Solutions to Abit AV8, Winchester, Antec PSU problems
I want to give something back to all the people who helped me troubleshooting my new pc problems and the best way I know how is to help others who may have a problem with a similar pc or components.
So, if you have a new Winchester core AMD 939 A64 chip , an Abit AV8 motherboard and/or an Antec True Power PSU and you're having troubles, read on. I still have at least one issue which I need solving, the solution to which I will post here once its figured out.
1. First up, the processor. Many people are asking me, "how can you tell the difference between a Winchester and Newcastle core?" Many computer resellers still don’t know and AMD doesn’t help either by indicating which type it is on the processors package. As I found out, there is one surefire way to tell if it’s the Winchester core. If the letters “BI” appear at the end of a long sequence of numbers on the surface of the chip then it is a Winchester. If the letters are “AW”, then it’s one with the older Newcastle core. For example:
ADA3500DEP4AW -> Newcastle, 130nm
ADA3500DIK4BI -> Winchester, 90nm
2. The motherboard. The AV8 gave me all sorts of troubles. The first one I bought wouldn’t even post. I found out soon enough that (one) the problem(s) was with the BIOS revision. Boards with the Phoenix BIOS revision 1 were only programmed to handle Newcastle cores (see above) so the only way I could change the bios was either to RMA it or get the store to flash the BIOS for me with a processor with the Newcastle core. You can tell if your BIOS is revision 1.0 by finding the sticker at the corner of the motherboard closest to the RAM modules. You can update the BIOS by downloading Abit’s flash utility along with the most recent version of the bios here .
The second problem I encountered was a situation where I could post but only with certain hardware attached. It turned out to be a basic problem with this particular board (not all Abit AV8s), making it an RMA. However, I was stubborn and had it exchanged in store for another AV8, which also had to have its BIOS updated (see above.)
3. The third problem involved the Antec True Power 380W PSU. The system kept crashing while I installed Windows, but the times when it happened were inconsistent. My first guess, and many others also, was that maybe I didn’t have enough power to run the components I had installed. This was and is false. Don’t be suckered into buying a higher wattage power supply just because the guy at the store says that you need to. In truth, you can run a stacked system at breakneck speeds with ATX psu’s that are as low as 240W. The problem really was with this power supply and all like it. But I digress. For some reason, True Power 380W PSUs manufactured before October of 2004 have a compatibility problem with the AV8 (and the ASUS A8V as I’ve read.) Mine was manufactured in September, as I found out by looking at the side of the PSU. So this turned out to be an RMA for the PSU. At this point I had spent enough time modding my new computer to have purchased another system, given the three days of lost time I had already put in figuring out what was going wrong. I insisted that they replace the PSU with one that worked and they ended up giving me a new one worth CAN $75 (US $61). I modded the 120mm fan on the Antec Sonata case to run at the same low 5v that the True Power one did, cutting noise levels dramatically without suffering any significant cooling losses. Do the same and you'll remarkably cut down noise levels.
Finally, After solving these problems I installed XP with no hassle, except for the fact that I had to use a S-ATA driver floppy disk that came with the AV8 for it to recognize my drive. (I can’t believe that they are still supporting this ancient technology..I had to borrow a floppy from a friend…sheesh)
Some advice: Demand the most from your re-seller. Don't let them weasel out of replacing incompatible parts. It's up to them and the distributor to stay on top of compatibility issues and not just sell you stuff because they have stock that hasn't been sold. The manufacturer is also responsible and should notify all of us about possible incompatibilities, especially those they directly sell their products to.
MM
-------------------------
Athlon 64 939 3000+ Winnie w/stock HS/Fan @1800Mhz
ABIT AV8 VIA K8T800 Pro/VT8237 Bios r. 17
Corsair Value RAM 512MB (2x256) @ 2.5-3-3-10
ASUS 9600XT 128MB w/VIVO/ Omega Catalyst drivers
Seagate Barracuda SATA 200GB
Enermax 350W EG365P-VE FC
SB Live! 5.1
Voltages: Core: 1.4, AGP: 1.55, DDR: 2.65, NB: 1.55, SB: 2.5, HT: 1.2
I want to give something back to all the people who helped me troubleshooting my new pc problems and the best way I know how is to help others who may have a problem with a similar pc or components.
So, if you have a new Winchester core AMD 939 A64 chip , an Abit AV8 motherboard and/or an Antec True Power PSU and you're having troubles, read on. I still have at least one issue which I need solving, the solution to which I will post here once its figured out.
1. First up, the processor. Many people are asking me, "how can you tell the difference between a Winchester and Newcastle core?" Many computer resellers still don’t know and AMD doesn’t help either by indicating which type it is on the processors package. As I found out, there is one surefire way to tell if it’s the Winchester core. If the letters “BI” appear at the end of a long sequence of numbers on the surface of the chip then it is a Winchester. If the letters are “AW”, then it’s one with the older Newcastle core. For example:
ADA3500DEP4AW -> Newcastle, 130nm
ADA3500DIK4BI -> Winchester, 90nm
2. The motherboard. The AV8 gave me all sorts of troubles. The first one I bought wouldn’t even post. I found out soon enough that (one) the problem(s) was with the BIOS revision. Boards with the Phoenix BIOS revision 1 were only programmed to handle Newcastle cores (see above) so the only way I could change the bios was either to RMA it or get the store to flash the BIOS for me with a processor with the Newcastle core. You can tell if your BIOS is revision 1.0 by finding the sticker at the corner of the motherboard closest to the RAM modules. You can update the BIOS by downloading Abit’s flash utility along with the most recent version of the bios here .
The second problem I encountered was a situation where I could post but only with certain hardware attached. It turned out to be a basic problem with this particular board (not all Abit AV8s), making it an RMA. However, I was stubborn and had it exchanged in store for another AV8, which also had to have its BIOS updated (see above.)
3. The third problem involved the Antec True Power 380W PSU. The system kept crashing while I installed Windows, but the times when it happened were inconsistent. My first guess, and many others also, was that maybe I didn’t have enough power to run the components I had installed. This was and is false. Don’t be suckered into buying a higher wattage power supply just because the guy at the store says that you need to. In truth, you can run a stacked system at breakneck speeds with ATX psu’s that are as low as 240W. The problem really was with this power supply and all like it. But I digress. For some reason, True Power 380W PSUs manufactured before October of 2004 have a compatibility problem with the AV8 (and the ASUS A8V as I’ve read.) Mine was manufactured in September, as I found out by looking at the side of the PSU. So this turned out to be an RMA for the PSU. At this point I had spent enough time modding my new computer to have purchased another system, given the three days of lost time I had already put in figuring out what was going wrong. I insisted that they replace the PSU with one that worked and they ended up giving me a new one worth CAN $75 (US $61). I modded the 120mm fan on the Antec Sonata case to run at the same low 5v that the True Power one did, cutting noise levels dramatically without suffering any significant cooling losses. Do the same and you'll remarkably cut down noise levels.
Finally, After solving these problems I installed XP with no hassle, except for the fact that I had to use a S-ATA driver floppy disk that came with the AV8 for it to recognize my drive. (I can’t believe that they are still supporting this ancient technology..I had to borrow a floppy from a friend…sheesh)
Some advice: Demand the most from your re-seller. Don't let them weasel out of replacing incompatible parts. It's up to them and the distributor to stay on top of compatibility issues and not just sell you stuff because they have stock that hasn't been sold. The manufacturer is also responsible and should notify all of us about possible incompatibilities, especially those they directly sell their products to.
MM
-------------------------
Athlon 64 939 3000+ Winnie w/stock HS/Fan @1800Mhz
ABIT AV8 VIA K8T800 Pro/VT8237 Bios r. 17
Corsair Value RAM 512MB (2x256) @ 2.5-3-3-10
ASUS 9600XT 128MB w/VIVO/ Omega Catalyst drivers
Seagate Barracuda SATA 200GB
Enermax 350W EG365P-VE FC
SB Live! 5.1
Voltages: Core: 1.4, AGP: 1.55, DDR: 2.65, NB: 1.55, SB: 2.5, HT: 1.2
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