Hello, World! :D - Robert B's PC builds - oogle away freely :) - OLD Hardware Emporium

[phill]

@phill - I saw some of your X58 pieces and I must say that you have something really nice there. Exquisite taste my man!

The next episode will continue along the newer components path but I intend to revert to older tech in the near future.

More later.

I have a few here that I'm dead pleased and proud of to own, what can I say, in that I love hardware regardless of it's age Looking forward to the next posting sir!!

I absolutely agree with @lexluthermiester, simply because the 920's etc are great CPUs but as they are a little older in the tooth, you'd be best to have a Xeon simply because it would allow more RAM.. I had a real problem trying to get 12Gb of ram running in my X58 Classy with my 920 and gave up. Clock speed was more important at that point and then I decided to go over to Z77 or that age of CPU... 32Gb's in that, no more issues

 

[Robert B]

Madness - One Step Beyond (Official Video)

AGP tribulations? Part 1 aka Sapphire X1950 GT AGP 256MB DDR3

I'm sure that the ones that follow this thread already know that my luck with ATI cards is nothing to write home about.

At the flea market and at many of my contacts that supply retro HW, you dont find too many cards from the red camp. So, when I look at my parts list and I see that I have under ten ATI cards, of which many are dead, I keep asking myself the all important question: WTH has happened?

Truth be told, I always bought and had nVIDIA cards except my first video card which wasn't exactly a speed demon, an ATI RAGE IIC 4MB AGP. Looking back and taking everything into account, it seems that there is a reasonable explanation to this situation. My bias towards nVIDIA and my upgrade cycles made it so that I never bought an ATI card for the last 20+ years.

In July 2019 I was at the local flea market and after I walked more than half of the area, I was 100% sure that I was going to leave empty handed. I was feeling pretty well thinking that the army of demons that owns my body and soul (just one more piece, just one more mainboard, just one more ...) has been slain and I came out victorious ... little did I know ...

A force from high above made me open a series of old, beaten PC cases. All of them looked to be Pentium 4 systems. I wanted to have a peek and see what's inside. You never know ...

The first case was meh but once I opened up the second case I was greeted by a long blue card that also had two auxiliary molex connectors. I looked closer and I saw that it was an AGP card. NICE! I flipped the case over and the mystery card revealed its name Sapphire ATI X1950 GT 256MB DDR3 AGP. The card looked awesome and I said to myself: WOW this card really looks the part! The card was housed inside an HP case that looked rough ... an X1950 GT AGP ... I just dont know ... let me think about it.

I closed the case and I walked away to see what else was for sale.

30 minutes later I was back. The case was still there.

I asked the seller how much is the husk and he quickly said: 10 EUROS!

I already knew what I was going to take from inside, so I searched for a screwdriver inside a pile of old and rusty tools and I went to work.

The sun was burning and I started to sweat. The screwdriver was really bad. "Toothless", bent and with a regular head instead of a Philips. That's what you get for not bringing your own tools! ... 5 minutes later I scavenged what I deemed valuable: an Antec Earthwatts 380W EA-380 PSU, two sticks of Crucial 1GB - DDR400 CL3 and the ATI X1950 GT AGP graphic card. The rest, the case, the motherboard, the CPU, the HDD, ODD, FDD and everything else were left behind. The motherboard had swollen caps and it wasnt a high end model. The case was dead tired and it was missing a lot of bits. The only regret that I have is that I didnt take the Pentium 4 3.4GHz SL793 CPU, top dog for the Northwood HT core. At that time I considered the P4 stuff as being something meh and I said to myself that the 3.4GHz P4 is not coming home with me ... I paid for it but I didnt take it ... the mind works in mysterious ways ... You live and learn all the time. Brain fart on my behalf ...

The seller wasnt too pleased that I didnt take the entire case but 10 EUROS later we were both smiling. A late attempt to negociate the price down wasnt successful but regardless, I was very pleased with the deal. What's a few EUROS between old acquaintances.

Buying from the flea market is always a risky proposition. Some parts that look pristine can be dead. Other that look like they went to Hell and came back are still alive. There are no guarantees and no refunds. You pick a ticket and you hope that it is a winning one.

The loot.



Let's return to the ATI X1950 GT AGP.

It had good bones so I knew that after some TLC it will be awesome.



I didnt power her up as I didnt have a suitable AGP 8x test bed available. My EPOX EP-8RDA3I V2.0 - nforce 2 Ultra 400 needs a full recap and besided her I dont have any other AGP 8x capable motherboard. I could've used an AGP 4x motherboard but I chose not to do it. So, the rule of the day was: let's clean this sucker well and see what's what later down the road.

Meanwhile my "problem" with the AGP 8x motherboards has been solved. I bought three motherboards that are waiting to be restored: Asrock AM2NF3-VSTA G/A 1.03, ASUS P4P800 Deluxe Rev. 1.02 - i865PE and ASUS P4C800 Deluxe Rev. 2.00 - i875P.

The Sapphire ATI X1950 GT AGP was in very good shape, without traces of damage, just a little dusty. I managed to save all of the thermal pads.



The first to undergo the rejuvenation procedure was the cooling system.



If you look closely at the copper heatsink, you can see some darker spots where the dust used to sit. Because the card has spent some time in a wet or damp environment, that dust has accumulated moisture which in return has affected the copper surface. After I cleaned to heatsink of dust and I saw the blemishes I said to myself that this is the time for extreme measures.

The heatsink was full of fine adherent dust so I used water under pressure to clean it really well. I dont use this method too often, and especially not on copper heatsinks, because it can do more bad than good. I didnt want to use vinegar so water it was. After I washed the heatsink I used an air compressor to remove all of the water and then to be really safe I also used a hair dryer for a few minutes.



One sorry looking but otherwise clean heatsink. Even the aluminium surface lost its shine and it had some spots.



There was only one solution. Some elbow grease, polishing paste and soft rags.

I masked with paper tape the areas where the memory chips and the graphic chip made contact with the heatsink just to avoid some hassle down the road. The polishing paste forms a protective layer that is quite difficult to remove later. The effect is similar with the one you get after you wash and wax your car.



After some work I obtained great results. One downside though. After I polished the copper it attracted fingerprints like a magnet and I had to repeat the procedure several times because I wasnt careful.



I dont know for how long the mirror like effect will hold but it sure looks awesome. Bling-Bling, I'm such a violent thing!



After some "metal work" next on the list was the cooling fan. It was a little dirty but otherwise in great shape. The great big ball bearing received a tiny drop of thick oil, just in case and that was it. The removal of the three screws that hold the fan was a little difficult but when it came the time to put it back I found out what I did wrong. Between the hub and the blades, there are three round recesses through which the screws are inserted and removed. You just turn the fan and center the round recess over the screw, the access is way better. Silly me ... all these years I didnt know what was the use of those small recesses. Now I'm 10.000 times smarter than your average cat.



Final results.



Looking good! Ahem ... I MEAN AWESOME!!!



Cooling system? DONE and DONE!



I spoke above about some moisture. The evidence is bellow. Even closed in a sturdy case this card had no escape.



I protected the ink stamps and I was ready to go to the next level. The only thing that couldn't be "saved" were the blue marker marks on the solid caps and other small ICs. These abound on ATI cards.



Some time later.



I hand polished the bracket and the fixing screws of the heatsink.



The screws that hold the VRM heatsink took a bath in a rust removal solution.



I cleaned the VRM heatsink.



I hand polished the screws that hold the bracket.



Pads and stuff ...



I almost forgot ... I took out the screws from the rust removal solution and I also polished them ... for that extra effect ...



On your mark, get set, go!



We have reached the end of the story. Plain and simple. Just like that.

I have into my possesion a superb card that it is still an unknown quantity. I also have three motherboards that might be alive or dead. I could've fire them up and see what is their status but I chose not to do it. Before any trace of electricity will course into their veins I must be 100% sure that they are in tip-top condition. There is a method to this "madness" or at least I like to think so.

At the end of the AGP tribulations?[/B] series we will see if it was a case of tribulations or I was just overreacting.

I keep my fingers crossed for good results.

More later.

 

[phill]

I love this thread!! @Robert B .......

 

[Ruru]

Planning about getting a HD 3850 AGP? Got mine hella cheap, 35 euros including shipping.

 

[Robert B]

I bought from the flea market a Gigabyte ATI 4650 1GB(DDR2) AGP which is slower than a 3850 To this date I only saw a couple of 3850s on the national OLX site and the prices were a little high. If I find a 3850 or even a 3870 at reasonable prices I'll buy them in a jiffy.

Part 2 will be HUGE even by my standards.
Part 3 will present the results of this "AGP experiment".

After this series of episodes I will present older parts GF256, P60, P1 and a few other bits and pieces.

More later.

 

[Ruru]

HD 3870 AGP never came to us consumers, just few prototypes here and there.. so HD 3850 is the fastest AGP card. Pretty fine with my Athlon 64 6000+ AGP rig

 

[phill]

I bought from the flea market a Gigabyte ATI 4650 1GB(DDR2) AGP which is slower than a 3850 To this date I only saw a couple of 3850s on the national OLX site and the prices were a little high. If I find a 3850 or even a 3870 at reasonable prices I'll buy them in a jiffy.

Part 2 will be HUGE even by my standards.
Part 3 will present the results of this "AGP experiment".

After this series of episodes I will present older parts GF256, P60, P1 and a few other bits and pieces.

More later.

Looking forward to it!!

 

[lexluthermiester]

I love this thread!! @Robert B .......

 

[phill]

It really needs a love and laughing smiley!!

 

[Robert B]

Thanks guys! I'm glad that you like "my work". I really appreciate your dedication to following this thread which also is a mirror image of like I am in real life.

For you and the many others that visit this thread I PRESENT (drum roll) A SNEAK PEEK OF THINGS TO COME!

poldoore - Unconditional

Glass, glass and even more glass!



Metal, metal and even more Aluminium!



CPUs. cpus and even more CPUs!



FANS, fans and even more fans!



Uhhh SHINY STUFF!!!



Delicate soldering using barbarian tools ... I'm testing the limits ... because why not?



More later.

 

[Robert B]

Poldoore - Morning Glory

AGP tribulations? Part 2

After a first part dedicated to a video card which is quite something to look at, now is the time to make the switch to the main course aka Part 2.

Let's meet [/b]the stars[/b] of this episode:

1. Antec Earthwatts EA-380W
2. Asrock AM2NF3-VSTA REV G/A 1.03
3. Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS x2
4. Gigabyte HD 4650 AGP 1GB(DDR2) - GV-R465D2-1GI
5. Asus P4B533-E REV 1.02
6. Asus P4P800 DELUXE REV 1.02
7. Asus P4C800 DELUXE REV 2.00
8. Intel Pentium 4 3GHz(Prescott) SL7PM
9. Intel Pentium 4 3.4GHz(Northwood) SL793
10. AMD Sempron 3000+ SDA3000IAA3CN

When I bought all of these parts I didnt have the slightest clue regarding their state. The choice of the title AGP tribulations? is tied to this fact and it wasnt something random. All of these components had some issues big or small. Instead of powering them up and see what's what, me, as you well know by now, decided to ask the questions later and first restore these "bitchin'" pieces of (hopefully) future "retro" HW.

All of the parts have been bought from the local flea market. I spent under 30 EUROS for all of them and they are the result of several trips made over the course of about a couple of months. It is not like "retro" HW is stacked there just waiting for a buyer.

When I write down these lines, I already now which of them are alive and which of them passed away. I can't spill the beans just yet as you will have to wait until Part 3 to find out the end of the entire saga. The NDA doesn't allow me to give out this information as it only on a need to know basis.

Don't worry though. You will have plenty to see an read in Part 2, the meatiest part of the AGP tribulations series.

Saddle up and be ready for quite a journey.

Antec Earthwatts EA-380W

Even if this PSU isn't the well known Green EA-380D variant, nothing makes it to be less than her sister.

I bought this PSU together with the Sapphire X1950 GT AGP 256MB DDR3 and two sticks of Crucial 1GB DDR400 CL3.

It was cleaned well and then put to work. I didnt find any problems inside.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2ck6i5k0y/

Asrock AM2NF3-VSTA REV G/A 1.03

A somewhat special piece of HW. A typical Asrock product that quickly caught my eye.

I found her sitting on a dirty bed sheet looking sorry for herself. The AM2+ CPU socket, the DDR2 800 memory slots and the AGP port have given me plenty of clues to know that before me sits something exotic.

After a quick Internet search I paid the asking price and it was mine. NO BRAINER! https://www.asrock.com/mb/nvidia/am2nf3-vsta/

It looked pretty well. Besides some dirt and grime and a swollen capacitor, there were no other problems that could've made me want to give up on her.

It came with an AMD Sempron 3000+ SDA3000IAA3CN CPU. This didnt bother me at all as the motherboard can use CPUs up to the AMD Phenom II X4 series and this is nothing to sneeze at in regard to AGP systems. DDR2 + AGP is also something somewhat special or should I say peculiar. https://www.asrock.com/mb/nvidia/am2nf3-vsta/#CPU

I must underline that this model came out on the market near the end of the AGP era and it wasnt considered high end. We are talking about a budget solution for those that couldn't make the switch to a PCI-E platform.



The swollen OST RLP 1000uf 6.3V capacitor was replaced by a Panasonic FR 1000uf 10V capacitor. In an ideal world I should've replaced all of the OST RLP capacitors and not just the swollen one but I decided to keep it simple and not overextend myself.

Also, the motherboard received a BIOS update to the lastest version, 3.30. To be able to extract the BIOS file from the .exe package on the Asrock site, I had to use the AMIUCP 1.07 tool AMI Utility Configuration. Finding this tool on the internet took me some time. The AM2N3VT3.30.exe package from the Asrock site couldn't be opened with any other program. After I extracted the BIOS file from the AM2N3VT3.30.exe package, it was very easy for me to use my MiniPro TL866A programmer to peform the BIOS update whitout having to install Windows or boot in MS-DOS mode. https://www.asrock.com/mb/nvidia/am2nf3-vsta/#BIOS

Ready to be returned to its former glory.



WET!



The NF3 250.



Final results? Flawless!



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1mqewclgi/

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS. (x2)

On the same day when I bought the Asrock AM2NF3-VSTA motherboard I also bought from someone else two Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS HDDs.

Even if I had some doubts regarding their state, the sum of 5 EUROS for both of them didnt make me nervous.

In the end they proved to be still alive and kicking!

Me = Happy camper



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1d42rr6hu/

Gigabyte HD 4650 AGP 1GB(DDR2) - GV-R465D2-1GI

Little over 4 EUROS is all that I have paid for it and little over 4 EUROS is the exact sum of money that I almost "lost". I'm not a sore loser but I hate it when I buy something before I should've peeled my eyes better.

I saw that the card looked a little tired but the number 4650 and the Gigabyte of video memory have made me not think correctly. On the first visual scan I only saw one missing ceramic capacitor but when I got home I found another 5 missing. These last ones were the real headache as they were so small that they made the super fine needle of a 2ml syringe look HUMONGOUS! The 5 ceramic capacitors were missing from the PCI-E AGP bridge and in a normal situation this card would've been a complete write-off ...

I must underline that the 1GB of video memory is DDR 2 and not DDR 3 as it should've been. Like the Asrock motherboard we are also dealing with a video card that wasnt made to break records. Just a helping hand to those still clinging to AGP systems. Even if it was lauched later, this card is slower than the ATI 3850 AGP. Go figure ... 4 is less than 3. Just a regular day in the HW Universe! This has happened and will happen again in the future ...

NOT GOOD!!! What was I thinking ?!?!?!



DIRTY!!!



I left the 4650 in a box for more than a month when finally I found an ATI 3450 AGP which, behold, had the same exact problem! I paid for it less than 1 EURO (haggled form more than 1 EURO).



The moment I was waiting for had arrived. LET'S DO THIS!!!

The odds were stacked against me.

I knew that I would have to put to good use everything that I have learned about soldering. (And I still have a lot to learn). To make matters worse, the tool that I decided to use wasnt something intended for brain surgery ... meet the 15W soldering iron.

I sharpened the tip of the 15W soldering iron on a grinder and I was ready to rock 'n' roll.

READY FOR ACTION!

Action, action, but before I even was able to do something I had to ruin several ceramic capacitors until I was able to recover one that was in usable shape. The operation wasnt a breeze let me tell you.

After I got the hang of it, I was able to recover several promising candidates and I laid them on a piece of paper.



Final results? Well not exactly factory quality but I'm getting there. One capacitor at a time.



Each capacitor was checked after it was soldered. Each joint was checked for strength.

After I finished the job and I was in the green, all was just smooth sailing. Just a regular day at the office.



Final results.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1gdq72z6q/

Asus P4B533-E REV 1.02

When I was battling with the ATI X1950, the ATI 4650 and the Asrock motherboard, one thought creeped inside my head.

Why not go all out and extend my AGP arsenal with some Pentium 4 lovin' ???

Until 2019 I looked at Pentium 4 stuff as something forgetable and uninteresting. Time has taken care of everything and something that was unwavering has crumbled into dust.

Said and done. I need some P4 stuff and I NEED IT RIGHT NOW!

The flea market was kind with me and I was able to find three ASUS motherboards that had different chipsets Intel 845E, 865PE and 875P.

Straight from the get go I had in my hands three representatives of a generation. Not bad if I may say so.

The Asus P4B533-E came with a Pentium 4 2.4GHz SL6DV CPU. For the entire kit I paid little over 1 EURO! NO BRAINER!!!

The motherboard received a BIOS update to the latest version and then it was cleaned until it looked better than the day it was born.



The cooler lookin' cool.



The motherboard lookin' smokin' hot!



I didnt remove the NB heatsink as it was well fixed and I didnt need additional headaches. I cleaned the motherboard centimeter by centimeter. Besides some scratches on the back the board was in great shape.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/g8v7yvj6/

The Asus P4P800 DELUXE and the P4C800 DELUXE motherboards have been bought together. Taking into account that thery are THE DELUXE version, all I can say is: FRIGGIN' SCORE MY BROTHA' ! The price ? Little over 4 EUROS. Need I say it again? NO BRAINER!

When I bought the motherboards I also bought a Pentium 4 3GHz SL7PM - Prescott CPU. I had to straighten some pins but this task comes with the territory. The entire job was a little stressful as the pins are extremely fragile.



As a precaution both of the motherboards have received a BIOS update.



Before I even tackled the P4P800 DELUXE and the P4C800 DELUXE I decided to clean the coolers. I love Sanyo Denki fans. They never let me down!



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1r5502zoi/

Asus P4P800 DELUXE REV 1.02

Ready to be made great again.



IPA 99%!.



Some minor glitches in the system. Superglue to the rescue.



Almost there.



Final results? Like GLASS BOSS!!!



Back in the day I made jokes about P4 stuff. Back in the day I was an AXP & A64 kind of guy. Today? I love them all no matter the brand.

After some quality time with the P4P800 ... aaaannnddd not to forget ... DELUXE, my aversion towards Pentium 4 has melted.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1xq8cp4bm/

Asus P4C800 DELUXE REV 2.00

Some time after I bought the P4P800 DELUXE and the P4C800 DELUXE and after I paired the P4P800 DELUXE with the P4 3GHz SL7PM Prescott CPU, I was on the lookout for a CPU that would fit the P4C800 DELUXE. I looked at the P4C800 DELUXE as the jewel of my growing P4 collection.

Who read Part 1 is acquainted with the story of the P4 SL793 which was left behind when I removed from an HP case, the Sapphire ATI X1950GT AGP, the Antec 380W PSU and the two sticks of Crucial 1GB DDR400 CL3. After I paid 10 EUROS for the entire case and I looted just what I needed, I left the SL793 inside. After this, my thoughts kept coming back to it.

What's the stort with this SL793? Well, nothing special ... it's just that it is the fastest CPU wtih a Northwood HT core, running at 3.4GHz ... tsk tsk ... top end ... and stupid me left it to rot after I paid for it ... the mind works in mysterious ways ... or should I say the lack of ...

http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SL793.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Pentium_4_microprocessors

Weeks after the SL793 episode, I found again the seller with the HP case. BEHOLD! The case appeared again. I opened it up and BEHOLD AGAIN: The cooler and the CPU were still inside sitting pretty!

You know what followed ... haggling ... again 10 EUROS for the entire case ... me NO! NO! NO! ... I already paid for it once... in the end for about 4 EUROS the CPU was MINE! YAY!

SL793 + P4C800 DELUXE ( ) = LOVE!

From all of the P4 motherboards, the P4C800 DELUXE was the most damaged due to the gentle handling procedures that are in effect at the flea market on a weekly basis. Just velvet gloves and pampering.

Problems:

1. SB LED SB - cracked and one torn connector.
2. Cracked IDE connector.
3. Two SATA ports were missing an ear.
4. Some scratches.

The damage wasnt terminal. The board still looked well and I didnt have any reasons to worry.



Looking kind of clean but looks can be deceiving.



QUAD DAMAGE ON MY P4C800 DELUXE!



How on earth that these ceramic capacitors haven't gone MIA? Well, the secret sauce is RED GLUE!



The board has arrived from nowhere else than Sweet ITALY!



WORK! ORC! WORK!



Final results? Do I need to repeat myself? FLAWLESS against all the "small" flaws!!!



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2aabkfg2q/

After a lot of work and a lot of satisfaction, and after I MADE GREAT AGAIN ALL THAT COULD BE DONE TO BE GREAT AGAIN, I was ready to fire up these restored components and find their state.

This is how I like 'em, squeaky clean and restored to perfection. I know I have to check myself but I leave this for another time aka for later or never. My path is the straight and narrow.

Stay close for the end of the AGP tribulations saga, when you will find how this story has ended.

More later.

 

[kapone32]

Man does this thread make we wax nostalgic

 

[phill]

Much love for this thread and @Robert B for the amazing work he puts in to it Never disappointed at all!!

 

[Robert B]

Poldoore - Ain't No Sunshine

AGP tribulations? Part 3 aka The Grand Finale!

At last, we have arrived at the moment when I powered up all of the parts that have been painstakingly restored or at least brought to a state as close to that from factory.

Was all the effort worth it or it was just a situation like that in The Old Man and the Sea?

Without any further ado, I bring to you The Grand Finale of the AGP tribulations? series!

First, I decided to test the Asrock AM2NF3-VSTA REV G/A 1.03 motherboard and together with it to also test the two ATI cards: Sapphire X1950 GT AGP 256MB DDR3 and Gigabyte HD 4650 AGP 1GB(DDR2) - GV-R465D2-1GI.

Even from the get go all went smoothly. BEEP! I'm alive! BAM! Clear image.



The Asrock motherboard gave me no troubles and the Gigabyte ATI 4650 was working well. It seems that the work put in with those small ceramic capacitors has paid off.

After I found out that the test bed was in good working order I installed the Sapphire X1950 GT and I put it through her paces. Like the Gigabyte ATI 4650, the Sapphire X1950 GT also proved to be alive and kicking. To establish exactly the state of the X1950 GT I installed Windows and I ran 3DMark2000 @ 1600x1200 so that the Sempron 3000+ wont fall on his nose. All was okay, the driver install, the image quality, etc. Zero problems.



Next came the turn of the Gigabyte HD 4650 AGP 1GB(DDR2) - GV-R465D2-1GI. Again all was okay.



Over the course of the testing sessions I observed that the heatsink of the NF3 250 chip on the Asrock AM2NF3VSTA was getting rather toasty. If you intend to use this board in one of your retro projects I urge you to mount something beefier or ar least mount a fan if possible.

On the first POST of the Asrock AM2NF3VSTA motherboard, I was greeted by the following error: MAC Address are invalid in both CMOS and Flash! which reminded me of All your base are belong to us ...

I looked on the Internet for a solution and I found on the Asrock site a tool to update the MAC address of the onboard LAN chipset.

http://www.asrock.com/support/Download/MacTool.asp

The update of the MAC address can only be done under DOS. I downloaded all of the versions, I made a bootable USB stick and I was ready to get to work. The MAC address can be found on a sticker located on the motherboard. After a few moments of searching I found the 12 figures on a sticker fixed on the parallel port. I tried to write another MAC address instead of the factory one but this was a no go. From all of the MAC Tool versions from the Asrock site: 1.17F, 1.61B, 2.07A and 2.16B, only the 1.17F worked.

After I updated the MAC address I never received the error: MAC Address are invalid in both CMOS and Flash!



The start was great! 3 out of 3! My wish for a 100% success rate seemed to materialize. Something was still nagging me though: White Men Can't Jump or do they? Hmmm ...

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/29y7hprkq/

Soon followed the testing of the Asus P4B533-E REV 1.02 motherboard.

BAM! Again all was okay. WOW! 100% here I come!

In this instance I decided not to install Windows and just take the pulse of the board. By all means this motherboard seems to be in good working order.



With this particular board I had a little problem when I wanted to power it up. It didnt have the Front Panel Connector pins soldered. WTH? I looked closely and all I could find was something called VPANEL. I downloaded the manual but I didnt find any information regarding the VPANEL. ?!?!?! I searched on the Internet for ASUS & VPANEL and I found only a few posts that were of no help to me. I encountered a somewhat similar situation when I dealt with the MS-6168. All that was left for me to do was to guess the POWER pins and go from there. The picture bellow presents the function of each pin.



The SL6DV CPU and the Asus P4B533-E were alive. NICE!

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2eq0rnqhm/

Like the Asus P4B533-E, the Asus P4P800 DELUXE was also still working well. This is friggin' great news! I told myself. The SL7PM CPU which needed a lot of pins straightened was also OK!



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/hpmc38be/

After all of the success I registerd, I was expecting the Asus P4C800 DELUXE to also be alive. Nothing warned me of what was in store for me. From this point forward the things took a bad turn.

Sure I can find another P4C800 DELUXE but each time I get the news that a component has passed away I can't stop to be a little sad.

Well...let me tell you the entire story.

I powered up the board but I got nothing. NO POST. NO BEEP. NADA.

The board started, the CPU warmed up, the NB and the SB chips also warmed up but that was all.

I tired many different sticks of RAM.

I tried many BIOS versions.

I tried three PSUs.

I tried many CPUs.

I inspected countless times the board for signs of damage.

I tried other compatible BIOS chips.

I removed the NB heatsink but I found nothing bad.

I removed CPU socket cover but I found nothing bad.

I tried to power up the board without CPU, video card and RAM.

I tried multiple PCI and AGP video cards.

I tried USB and PS2 keyboards.

Over the course of my attempts to resuscitate the board I observed one thing: the NB heatsink got extremely hot and when I say extremely I dont exaggerate at all. It burned when you just approached your finger to it and if you touched it you could hold the finger there for no more than a second or two.

It looks like a dead NB chipset...

I installed the Corsair LED DDR just to see if the board gets to detecting the RAM. No led lighted up no matter what.

The SB chip was mildly warm. Because the SB_PWR LED (Stand By Power which lights up when the system is ON, in sleep mode or in soft off mode) was broken, I mounted on the back, a red led to see if it would light up and it lighted up, sign that the board might be ok. I replaced the broken led.

My BIOS debugger card didnt give me a lot of clues. The system hanged at: control to int 19h bootloader even if a HDD was connected. I couldnt bypass this error no matter what I tried.

The only normal thing was that I got 3 beeps when there was no RAM installed. Otherwise ZERO BEEPS. No clues.

While I battled with the demons, I noticed a strange buzzing noise that was coming from the right up corner when I powerd up the motherboard with no CPU. I checked by feel all of the electrolytic capacitors and MOSFETs to see if they got warm but none warmed up because there was no CPU installed. By this I ruled out a shorted capacitor. I used Freeze Spray to see what component got warm faster or was warmer than the rest. I checked for an imperfect contact or a solder bridge but I got nothing. In the end I decided to slightly move a ferite coil that I assumed was buzzing. It looked great, without cracks, with great solder joints and with the wiring intact. After this I never registered that strange buzzing noise and when I mounted the CPU the leds on the Corsair DDR stick lighted up, sign that the board tried to come to life. My joy was short lived because in the end nothing changed. The BIOS debugger card kept throwing other errors on each power up. The board hanged at chipset initialisation or at set memory wait states.

While I inspected the motherboard for traces of damage I also observed that on the back, the solder joints from a couple of the pins from one of the memory slots looked a little worse and the laquer seemed to be of a darker colour like it was burned.

In the end I threw in the towel. The Asus P4C800 DELUXE is DEAD!

I didnt try the SL793 CPU but I have no worries. I'm waiting for a suitable motherboard so that I can marry them and they will live happily ever after.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/21hmomti2/

From all the parts that I have gathered I really wasnt expecting the Asus P4C800 DELUXE to be dead. In the end I wasnt able to get a 100% success rate with parts bought at face value from the flea market.

In the end this endeavour wasnt a true case of tribulations even if the passing from from uncertainty to known fact made me to pose the problem of this word. Until this day I never gathered so many parts to be featured in one story but there's a first time for everything. Also, the time required from the moment I bought these parts and the moment I write down this lines was a long one: more than two months.

Overall, the AGP tribulations? series was a success story. Besides one motherboard, all of the other components proved to be still alive and kicking which is by no means a small feat. If I pause for a moment and think about it, all could've ended a lot worse so I declare myself content with the outcome even if I wasnt able to get that illusive perfect score.

More later.

 

[freeagent]

Fantastic work, great thread! I enjoyed the view.

 

[Mr.Scott]

Don't feel bad Robert. The P4C800 boards are fragile boards. I've gone through 8 of them over the years benching. Getting harder and more expensive to find a good one now.

 

[Deleted member 185158]

Don't feel bad Robert. The P4C800 boards are fragile boards. I've gone through 8 of them over the years benching. Getting harder and more expensive to find a good one now.

Yep, watched Luke burn a few of them up too. lol. Still a good OC board though.

 

[Robert B]

Don't feel bad Robert. The P4C800 boards are fragile boards. I've gone through 8 of them over the years benching. Getting harder and more expensive to find a good one now.

Yep, watched Luke burn a few of them up too. lol. Still a good OC board though.

Thanks for your thoughts guys. After I got my P4C800 I started reading about it and from posts back in the day I found out that it is really flaky. I would've felt a lot better if I would've burned it taking down an OC record or something but when I see this huge board die like a fly it doesnt seem fair to me. But heck what is fair in this life?

The next episode will feature a X- A32 Spaceship. Damn what a name for product. Even when I saw it at the flea market I started thinking about the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

Feast your eyes on this! My second GF256 SDR and this time from an awesome brand. Smokin' hot and ICE cool at the same time. Can't beat this combo too easily.

I took my sweet time with this beauty and even if it looked fine when I got it, after I did my magic it really is something to look at.

More later.

 

[lexluthermiester]

The next episode will feature a X- A32 Spaceship.

Looking forward to this!

Damn what a name for product. Even when I saw it at the flea market I started thinking about the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

Exactly!

 

[Robert B]

Chubby Checker - Let's Twist Again

"Who's that, flyin' up there?
Is it a bird? No
Is it a plane? No
Is it the X -A32 ? Yeah"

I mean who in the marketing department came up with this name? X -A32? Seriously? X - friggin' A32? I dont even have to mention the ERAZOR part because it is already too much ...

Ever since I saw this NLX card at the local flea market, with its "futuristic" looks accompanied by a slight hint of a SF aroma, (X- A32), my thoughts went straight to the one and only: Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk. I mean look at it! It seems harmless but for sure it packed a punch when it was released.

This is my second Geforce 256 SDR. I dont think that it is necessary to remind you who is the mighty GF256. All that I need to say though, is that it was the first GPU. Anything else is just superfluous stuff so I'll return to the star of this episode.

Let's meet the F-117 ahem, cough , cough ... ELSA ERAZOR X -A32 aka ELSA GeForce 256 SDR 32MB AGP.

For the paltry sum of 2 EUROS this card came home with me and stoically endured "all the bad" treatments that had to be performed.

Even from the get go, this card looked amazing but I knew I could turn the things up to 11. So I did what I do best ...

Initial state.



Looks kind of okay? I think NOT! YUCK! Dirt, dust and a fan that rattled at the slightest turn!



On the operating table.



Some elbow grease.



I wanted to remove the heatsink but it was fixed with thermal adhesive so I let it be. Better safe than sorry.

After this encounter with and irremovable obstacle I got serious to work and I washed the entire card with lots and lots of IPA 99%.



WET!



The results quickly followed.



Looking awesome but something is missing?



Aaa the signature fan ... what am I going to do with this fan which is way past its prime ... I said to myself. Hmm... casse-tete probleme!

In the past I have opened, cleaned and greased the ball bearings of different fans but I never got to do this on such a tiny scale.

In some instances a small drop of thin oil can alleviate some symptoms but it is never a long term solution. Sometimes the oil can make things worse as it can thin the old grease of a bearing that can have many miles on its odometer. Also, sometimes the grease can just dry up. The fan can be replaced but when you are dealing with a restoration project there is no subtitute for the real thing!

In this instance, the drop of oil made its job but, me being me, I had to find a more permanent solution.

I taped with paper tape the entire fan and I plugged the hole in the center with a small piece of cotton. I put everything in a plastic bag and then I used ca grease spray hoping that some of it will find its way inside the bearing.



In the end the results werent what I have hoped for. The ball bearing was even noisier than before. Most likely that inside the ball bearing went the propellant and not the grease. Deh ... if you have an itch ... you scr ... points points and even more points ...

I searched for solutions. I used some MOBIL Mobilgrease XHP 222 NLGI2 and some GM 5W40 motor oil. I smeared the ball bearing with grease and then I put a few tiny drops of oil. I took great precautions so that none of it would get inside the motor or the winding. I know from experience that motor oil has a property of "clinging" to metal, so in a way I used that to my advantage. I left the "greases" overnight to do their job. I didnt have high hopes for the following day and I was preparing for a brain surgery that could end up with a lobotomy or a damaged ball bearing.

The next day surprise, against all the odds, the ball bearing was turning super smoothly. No more noise. What the ??!?!? I could've removed the dust cover from the ball bearing but I wasnt sure that I could put it back. The same procedure on a bigger ball bearing was close to being a faillure.

Lets not get drunk with success. This procedure usually isnt going according to plan but in this instance I got lucky. My will to preserve everything has paid off.

Ready for action SiiiiiiiiRRRrrrR!!! Del Shannon - Runaway



Now you can understand why I went all the way and I didnt replaced the fan with a new one. There is no subtitute for the original! I mean look at it! SO PERFECT!



Metalwork. Before and after.



Careful assembly.



Final results. When I say final I really mean final. Bobby Darin - Dream Lover



After "the grease job" I had no idea how would the fan perform during testing.

I plugged "the stealth attack aircraft" in the PIII-800 and I pressed the POWER button!



I must underline the fact that up until that moment I didnt know if the card was alive or not. The fan performed admirably. No noise was present even if the PC case was put horizontally or vertically. WIN!

Well, such a beautiful card just couldnt be dead or I got lucky again. Dion - The Wanderer



END OF LINE.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/272dx6qki/

More later.

 

[Robert B]

Oliver $ & Jimi Jules - Pushing On (Official Video)

The sleeper

This PC is my fourth completed "build". The first one was the recreation of my first PC with the AMD 5x86 133MHz, followed by a K6-2 500MHz and a PIII at 800MHz.

I say "build" because this is how I bought it from the flea market. I didnt have anything to say in regard to the selection of components.

I found this PC on a Saturday morning at the local flea market. The exact date was 23.06.2019. The first things that caught my eye were the AT format and that BIG 5.25" floppy disk drive. The whole package peaked my interest so I politely asked the seller to let me get a glimpse of the stuff that's inside. You never know what you can find trapped in there.

As soon as I opened it I saw that it was untouched, and it looked exactly like the day it was born. Besides a RAM upgrade everything looked like it would've been somewhere around '96.

I removed the CPU from the socket and I saw that it was a Pentium 75MHz. The video card was something from Trident, the sound card didnt stand out. '90s WM abounded. The case was scratched and the structure looked a little bit deformed. Curriously, the sheet metal and the plastic front were in very good shape just a little dirty.

After a short deliberation I decided not to buy it. The seller tried very hard to make me buy it and the only way I got rid of him was by telling him that I'll see what else is for sale at the market and if I decide to buy I'll return. I didnt want to take only the CPU as I thought that someone else might buy the PC and it would be better if it was complete.

On the night between Saturday and Sunday I was "haunted" by that AT case, so, early in the morning I went to the flea market where the PC was wainting paciently for me. I bought it and I took it home. Back then, I wanted to use the case for an overpowered build that would look totaly harmless.

Let's see what was inside as we are dealing with an Intel Inside kind of system.



The CD-ROM was manufactured in July 1995. I couldn't find more at that moment without starting the PC or removing the unit.



Once again I removed the CPU from the socket so that I could take a better look. It was a Pentium 75MHz / SX969 / A80502-75. Nothing fancy up to this point but if you look closely at the back you can see two letters ES aka Engineering Sample. Something not that common. Even from that moment it became obvious that the choice to buy this PC was an inspired one. This P75 ES sits nicely, close to my P90 ES, which was also a flea martket find.



Because the heatsink was loose and it didnt make good contact with the CPU, I decided that before I start the PC I must tackle the cooling. Shortly, I decided to reuse the old cooling fan that still spinned nicely and just replace the anemic thin heatsink with something proper.



Next on the check list was the PSU. SKY HAWK MODEL: SHT-230W. Ever since I saw it, it didn't inspire confidence. The letters SHT made me thing about the brown stuff.

I was expecting a horror story inside . 20+ years is a lot of time for a PSU. Many things can go bad.



Surprise! Rubycon USP capacitors. Initially I thought that they are fake but after a short internet check, I found out that they are the real deal. This PC is full of unexpected stuff. The other capacitors looked to be OK. The fan was still in great shape so all that was left for me to do was just to clean the entire thing a little.



Soon came the moment when I pressed the POWER button. CLANK!

A happy BEEP was heard. The image soon followed on the screen. Accustomed with temperamental parts with obscure quirks, I was amazed by this box that keeps on trucking no matter what.



I booted into Windows 98.



The OS was in German, sign that this PC travelled some distance to get here. Shortly, the Good Ol' Windows 98 did what it does best ...



Satisfied that the PC was in good working order I checked to see what else was inside.

Mustek GI1904A ISA Hand Held Scanner Interface Card. Useless for me ...



CD-ROM NEC CD-272 4x. The unit works very well and even if at first it didnt exhibit this, it has the same "problem" like many other older ODDs, with discs that are other color than silver. As expected I might say. My first CD-ROM unit, an LG CRD-8160B 16x had the exact "problem".



Some funky RAM. TM 513201-70 Si-Die 2195 Ti.



The sound card is an OPTi 82C929A ISA / CRYSTAL CD4248-KL ISA with no less than four CD-ROM interfaces: Mitsumi, Sony, Panasonic and IDE!



32 bit Trident TGUI9440 - 1MB PCI - 7379 REV. H3



The motherboard is EPOX P55-IT REV: 0.2 - INTEL Triton 82430FX PCIset chipset. This fact is suggested by the string 2A59CPA9C visible on the lower part of the P.O.S.T. screen - 08/04/95-TRITON-2A59CPA9C-00 http://www.elhvb.com/mobokive/Archive/Epox/manuals/p55it.pdf



One thing was still nagging me. The missing badge. I found a thin aluminium part from a CASE-MATE phone case package and I made a badge that was perfect. Problem solved!



When I looked at all the parts sitting on the table, the thought of that overpowered system vanished in thin air. I decided to keep this PC as close to the original as possible and just make a few modifications. The sleeper will remain a sleeper, a time capsule.

I looked at the motherboard and I saw the C.O.A.S.T. - Cache On A Stick slot. What if? I told myself ...



I have four C.O.A.S.T. modules and for some time I wanted to know if they are working or not.

1. Elpina HT-VX - 256KB
2. HP 0960-0944 SPB CACHE - 256KB
3. SMART IN364TCSP83YG15 - 256KB - 2 bucati.



Because the EPOX P55-IT lacks the VRM section needed for Pentium MMX CPUs, I decided to replace the Pentium 75 with a Pentium (classic) at 166MHz. Quite a speed bump let me tell you!



Some jumper settings later. 166 @ 167. NICE! For protection, I applied on the motherboard, under the heatsink clamp, a thin transparent film. You dont want damaged traces as accidents can and will happen. The motherboard is ancient and it doesn't have CD-ROM support in BIOS, so, I had to use my Good Ol' floppy with MS-DOS CD-ROM EXTENSIONS WITH DEVICE DRIVERS from my LG CRD-8160B. My original 1998 floppy disk.



Before I post the results of the upgrades we must establish the baseline.

P166 - 24MB EDO - 256KB ASYNCHRONOUS SRAM.



P166 - 24MB EDO - 256KB SYNCHRONOUS PIPELINED BURST - C.O.A.S.T.

The HT-VX C.O.A.S.T. didnt work and I installed the HP 0960-0944 SPB CACHE - 256KB. I wasnt sure if the other two SMART IN364TCSP83YG15 modules were C.O.A.S.T. modules or something else.



I installed 64MB EDO RAM - 4 x 16MB.

P166 - 64MB EDO - 256KB SYNCHRONOUS PIPELINED BURST - C.O.A.S.T.

I tweaked the BIOS a little.



All was close to perfect but Windows 98 still threw a lot of errors. I knew that it needed a reinstall but even so it seemed way too quirky.

I decided to use MEMTEST to see if that maybe the RAM was bad.

There's your problem. DEAD RAM!



I tried to isolate the stick or sticks that were bad but I got to the conclusion that they were all DEAD?!?!?! What the F... ?!?!?!?! It can't be.



Maybe the HP 0960-0944 SPB CACHE - 256KB C.O.A.S.T. module is either dead or it is a case of an incompatibility?

I looked closely at the HP C.O.A.S.T. module and I saw that on it, it was written SMART (C) 1996. I looked at the SMART IN364TCSP83YG15 modules and I also saw the string SMART (C) 1995. These SMART IN364TCSP83YG15 might be C.O.A.S.T. modules after all. I checked the spec sheets of the CXK77W3211Q ICs and because I didnt see any warning lights I plugged a SMART IN364TCSP83YG15 module in the PC and I powered it up.

No more MEMTEST ERORRS!



Final results. P166 - 64MB EDO - 256KB SYNCHRONOUS PIPELINED BURST - C.O.A.S.T.



During the time I was working with this PC, I found at the flea market a sealed Windows 98 CD pack and two Windows 95 CDs. Unfortunately they are all in German. I would've preferred the English version but they were bought for what they are and not to be put to use.



Some light metalwork.



After I sorted out the PC case I cleaned the 5.25" FDD a little.

TEAC FD-55GFR.



I opened up the CD-ROM unit to clean the laser lens. This wasnt necessary as it was already clean. I washed the plastic front and I cleaned some light rust from the exterior.



I cleaned the rust from the PC case and I used some grey primer/filler to cover some parts that were looking worse. I didnt want to cover all of the blemishes as I wanted to preserve "the character" of this PC. A time capsule. The Sleeper that really sleeps. No extreme measures, no extreme cleaning, just some good old fun with old parts.



Final results.



Specs:

1. CPU: Intel Pentium (classic) 166MHz - SY037 - textolit
2. Motherboard: EPOX P55-IT REV: 0.2 - 256KB C.O.A.S.T. - SMART IN364TCSP83YG15
3. RAM: 64MB EDO - 4x16MB
4. Video card: Trident TGUI9440 - 1MB PCI - 7379 REV. H3
5. Sound card: OPTi 82C929A ISA / CRYSTAL CD4248-KL
6. HDD: Seagate ST31277A - Seagate MEDALIST 1.2GB
7. FDD: 1.44" / FDD: 5.25" TEAC FD-55GFR
8. PSU: SKY HAWK MODEL: SHT-230W.
9. AT CASE

In the end I was left with a system that is perfect for DOS. The only foreseeable change if I decide to use it as a daily driver is to change the video card for something with a little more muscle. Otherwise I made this system to be as great as it can be.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1v6omn6qi/

More later.

 

[Robert B]

Listenbee - Save Me (LondonBridge Remix)

HERE'S BATMAN!!!

Code name:

* Premiere PCI ED (Batman) 60MHz *** Intel PREMIERE/PCI *** Intel Batman *** P5-PCI BATMAN
* AA 624415-211 *** PBA 623667-211 *** PB 631446-001

This episode will feature a motherboard made by Intel which has the code name of "BATMAN". In the wild we can find two variants of this motherboard, based on what CPUs they support: Batman - Pentium 60 and Batman's Revenge - Pentium 60/66. The difference can be spotted by the eye as "Batman" doesnt have the VRM components needed to fully support the Pentium 66MHz. At least officially.

At a first glimpse, when I bought the motherboard, I thought that I got myself a Batman but at P.O.S.T. I saw something different. Batman or Batman's Revenge, the lack of the VRM components means a less than ideal support for the Pentium 66MHz. But this is for later.

http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/intel/index.html

1.00.xx.AF1: Premiere/PCI Expandable Desktop (Batman)
1.00.xx.AF2: Premiere/PCI ED (Batman's Revenge)

http://pcrebuilding.altervista.org/23/INTEL+DESKTOP+BOARD+NUMBER/Legacy+Intel+Desktop+Boards.html

http://www.dewassoc.com/systems/component/motherboard/intelmbrefer.htm

"Batman was Intel's first TTM("Time To Market") motherboard and its goal was to ensure the early success of the first Pentium."

https://www.tomshardware.fr/16-ans-de-cartes-meres-intel-2/

Now that we have prepared the arena, let's get on with the show.

The motherboard presented bellow was bought as "defective". It worked but the BIOS couldn't be accessed. This fact meant nothing to me. Batman is Batman even knee deep in the muck.

For a low low price it was mine ALL MINE! I anxiously waited the arrival of the relic. You see, several years ago I looked at pictures with Batman and I just drooled. Not anymore. I got my grubby hands on one and I'm not letting it go easily.

THE PACKAGE HAS ARRIVED!



Let's see what has the cat dragged in.

Would you look at that. The little Bat who thinks is THE BATMAN!!!



I didnt know what was the problem that made the BIOS to be inaccessible, and even before this I had another "headache". A Pentium 60MHz - Socket 4 was nowhere in sight.

Eversince I looked at the pictures with the motherboard and I checked the jumpers vs manual, I knew that originally it had a P60. When asked, the seller said that the P60 was not for sale no matter the price. So that meant that it was priceless ... damn ...

I already have a P66 which is "married" with my ASUS PCI/I-P5MP3 and I could've used it but I decided to wait until a P60 will fall in my lap.

As the motherboard was rather clean I decided not to take it in my dungeon where before entering on the wall is written: "BEWARE! Lots of torture cleaning ahead!" and I just took a few pictures.



Four months have passed since I bought the motherboard when by a stroke of luck I found a P60 right in my backyard ahem, cough cough, ... town.

Again, for a low low price I bought a P60 SX835 which was a perfect fit for Batman. A match made in Heaven.

The CPU was meant to be scrapped and I was very lucky to find it. It didnt look to well and I had to straighten many pins. "The force" needed to straighten the pins on a Socket 4 CPU is greater than that required for Socket 3/7 CPUs and that force is still stuck in my fingers. Also, the weight of the P60 is stuck in my mind. You can feel "the weight" when you are holding it. This is something SOLID, let me tell you.



The moment when I powered up "the Socket 4 monster" soon followed after I bought the P60. Now it was the time to see what's what.



I told you earlier about Batman and Batman's Revenge.

1.00.xx.AF1: Premiere/PCI Expandable Desktop (Batman)
1.00.xx.AF2: Premiere/PCI ED (Batman's Revenge)

At P.O.S.T. I expected to see 1.00.xx.AF1 but on the screen it was listed: 1.00.xx.AF2.



The lack of the VRM components said another thing.



Well, it is possible that my Batman has the BIOS from a Batman's Revenge ... In the end I decided to call it just Batman.

I ran SpeedSys 4.78 and as advertised, the motherboard was in good working condition.



I wasnt able to access the BIOS.

Initially I wanted to remove to BIOS chip and reprogram it. I also wanted to solder a PLCC32 socket.

Still, the problem didnt look like it was directly tied to the BIOS version.

I turned my attention to the RTC Dallas DS12887 but again I didnt want to perform a CR2032 mod as it was too much work and I wanted to keep it simple.

I searched the Internet for a solution and I found one that was quite elegant.

https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=48898&p=762433#p762433

Others like me had the same problem.

https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=48898&p=762433#p762433

As the battery from the RTC/CMOS Dallas DS12887 was long dead, the system didnt know in which date/time it was so the BIOS was inaccessible. Quirks of ancient technology.

The utility, G-SETUP, 286,386 Generic BIOS Setup Program - Bypass system BIOS program utility DOS 1996 allows the alteration of BIOS settings straight from DOS.

http://ibm-pc.org/utilities/system/system.htm

Let's see if this was the right solution.

Before. The time was 99:106:23. The date was 99/91/55103.



After I inputed some more "humanly" dates. .



Did it work? ... check for yourselves!



I felt great satisfaction after I eliminated all the gremlins from the system.

I ran a few tests just to see if I find other problems. The P60, SX835, has the all important FDIV bug! YAY! Another gem in my ever growing collection.



The Intel Batman motherboard has a spartan BIOS in comparison with the ASUS PCI/I-P5MP3 and I wasnt able to get more performance out of it. Even so, the P60 still packs a punch.

P60+Intel Batman vs P66+ASUS PCI/I-P5MP3



P60+Intel Batman BFFs!!!



Something was still nagging me. I mean, I got my hands on another Socket 4 setup and I didnt get to clean it? That's blasphemy!

After a cotton stick and IPA 99% test, I arrived to the conclusion that this motherboard is in a desperate need of cleaning! I know that I was looking for excuses ...



Was I able to take this puppy to the next level in regard to its looks?

Well, I hate to brag, but I did get way better results than before.

Check it out!



Restored to perfection! Just the way I like it!

This was the story of my second Socket 4 setup. This stuff doesnt pop up very often so in a way I feel quite lucky to own not one but two motherboards and the all important CPUs.

All the original Pentiums are in my hands, FDIV bug and all. Shinier and looking better than the day they were born.

Stay tuned for more great episodes!

More later.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/2lkh0ct42/

 

[Ruru]

You got also an AM2NF3-VSTA?! Wanna have some competition?

Tho I have about the fastest hardware it can carry on, heard there's problems running Phenoms with it..

 

[Mr.Scott]

You got also an AM2NF3-VSTA?! Wanna have some competition?

Tho I have about the fastest hardware it can carry on, heard there's problems running Phenoms with it..

There is no problems. I have 2 of them. One of the best, if not THE best, AGP benching boards there is.

 

[Ruru]

There is no problems. I have 2 of them. One of the best, if not THE best, AGP benching boards there is.

Hm, weird, I remember having some problems when I tried this 940 BE on it.

ASRock AM2NF3-VSTA / ALiveDual-eSATA2 Note