AMD 761 Chipset Bugs

[EVENTH0RIZ0N]

Will be purchasing a new motherboard for a general user soon and I'm considering the Giga Byte GA-7DX+. I need to know (and have had difficulty finding information on), however, whether the problems assoiciated with the AMD 761 chipset (such as data corruption on transfers of large files) were ever fully solved by patches or in later revisions of this board and also whether there are any updates that will allow it to run Windows XP effeciently. Please be as specific as possible regarding whatever problems may still remain. If there are any, I have choosen as a backup to this board the Shuttle AK35GTR and would appreciate any insight on complications that may still remain with it. System will be a basic setup running an Athlon 1700XP, 256 megs of Crucial PC2100 ram, video card, sound card ( CREATIVE pci 128), and a 56k modem. Please don't suggest any other motherboards or other chipsets as the two boards listed here are the only considerations.


--------------------------------
"Everyone want go Heaven, nobody want dead."
-Hard to Kill<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by EVENTH0RIZ0N on 08/28/02 04:56 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[EVENTH0RIZ0N]

Could really use some help here BUMP

--------------------------------
"Everyone want go Heaven, nobody want dead."
-Hard to Kill

 

[Crashman]

Well, the only problems I've seen is that most use a buggy VIA southbridge.

<font color=blue>You're posting in a forum with class. It may be third class, but it's still class!</font color=blue>

 

[Kzzrn]

I kept telling people (namely MATISORO) that it's because of the Via southbridge that they had so many problems. But did he listen to me? Nnnnnooooooo. HE said that it was BECAUSE of the Via southbridge that made it "so good". I have every right to say "in your face, Matisoro".

Knowledge is the key to understanding

 

[Kzzrn]

Crashman's right, it is because of the Via southbridge that they had so many problems.

Knowledge is the key to understanding

 

[khha4113]

I don't have that problem with my Abit KG7-RAID (XP1600+ OCed to 2000+). FYI, the problem on VIA southbridge only associates with Creative SoundBlaster Live! when they're are used together, and on certain batches of VIA's chipsets (I don't remember their released number, it has been a while back).
I think newer VIA's drivers solved this already.

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[khha4113]

Crashman's right, it is because of the Via southbridge that they had so many problems.

AFAIK, the problem is for KT133A chipsets that have Southbridge <b>686<font color=red>B</b></font color=red>. The latters have different chips (8233A).
The way I see it, VIA still remains the best performance and biggest supply of chipsets for AMD platforms.

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[Kzzrn]

"biggest supply of chipsets for AMD platforms."

Uh, no. SiS is actually number 1 now.

Knowledge is the key to understanding

 

[Kzzrn]

"I don't have that problem with my Abit KG7-RAID (XP1600+ OCed to 2000+). FYI, the problem on VIA southbridge only associates with Creative SoundBlaster Live! when they're are used together, and on certain batches of VIA's chipsets (I don't remember their released number, it has been a while back)."

Trust me, there's alot more that you have yet to have the joy of experienceing.

Knowledge is the key to understanding

 

[khha4113]

Have you ever used them? I did, and not only Abit KG7, but also Epox 8K3A, Biostar M7VKB, Asus A7V, A7V133, A7V266-E as well as A7V333. I only trust what I've experienced.

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[khha4113]

Uh, no. SiS is actually number 1 now.

Proof?

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[unknwn]

I've had a G-byte using this chipset running ALMOST
continuously since last fall, and have only had (1) real
difficulty with it.
When I installed a DVD drive, I was unable to manipulate
the DMA channels to take advantage of that faster path.
I ended up using the VXD driver instead of the mini-port
driver, and all was fixed.
As to the XP question, I have XP pro installed on an
alternate partition, and it works without any problems
that I have been able to discern thus far.
My only real qualms about this board is that the documentation from the manufacturer is lacking in many aspects, and when I tried to get answers from Giga-byte
it was as if I wasn't even there.
I honestly considered the DX+ as the candidate for my
public access network, but have decided to opt for the
"R" versions due to the creative sound and extra IDE channels.
Hope this helped, contact me if you have other issues
about these boards/chipsets, as I am soon to find
myself becoming a reluctant? expert (after I have 18
of them outfitted and thrust into the hands of the
customer base)

Have a nice labor day holiday!
Unknwn cflinder@prodigy.net

 

[Kzzrn]

Not personally, but a cotechnician that I work with have. He's seen plenty of systems come back where the customer tried to install something and it turns out the chipset didn't like it.

Knowledge is the key to understanding

 

[smitbret]

I had the GB 7DX for awhile and quickly went back to my Shuttle AK31. The 761 chipset had some issues with nVidia video cards. There was a downloadable driver that fixed it, but I was just never as comfortable with the 761 as I was with the VIA chips. I recently built a system for my mom based on the Shuttle AK35GT2 and I would do the same thing again in a heartbeat. You'll get much better integrated sound with the Shuttle than the 7DX (you won't need a sound card for decent sound). Make sure you get the AK35GT2R instead of the AK35GTR. The update has stabilized a couple of issues and upgraded the system to a KT333 chipset instead of the KT266a. It's a little performance boost at little price. Either one will perform better than the 7DX+.
-Brett

 

[khha4113]

The 761 chipset had some issues with nVidia video cards.

What issues is it since I have been running my Abit KG7-RAID (AMD's chipset) for almost 2 years with some nVIDIA GeForce cards (Asus MX400, Leadtek GeForce2 Pro and Gainward GF3) without any problem?

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[Kzzrn]

You have a working Abit motherboard. That's odd enough.

Knowledge is the key to understanding

 

[Kzzrn]

"Proof?"

I heard it at work. I'll ask when I go back where they heard it from.

Knowledge is the key to understanding

 

[khha4113]

Not only me. I have several friends that have and I built for many people computers based on AMD chipsets 761 (although I haven't used GigaByte mobos).

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[khha4113]

The reason I asked for because it seems to me that very few motherboard makers have built SiS chipset based mobos for AMD (Asus and MSI).

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.