Okay, 200@266, BUT: 266@200?

[PhattieD]

Hi Guys,
I know this has been answered here before, forgive me, but I searched and browsed about 40 topics and simply cannot locate the answer. Here we go:

Common sense says it should be okay to place a 1.4ghz Athlon @266 into my 200Mhz FSB Asus A7V. I've been waiting for the chance to upgrade, and the 1.4@266 keeps dropping, while the 200's don't. So, I'd like to place a 266 in there, and "underclock" it, if you will. The question being, will stability be an issue? If you've got the knowledge, I'll take it! Thanks in advance for any/all replies.

morespeed2ya

PhattieD

[thefly]

I've run my 1 gig 266 chip at 14x100 without any problems at all on my abit board. I unlocked the chip and could then adjust the multiplier to a much higher than default setting.

You're 1.4 should arrive unlocked. so you'll have no problem switching the multiplier to 14x100 instead of 10.5x133 as long as your board will do 14x

[PhattieD]

I can see the point about the 14x100, unfortunatelty the board only does 12.5x. I'm a tad ignorant in this department, but adjusting the fsb to 133 would keep the RAM stable (my problem area, I think), then run the multiplier at 11.5, giving me a clock speed of 1529, a nice mild overclock while keeping everything stable, I think? Maybe its just time for a 266mhz board.

Currently running a Duron 700, can't play with the FSB much at all or it locks up, think this is due to the ram. After unlocking it, however, I was able to do a lot more while keeping the ram at 133 or so. Such a novice....guess we all start somewhere!

[UnseenMenace]

Originally posted by PhattieD
I can see the point about the 14x100, unfortunatelty the board only does 12.5x. I'm a tad ignorant in this department, but adjusting the fsb to 133 would keep the RAM stable (my problem area, I think), then run the multiplier at 11.5, giving me a clock speed of 1529, a nice mild overclock while keeping everything stable, I think? Maybe its just time for a 266mhz board.


There is NO board that runs a FSB of 266 mhz. The 266 mhz refers to the CPU FSB which is an internally double pumped motherboard FSB (133 x 2 = 266 ) likewise the 200 mhz FSB processors run on a 100 mhz FSB which is double pumped internally. The same speeds can be obtained sometimes either way however a higher FSB will usually prove to be faster, for example

7.5 x 133 FSB = 1000 mhz (266 FSB Processor)
10 x 100 FSB = 1000 mhz (200 FSB Processor )

If your mobo is not suitable for one or the other processors by unlocking it you should be able to use either option.. Just watch those tempratures

[The Coolest]

PhattieD>> What u gotta do is download a new BIOS ver. for your mobo
If I got this right this (http://cgi.asus.com.tw/cgi-bin/dl.asp?filename=mb/socka/kt133/a) is where u go and download the BIOS...
Or to be sure go here (http://www.asus.com.tw/products/motherboard/bios_socka.html) and look ur mobo out... my A7V-133 supports upto x14 with new BIOS

[PhattieD]

Thanks for the help ya'll. I decided to flash the bios with the newer version to get those extra multipliers. Used the utility that came with the board, ASUSUpdateV3.27.04. It connected to the Asus site, downloaded the most recent bios, confirmed it was the correct file, then flashed and verified it. When the little program was done, it said shut down and reboot. So, I shut down, and now I get nothing, nothing at all. Doesn't post, doesn't do crap. Just sits there and the fans spin. Doesn't check the drives, nothing.

So, 3 hours later I'm the proud new owner of a Abit KT7E. Nothing special 'bout this board near as I can tell, but the price was right and it'll get the job done for now. In any case, what to do about the Asus board? I love that board. Probably calling them in the morning to see what can be done. Should be a factory replacement, don't you think? I didn't flash the bios, their program that they supplied did it, I didn't touch a thing. Thoughts? Opinions? Has anyone else had this problem? thanks again for all the help/info-PhattieD

Note to self: flash bios manually next time.

[jossi]

Never ever use ASUSUpdate. Instead use aflash or more general awdflash. Read the manual p.48 and check out http://www.a7vtroubleshooting.com/ bios section. In forums there was a good blind bios flashing guide and other tips you should try before.