A "new" build - MVP3G5

[sylvan2626]

Thought that I would use up some of my spares by building a "new" SS7 system.

The mobo is an EPoX EP-MVP3G5 v1.4, video card is an nVidia Ti 4600 (4x AGP), CPU is a K6-III+ 500ANZ, 512MB of Micron RAM (PC-133, 2x256MB, CL2, non-ECC), a floppy, and a CDRW. I've also got 3 different BIOSes on 3 different EEPROM chips. My reason for the build was to experiment with WPCREDIT, the different BIOSes, and either MODBIN or BIOS PATCHER.

That is as far as I've gotten with hardware selection - still running Memtest86+ v1.65 on this thing.

In this early stage - before any other PCI devices or software are added - I am able to boot up and run Memtest86+ at each of the standard FSB settings (100MHz, 112MHz, 124MHz, and 133MHz) using a CPU core voltage of 1.9V, some FSB settings without L3 enabled, and various multipliers.

So here is my problem: I get Memtest errors! I've changed the BIOS memory settings to as conserative as my BIOS will allow, moved the RAM into different slots, and set the CPU FSB/multipliers up as "overclocked" and as "standard". I'm now to the point of trying different memory module sizes and speeds with and without ECC. I have not tried running Memtest86+ against a single RAM module nor yet swapped out my CPU. I know that Memtest+ is checking the mobo and RAM, CPU, L1, L2, and L3 caches. Does it check the video card RAM?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Jim]

Could try the Hynix you have though I don't think it will prove to be better. Testing mine on SS7 boards always gave errors over 100Mhz FSB. Not sure if the problem is caps or what. The RAM tests good on newer boards; but not on any of the SS7s I have tried though admittedly that is not very many.

[Uranium235]

Sounds like you put together the ultimate SS7 rig.

I don't have my MVP3G5 setup to run right now but I did have it running good with 512MB(2x256) of RAM. I remember that I couldn't use 4-way interleaving with 512MB, only 2-way interleaving worked and I think I had to disable "DRAM Fast Decoding" when interleave was enabled.

Try running Memtest with each stick one at a time. 512MB of RAM stresses the MVP3 chipset to the max. Your videocard shouldn't affect the Memtest results. Memtest errors are usually caused by too aggressive memory settings, bad RAM, bad motherboard or bad CPU.

[Jim]

Re enabling 4 bank interleave w/ 512 Meg of RAM on a via board, I can do it on my DFI provided the RAM is my 2 sticks of Hynix "Low Power" and the power settings in WP Credit are left unchanged at the default setting which is the higher of the two groups of settings; - i.e. presumably "Normal Power".

Agree w/ Uranium235, - sounds like this machine you are building is going to be a beauty. Pics maybe?

[KachiWachi]

Memtest does NOT check video RAM.

[sylvan2626]

@Jim:
The Hynix memory is on the "to try" list, right after I finish with the ECC modules. I would have put them in first if I had found them first - they just were not the easily found modules. Caps look good on the mobo - but I will examine them more closely tonight. I will have to see about the pics; I haven't gone digital yet and don't have a scanner. I have an old digital camera that was a freebie from some purchases several years ago at CompUSA, but haven't used it.

@ Uranium235:
Ive got 4-way interleaving going on my MVP3G2 with 640MB (PC-100) and had enabled it on this MVP3G5. I will try 2-way and none to see if memtest86+ will settle down and run error-free. Also will turn off "DRAM Fast Decoding" and run single Ram modules. Out of curiousity, what BIOS do you run?

@KachiWachi & Uranium235:
Thanks - at least the video card RAM is one less variable to have to deal with!


I will also try my PCIPost Card - maybe it will find something.

[sylvan2626]

Just another thought...

If my mobo is somehow undervolting my RAM, wouldn't that cause memtest errors?

I have a multimeter. Where and how to measure?

[KachiWachi]

Yup.

Check the 3.3V regulator (on-board or power supply...whichever supports it).

Things will get "goofy" if somehow the 3.3V is running at 3.1V or less.

[Uranium235]

Sylvan, I've got the 10/26/2001 German Beta BIOS installed on my G5. I patched it with BIOS Patcher hoping it would enable write allocation for the K6-III+ cpu's but it didn't work so I just use Rawpower to enable WA.

Jim, do you know a good source for the Hynix PC-133 that you use? I would like to experiment with that RAM.

[sylvan2626]

I am using a version of that 10/26/01 BIOS (the Sandells-modified version) and also the 08/06/01 European and the 12/21/00 from the USA site.

[Jim]

@ Uranium235 : Thats a bit of a story. I bought the 2 sticks of "Low Power" PC133CL3 - PC100CL2 a long time ago at a local store and have not been able to find more of it though I have not made an all out effort to do so. Sylvan2626 and I also chipped in to buy 8 sticks of "Normal Power" PC133CL2 - there are a series of posts about that in the hardware section, one of which names the website where I found them. A few days later I found 3 more sticks of "Normal Power" PC133CL2 w/ different chip numbers on them in a local store and also bought them.

The best Hynix made, (apart from ECC RAM) would be "Low Power" PC133CL2. That I have not found, but if you want their best that is what to look for. If you go to Hynix's website, they list all the different types they made, including "Low Power" PC133CL2; and you can get the part number that way. If you find any, and there is more available than you need, let me know, because I want some.

[sylvan2626]

Well, I finally got the right combinations of BIOS settings that allowed me to run Memtest86+ error-free against the Micron 512MB PC133 RAM.

I settled on 6x100MHz FSB for software installation, although the hardware combination will run Memtest+ error-free at the 112MHz, the 124MHz, and the 133MHz FSB settings with 2-way interleaving enabled and the mobo cache disabled. It is a real shame that the increases to the FSB are also increases to the system as a whole, AGP and PCI slots. Too bad that this mobo does not have PCI/AGP locks like the old Jetway board had!

I did get 6 x 112MHz in Memtest (and photographed the monitor's screen while running) as the fastest CPU speed. Other stable speeds were 4 x 133MHz and 4.5 x 124MHz. Highest core voltage used was 2.3V. I did not try other multipliers on the 124MHz and 133MHz FSB, since I am a little concerned about hardware damage to my AGP/PCI systems.

In the past, I've had Memtest success only to discover that installed system software would crash at those speeds.

Just a note on my CPU cooling: I've used a copper-based heatsink/fan made by Dynatron (sold as Microfin C41) on two of my "K6+" systems and am very pleased with their cooling performance. They are designed for the Athlon XP market, but fit beautifully on my EPoX motherboards and keep the CPU temps in the low to mid 30s Cel.

I have other computers built and other motherboard/CPU combinations waiting to go into systems, but these SS7 systems are the ones that I keep coming back to and keep tweaking.

[sylvan2626]

@ Uranium235:

Do you have the other 2 utility programs that go with BIOS Patcher? I have Cbrom but not lah.exe, and reall.cod.

[Uranium235]

Those files are still available at apple's website:
http://rom-by.zoxt.net/rom.by/

BIOS patcher version 4.23 is supposed to be the most stable version around which is what I use.
I don't like the built-in BIOS backup used in BIOS patcher so I just turn it off with the "/s" switch.

[Jim]

@ Sylvan : So what were these settings ? I mean the ones you used to pass Memtest @ various FSB Speeds and w/ various multipliers. Be nice to know them!