Is this even worth an RMA/exchange?

[fireflayer]

I bought 256MB Crucial2100 DDR RAM, XP1600+, and a PC Chips 830LR for $180 back in December.

I kind of knew the PC Chips mobo sucked, but the package costs just as such with the mobo as without, and I was low on cash.

Well, besides the fact that the BIOS has almost nothing in it, it is slow, has very few connections, and things of that nature, I think it just died.

I've been having problems with video output a few times. The monitor just wouldn't receive a signal. It happened about 6 times, and it would be better a bit later. I just bought a LianLi60 Case and Enermax 350W Whisper, and when I transferred it, the monitor didn't get a signal and it seems permanent.

Right now I'm using my sweet 500Mhz Pent3 /w 64MB of RAM .

So I don't think I can wait for K8 to get a decent computer, XP doesn't like 64MB of crap RAM very much. I was just curious as to if anyone thinks it is worth trying to an RMA on it, considering shipping costs, or if I should just pick myself up a decent mobo.

Thanks

 

[jihiggs]

personaly i dont think a pc chips mother board is worth the gas to take it back to the store or even the box it came in. get yourself a decent mobo. surely you can afford one now if you got that nice case?

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[Crashman]

Why would you even want to run XP on that P3 system? 98SE is MUCH faster and requires so much less ram, I wouldn't doubt that your current system seems slower than a Pentium 133 with Windows 95!

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

 

[fireflayer]

I am using everything from my XP1600+ computer (hard drives and such) so I just didn't bother to install another OS, get everything running, and then redo everything in a week or so when I get my new mobo.

Yeah, I think I'm planning on buying an Epox EP-8K3A+, only reason I got the PC Chips was cause it was basically free and at the time I was short on cash.

 

[phsstpok]

I could have my model numbers mixed up but isn't the PC Chips M830LR identical to the ECS K7S5A?

<b>I have so many cookies I now have a FAT problem!</b>

 

[Crashman]

Well, I built my stepson a temporary replacement system about two years ago when he blew his up-it was a Pentium 100 with 64MB of RAM, a fast hard drive, and Win95. In basic task it would respond more quickly than his K6-2 350 system with 64MB and Win98SE did. Why? Probably because it was operating almost purely off RAM, while the 98SE system was operating off RAM+Hard Drive Cache. Basically, Windows 95 itself runs off about 12MB of RAM, while 98SE runs off about 48MB of RAM. With all the other programs such as Napster running in the background, his Win98SE system had no free RAM, while the 95 system had RAM to spare. Of course, the old P100 system couldn't do anything that required a lot of CPU power, but it brought up programs super fast!

WinXP runs off up to 256MB of RAM. If 32MB was the sweet spot for 95, and 128MB was the sweet spot for 98SE, 512MB is the sweet spot for XP. Your system is almost as slow as if it had no RAM access at all, running with the 64MB always full. Using the Hard Drive to substitute for RAM will <i>completely</i> kill performance.

What's the frequency, Kenneth?