD K6-2 will
> run at
> 400MHz, or the BIOS on the board will stop the system from booting.
>
> How many riser cards do you want? I have a carton full of them, from
> quite a
> few brands. Maybe I should start the LPX riser card museum? ... Ben
>
> On Thu, 8 Mar 2007 08:29:33 -0500, "Robert E. Watts" <>
> wrote:
>
>>Hi Ben !
>>
>>> Bob,
>>>
>>> I tossed the LPX board on the test bench. It was manufactured by Intel
>>> for
>>> AST, yet another company that went the LPX route for a while. The
>>> unusual
>>> features of the motherboard are a standard COAST socket for cache and a
>>> voltage
>>> regulator module (VRM) socket. I have some Socket 7 VRMs gotten way
>>> back
>>> as
>>> surplus from DEC. I plugged in a VRM, set the operating voltage to 2.8v
>>> via
>>> jumpers on the VRM, inserted a 512K COAST stick, and dropped a 233MHz
>>> Pentium
>>> MMX into the socket. It all works and plays nicely together.
>>>
>>> Tomorrow, if there is a moment of calm, I'll drop in an AMD K6-2/400,
>>> set
>>> the
>>> VRM voltage to 2.2v and see what happens. I sort of doubt anything
>>> will
>>> happen, unless AST modifed the Intel-standard BIOS to get around the CPU
>>> manufacturer check written by Intel... Ben Myers
>>
>>
>>I don't know if I would do that......Since the board is not a SS7 board,
>>it's not going to run the K6-2 at 100MHz FSB, so it can't reach 400MHz.
>>And
>>with a highest clock mulitplier on the board ( I'm assuming here ) of 3.5,
>>it's only going to run at 233MHz also.
>>
>>There may be unforseen problems with dropping in a K6-2. I personally have
>>never installed a 100MHz version into a plain Socket 7 board. Or at least
>>I
>>don't remember doing it. I know for a long time, I really liked the
>>K6-233,
>>but the damn thing ran REALLY hot. Be interesting to see if a K6 would run
>>OK, as it has more L1 than the Intel CPU.
>>
>>In any event, it still sounds interesting, because the Evergreen upgrade
>>CPU
>>may work, getting the thing to 400MHz that way ( the interposer has a 6X
>>multiplier on it 66X6= 400MHz ), and at least the board has 512k L2.
>>
>>What about a riser card, do you have those also? What slots does the
>>riser
>>card have if you do, or is there any chance the PB riser is compatible ?
>>
>>What other features does the board have ? Video, audio, NIC, etc. What is
>>the PSU connector ? ( AT I hope. :-)
>>
>>Good luck.
>>
>>bob
>>

Bob,

Somewhat predictably, the AST/Intel LPX board would not boot with an AMD K6-2
CPU. Oh, well. But at least it was predictable, and it is nice when things go
predictably for a change.

Anyway, the board has a Crystal audio chip on it, and a connector for which I
have the cable and mini-card to provide audio connections at the back. The
board has the most often found arrangement of connectors at the back. From
left to right, VGA, parallel, (2) serial, mouse, keyboard. I also have one
metal strip that goes at the back to cover the board, in the event that the case
in which it would be installed does not have its own metal to cover it.

If you'd like the whole package of board, 233Mhz MMX, VRM (with documentation),
512K cache COAST module, audio adapter, and your choice of riser card, make an
offer plus maybe $7 or $8 max for shipping. It would make a fitting addition to
your PB-LPX museum... Ben

On Thu, 8 Mar 2007 18:11:57 -0500, "Robert E. Watts" <> wrote:

>Hi Ben !
>
>Of course you're right about the multiplier. A couple of hours after I
>posted my message, it hit me that the 2X setting will result in a 6X setting
>with the AMD CPU.
>
>Let me know how the tests turn out.
>
>bob
>
>> Bob,
>>
>> In the past, I've run the AMD K6-2 in other boards (Micronics ATX) with
>> Intel
>> Triton 66MHz chipset and the same VRM. The Evergreen interposer does it
>> one
>> way, by hard-wiring the CLKMUL pins. (Asus, among others, manufactured
>> Triton
>> chipset boards with jumper settings to overclock the chipset to 83MHz,
>> allowing
>> up to 450Mhz with a K6-2.)
>>
>> Here is how it really works. If you take the AMD K6-2 spec and the Intel
>> Pentium or Pentium MMX spec, and compare them, you will see that the Intel
>> CLKMUL pin values for 2x66MHz are identical to the AMD pin values for
>> 6x66Mhz.
>> So to get 400MHz without any interposer, simply set the motherboard
>> jumpers or
>> switches for 133MHz Intel.
>>
>> Intel actually faked it a bit, too, with the Pentium MMX. To run the MMX
>> at
>> 233Mhz, use the 100MHz settings for the classic Pentium. Since Intel had
>> only
>> 2 CLKMUL pins for Socket 7, they had to reuse one setting to get 233MHz.
>> AMD
>> picked a third pin, unused by Intel, for CLKMUL, giving the possibility of
>> 8
>> possible CLKMUL values.
>>
>> The board I have is entirely compatible with PB risers. The LPX riser
>> card
>> standard, followed strictly by PB, NEC, IBM, HP, and AST, is EXACTLY like
>> the
>> older EISA slot-and-edge-connector. The board is running with either an
>> HP or
>> a PB riser, the kind that sits parallel to the plane of the motherboard
>> with a
>> little gold-plated edge connector in between. Either an AMD K6-2 will
>> run at
>> 400MHz, or the BIOS on the board will stop the system from booting.
>>
>> How many riser cards do you want? I have a carton full of them, from
>> quite a
>> few brands. Maybe I should start the LPX riser card museum? ... Ben
>>
>> On Thu, 8 Mar 2007 08:29:33 -0500, "Robert E. Watts" <>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Hi Ben !
>>>
>>>> Bob,
>>>>
>>>> I tossed the LPX board on the test bench. It was manufactured by Intel
>>>> for
>>>> AST, yet another company that went the LPX route for a while. The
>>>> unusual
>>>> features of the motherboard are a standard COAST socket for cache and a
>>>> voltage
>>>> regulator module (VRM) socket. I have some Socket 7 VRMs gotten way
>>>> back
>>>> as
>>>> surplus from DEC. I plugged in a VRM, set the operating voltage to 2.8v
>>>> via
>>>> jumpers on the VRM, inserted a 512K COAST stick, and dropped a 233MHz
>>>> Pentium
>>>> MMX into the socket. It all works and plays nicely together.
>>>>
>>>> Tomorrow, if there is a moment of calm, I'll drop in an AMD K6-2/400,
>>>> set
>>>> the
>>>> VRM voltage to 2.2v and see what happens. I sort of doubt anything
>>>> will
>>>> happen, unless AST modifed the Intel-standard BIOS to get around the CPU
>>>> manufacturer check written by Intel... Ben Myers
>>>
>>>
>>>I don't know if I would do that......Since the board is not a SS7 board,
>>>it's not going to run the K6-2 at 100MHz FSB, so it can't reach 400MHz.
>>>And
>>>with a highest clock mulitplier on the board ( I'm assuming here ) of 3.5,
>>>it's only going to run at 233MHz also.
>>>
>>>There may be unforseen problems with dropping in a K6-2. I personally have
>>>never installed a 100MHz version into a plain Socket 7 board. Or at least
>>>I
>>>don't remember doing it. I know for a long time, I really liked the
>>>K6-233,
>>>but the damn thing ran REALLY hot. Be interesting to see if a K6 would run
>>>OK, as it has more L1 than the Intel CPU.
>>>
>>>In any event, it still sounds interesting, because the Evergreen upgrade
>>>CPU
>>>may work, getting the thing to 400MHz that way ( the interposer has a 6X
>>>multiplier on it 66X6= 400MHz ), and at least the board has 512k L2.
>>>
>>>What about a riser card, do you have those also? What slots does the
>>>riser
>>>card have if you do, or is there any chance the PB riser is compatible ?
>>>
>>>What other features does the board have ? Video, audio, NIC, etc. What is
>>>the PSU connector ? ( AT I hope. :-)
>>>
>>>Good luck.
>>>
>>>bob
>>>
>