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266 or 333?

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Hello,

I have a AMD XP 1400 and I am looking for an upgrade.
My mainboard is an ECS Elitegroup K7S5A 266mhz.

Is it possible to use a processor with 333mhz fsb
(like it is possible to use 333 memory on a 266 mobo) or are they not downwards compatible?
If it is not possible, is the XP 2600 (266) a good alternative?

Is it also possible to tell if i need a bigger cooler because the speed almost doubles?
Currently my cpu is 50 C and my case is 30 C (Thermaltake
-super/copper/something- Orb (Copper/Alu)

Please help me out,

Jeroen

Add a reply

if there is a bois update for it, it should work but as your board is not 333fsb, the processor would have to run slower... ie a Barton@333 would only go as fast as a 2800@266... odds on you will need a good cooler like a Volcano 11 for a 2600+ or higher...

Hmmm, wonder if I can get a valid page fault ???
these invalid ones are far too commonplace...

Reply to marneus

1) Yes, you can, but if the CPU multiplier is locked, you may have an underclocked CPU as 266xMultiplier is not equal to 333xMultiplier. The XP 2600 is a good alternative as you will not notice any difference between this CPU and a XP 2700 (333), in daily use. I also know that there are a lot of unlocked CPU.
2)The cooler you have is enough for the new CPU which has a heat generation maybe lower than to the Athlon 1400, built with the old AMD technology.

Principle of the highest harassment for engineers says: having two events, one bad and one favorable, with the same probability to occur, it is most probable that the bad event will occur

Reply to unoc

The XP 2600 is definitely a good alternative. I would also invest on a HSF that'll handle the CPU. As far as the 333FSB I wouldn't recommend it because your mobo ( I have the same one) is multiplier locked @266Mhz. Make sure your PSU is up to the task especially if your running twin sticks of RAM. This mobo is sensitive on the 3.3v rail.

VAGABOND

veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC

Reply to vagabond

Thnx Vagebond,

You sugested a HSF, i ahve a Thermaltake Drago Orb 3 @ 7000 rpm, 38cfm. Is that still sufficient fort a 2400?
(I am gonna buy a 2400 for it is half the price of an 2600.)

You said the mobo is sensitive on the 3.3 v but my DDR is on 2.5V according to the manual, the SDRAMn 3.3V.
I have got 2 sticks of 256 running now, without problems.
Is it safe then to replace one (or rather both) with 512?
because the mobo supports a max of 1 GB of RAM.

Reply to jodel

Hey jodel,

Sorry. I'm still running my mobo with SDRAM. I had to take out one of the 512 sticks to get it to run stable although I have a 300 PSU and at least 12amps to drive the 3.3v rail. I was using WIN XP Pro corporate but went back to 98SE. As far as DDR RAM, it shouldn't be a problem running the 2 sticks but if you can make sure you run identical RAM ie. same manufacturer, same CAS rating etc.

I've been looking at the 2400 also because there isn't a big gap in performance gain between the 2400 and 2600. BTW this mobo maxes out @2600. There is a big gain though from 1400. I'm still saving money but my next upgrade will be the XP 2400+ @least 512 PC2100 DDR and I'm sort of edging towards GF4 Ti4200. My current system is running 1.0 Athlon C, 512 PC133 SDRAM and a GF2 Mx/Mx400.

The Tt Dragon Orb 3 is recommended for Athlon XP. Problem is I went to the site and couldn't find how high. I believe it should be able to handle it but just to be sure I'd ask someone.

Another thing, what's your PSU rating?

Here's a good read especially for you:

http://www.overclockers.com/articles682/index02.asp

You said you're running twin sticks of 256. There shouldn't be a problem with running the max RAM on this board.

Almost forgot, make sure your BIOS has the newest update. Some boards won't recognize CPUs higher than 1800 w/out the update. Have you ever flashed the BIOS in a system? If not,
read this:

http://www.ecs.com.tw/download/bio [...] ction_id=1

Hope this helped. )
VAGABOND

veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC

Reply to vagabond

Thanks Vagabond,

I'll be buying the 2400 and the memory soon now,
A previous post told me the Tt was enough because there is less heatgeneration in the newer XP's

I have an 320V PSU so it should be enough. I have a GeForce2 so that doesnt use a lot of power too.
I flashed my mobo before so it's no problem i think.

All i need now is a buyer for my processor and my memory. Intrested?

Greetzzz...

Jodel

Reply to jodel

Are you planning to upgrade the motherboard in the near future?

If so, go with the 333 fsb processor. It will down clock and run on a 266 motherboard, just not at full speed. (and somewhat cooler as a side effect)

Think of the economics of it... you can buy a 2600 with 266fsb now and then when you upgrade the motherboard in a couple of months you will once again be faced with a CPU decision because you will not have a CPU that can take full advantage of the motherboard. Do you want to buy two CPUs in 3 months?

If you are not planning a motherboard upgrade... well the others have already given you excellent advice.

--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

Reply to Teq

Thanks for the advice Teq,

But i will nogt be buying a new mobo in the near future.
Maybe in a year or so... I am not a real SPEED FREAK, i am an ECOOMICAL SPEED FREAK, going for the best buy.
At the moment this seems like the best buy for me...
maybe i am going for 333 memory instead of 266, the price difference is not that big...

Greetzzz...

Reply to jodel

Well if it's going to be a while the 266fsb will be a better deal for you. I was just thinking how silly it would be to buy 2 CPUs in a month... you know.

You can, of course, upgrade your memory, if the mobo supports it and you will notice some improvement.

--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

Reply to Teq

Hey jodel,

Actually, I am interested. How much do you want for the CPU and RAM? What about shipping and handling? How much will that cost me? I live in Germany. Where do you come from?

VAGABOND

veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC

Reply to vagabond

Hello again,

Vagabond said this a few posts ago: -BTW this mobo maxes out @2600. (ECS Elitegroup K7S5A)-
Is that 2600 real Mhz or are you referring to an xp2600 wich is running @ 2130 Mhz?
If it is real Mhz i am going to try to get me an "1700+ DLT3C JIUHB 0307VPMW" and get that running on 2460Mhz @1.75 (yes, I have been doing some homework the past few days... )
That should give me some air for a while...

Is this possible???
Or are there better steppings available?

Thanx in advance...

Jodel

Reply to jodel

Sorry for not answering sooner jodel. Been out of the net for the past two days.

The K7S5A in its non-updated version will run a 550MHz-1400MHz CPU. That means it'll run all known Thunderbird CPUs, all Durons and XPs up to the 2600+ (after the BIOS update). Some sites say it has problems running the Duron w/ the Morgan core. I tested my board with one and had no problems with the board. With the BIOS update according to ECS' website and a few others depending on your version number this board will recognize an AMD XP2600+ CPU. Your idea with the OC'ing is good but you can only do it from the CPU's L bridges.

Gotta remind you the only thing you can do is either run the CPU/MEM freaks @ 100/100; 133/100; or 133/133. You can't change the CPU's core voltage. You can't change the multiplier. The board does it automatically according to the CPU. Yes there are better steppings available but not with this board.

I just happened on this a couple of minutes ago. Here's a BETA version of a BIOS update...

http://www.ocworkbench.com/2002/ec [...] 20FAQ1.htm

Hope this helps.

VAGABOND

veni,vidi, and ended up in THGCEdited by vagabond on 04/27/03 04:39 AM.

Reply to vagabond

Hello again

I have decided to drop the ocing on my old mobo and go for a newer one: the ABIT NF7-S

This should give me some air i think.
The combined price of the new mobo and a 1700+ is almost the same as a new 2400+ or 2600+.

By the way; Vagabond, are you still intrested in my old stuff or not? I mailed you the data about it.

Greetzzz...

Jodel

Reply to jodel

Hey jodel,

Actually I am depending on how much you want for the stuff and how we're going to do the transaction.

VAGABOND

veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC

Reply to vagabond

I mailed the prices and a transaction proposal to the email address listed in your profile...
I don't think people would appreciate it if we negotiated here on the forum. That would be somewhat off topic...

Greetzzz...

Jodel

Reply to jodel

Ok, you're right of course.

I'll check my mail.

VAGABOND

veni,vidi, and ended up in THGC

Reply to vagabond

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