Up Vcore on Tualatin CPUs with TUSL2-C ?

I don't understand. I downloaded the .pdf manual from ASUS and read it to be extra careful, because this would be my 3rd MOBO purchased to accomplish my OC goals (namely BIOS adjustment of Vcore and FSB). Anyway, it says that you can't adjust the Vcore within the BIOS (JumperFree) on Tualatin CPUs. Why allow it for Coppermines, but not Tualatin's ? It just doesn't make sense. And tonnes of people are using this board to reach insane speeds in the CPU database for Tualatin Celerons, so is the manual just wrong ? I also looked in the manual for dip switches and didn't see any listed for something like + 5/10/15 %.

Anyone know what's up with this apparent contradiction ?

That's out of date info. You need to have a BIOS version of 1010 or later to be able to adjust the Vcore with a Tualatin CPU. My boards have 1012 and I can adjust the Vcore.

Here's a cut-n-paste from the Asus readme for Tusl2 BIOSes found on this page:

"TUSL2-C BIOS Rev. 1010 Sep/21/2001
1. Add "CPU Vcore" setup item for Intel Tualatin CPU.
2. Fix i815E VGA BIOS internal graphics unable to turn on monitor after system resumes from APM standby state"

Thanks for the info Ralf. Now I'll have to check if that board is still for sale on eBay. But maybe I should ask one more question first.

The other MOBO I was thinking of getting is the ABIT ST6, which I noticed you have. Which board do you recommend, the ABIT ST6, or the ASUS TUSL2-C, or do you regard them as equal ?

As I mentioned, this would be the 3rd Tualatin MOBO purchased, so I want to get the best !!

I lkie the ST6 better, it's more OC-friendly and seems more stable at higher Vcores. They are next to impossible to find though, and if you happen to find on on egay they usually end up going for over $150++.

As far as I'm concerned, the only Socket 370 815EP boards worth a ***** for OCing are the Tusl2-C, ST6 and the Gigabyte GA60-XET. Some other folks are using the Soyo SY-TISU and the EPox EP3-PTA with some degree of success.

Too bad you didn't get one of the Tusl2-Cs I was trying to sell here for the past week and a half.

You can always flash the BIOS on any Tusl2-C you buy. It's no biggy as long as you're careful and follow the directions.

I immedietly thought of using the Cassified Ads here to try and track down either the TUSL2-C or ST6. However, upon trying to enter the forum, I got this message, "Sorry, you must have at least 100 posts to view threads in this forum." That's totally bunk !! Now I'm ****ed off even more!!

Oh well, nothing I can do (except post a bunch of posts with an "Ignore this Post" subject !!


So how to you feel about refurbished boards ? Do you think that they're any more likely to be DOA or have problems during the coarse of their lifetime? I found a store that says they may have some refurbished ST6's soon (PC Quest USA). Of course, the other issue is, how do I know these guys aren't crooks ?

I finally found my TB1 Celly and now I just can't find a good OCing board.

On the 2nd Tualatin Mobo I bought, which I'm using now, it recognizes that the native FSB is 100 Mhz, therefore it will only allow me to overclock to 131 Mhz FSB (when looking through the .pdf manual before ordering the board I missed that part). Anyway, what a stupid idea (that's why I missed that part - how could I even imagine such a stupid idea to check for?)!! The board is advertised as an "OC" board to make matters worse. And what's the point? It's not like uping the Vcore. The worst that could happen is that your system won't post or will become unstable in Windows. What makes more sense? Allowing a 1000 Mhz EB Coppermine (.18nm) to overclock to 150 FSB, or a Tualatin (.13) Celeron? According to the great brains at MSI, the 1000 Mhz Coppermine of course!! Sorry, had to rant.

P.S. - The 1.3 Ghz Celly seems fast too. It hit 131 FSB without increasing the Vcore and I ran CPU burn for 8 hours straight. It was complelely stable and its average temp was only 28 degress Celcius!!

I'm never too thrilled about buying refurb or from egay but if you want an ST6 that's what you're going to be limited to. Just try and get some sort of warranty.

So are the Raid and Non-Raid versions of the ST6 equal (in terms of Quality/OC Friendliness/OC Stability), or do you feel one is better than the other? I figure there is probably no difference, but I just want to make sure.

They're exactly the same. I've used at least three of each type and they all work just as good.

Only difference I've ever seen between the many different ST6's I've used is that some undervolt a little and some overvolt a little.

Thanks for all your help Ralf. I've decided I'm going with the ABIT ST6. Now I just need to buy it. I found one guy on eGay (as you call it ) that will ship it from Germany to Canada (where I live) for only 25 Euros. Not too bad. Plus I think he only wants about 50 Euros, which isn't too bad. Unfortunately it is refurbished, but I don't think I can avoid that. Hopefully I can get it before anyone else does. To eGay I go!!

YGPM.

ST6 spotted!

marc999 - Did you look at or get the ST6 that I linked you to?

I have a brand new TUSL2-C. Never used. Box, board, disks and cables, everything there. The only thing I have done was look inside the box.
When I brought it I was thinking of using it with my old 800EB as a third machine, but I have never got around to it, I don't think I actually need 3 at the one time.
I know you can't buy them from anywhere anymore, so I would want top dollar for it to consider selling it. All I can say about these type boards are they rock. I find it a better, more reliable, dependable than my main rig board and better than all the 6 or so socket 370 boards I have owned over the years.