Subject: Re: 5 PCI slot Motherboard search
To: Paul Newhouse <newhouse@pimin.rockhead.com>
From: Matthew Jacob <mjacob@feral.com>
List: port-i386
Date: 02/16/1999 19:30:44
Paul- I still think that the SuperMicro boards are worth the agggro...
I have a TYAN 5 slot, but it gets wierd.
On Tue, 16 Feb 1999, Paul Newhouse wrote:
> I'm splitting this out of the UDMA thread.
>
> Thor Lancelot Simon <tls@rek.tjls.com> wrote:
> > I wrote:
> >> If can ever get my test machine backon line (have just determined the 4th
> >> ASUS P5A is broken) I'll have an full time test machine available for this.
> >
> >Ooh -- I have one in a Windows box, but I *don't* particularly like the
> >P5A motherboards. The design is fine, and the 5 PCI slots are nice, but
> >the chipset... that Acer Labs chipset is kinda sleazy. For one thing,
>
> Acer? Does Acer make the ALI (Aladdin) chipsets?
>
> >it claims to support ECC memory, but it turns out that that Just Doesn't
> >Work if you run the memory clock past 83MHz. Since most people buy those
> >boards to run with "Super 7" CPUs at 100MHz, the ECC support is more or
> >less a lie.
>
> I'm running a P100 in it right now. I was going to upgrade to a K6-2 400
> when I got it working. Which is sounding more and more unlikely. *8^(
>
> >If you don't need the extra PCI slot or the onboard sound,
>
> I've been trying the "without audio" boards.
>
> >try the FIC VA-503+. It uses the VIA MVP3 chipset, has 1MB (as opposed
> >to the ASUS board's 512K) of cache, and generally seems to be very solid
> >(I have several).
>
> I guess I'll have to consider less than 5 PCI slots. I'd really like to have
> 5 BUT ... with the bad luck I'm having (and a former colleague has has a bad
> P5A also) I think I'll have to change direction a bit. I'm a bit disappointed
> having heard good things about ASUS in the past.
>
> Anybody have any other recommendations on 5 PCI slot (Socket 7, PC 100) ATX
> Motherboards? I've found one by EPoX (uses MVP3 chipset I think) their G
> board (I think that's the unique identifier). They are recommended by AMD but,
> (so was the ASUS P5A) that's all I've ever heard about them. I want to run a
> K6-2 400 eventually. Also, I was hoping to keep the cost of the MB under $200,
> so far the ones I can find are under $100.
>
> I wish Micronics made one. I really like their M7STA AT board. But, they seem
> to have cut back on their boards since being swallowed by Diamond.
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
>