Which Dual MP mobo

N

NerdzRule7

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 3, 2002
Messages
244
ok for my new smp system i'm going dual mp. i've been looking around at motherboards and i believe i've narrowed it down to the tyan S2466N-4M and the MSI K7D Master-L. both retail for about $200 and have similar features. i was just wondering what people thought of either board. i dont plan on overclocking much, although mutiplier adjustments are a must so i can get around 2500+ out of the processors i plan to buy (right now i'm thinking about dual 2500+ semprons). any thoughts?-The_Nerd
 
Heh, I just replied to your post in the other thread. I like the K7D Master-L a lot, I'm quite happy with mine, especially that it came with a USB2.0 card. Multiplier adjustments only go up to 12.5 though. The Tyan is a very good board too.

Edit: Looked up the Tiger MPX, it doesn't look like it has any multiplier options according to this review http://www.amdmb.com/article-display.php?ArticleID=154.
 
hmm so it looks like i either cut the bridges for my desired mutiplier, or i go with the msi.. hmm the msi sounds good to me then. i found it for about $210 at tcwo.com so i'll probably be picking that up sometime soon along with the semprons(that is when i can get the money.. i just finished working for this summer) and i'll be sure to post some sempron dually goodness!-The_nerd
 
I ended up cutting and painting my bridges (I've done it so many times I've actually become practiced at it, and can do both processors in a couple minutes :rolleyes: ), but there's actually a better solution. Use this guide http://www.ocinside.de/go_e.html?/html/workshop/pinmod/amd_pinmod_howto.html, get some really thin wire, and put it into the holes in the socket. (Make sure to choose "Socket view". Also, you don't have to do the pins for voltage.)

If you have any other questions about the K7D, I'll do my best to answer.
 
so do you use the mutiplier adujustments in the msi bios DanK or do you still have to pinmod because they dont unlock. if i'd have to pinmod either way, i might check out the tyan again, if for no other reason newegg has it in stock. i've also heard great things about them being super stable.. but i wont rule out the tyan then quite yet-The_Nerd
 
To get full speed, you do end up having to mod the processors (either via bridges, or via wires into the socket) with the MSI... this is because the default FSB is 166. 11 is the default multiplier on regular Barton cores, which gives 11*166=1.83GHz. Even if the chips are unlocked (which mine are), the BIOS multiplier adjustment only goes up to 12.5. This is another appealing aspect of the mobile XPs, since their default FSB is only 133. (So if you buy a 1.8GHz mobile, it already has a multiplier of 13.5.)

However, some people go about getting the full clockspeed in a different manner. The MSI is one of the few dual MP boards to include FSB adjustments, letting you choose between a few speeds (133, 138, 140, 144, and 150, IIRC). So if you raise the multiplier to 12.5 and can get the FSB to 150, then you are at full speed, and with higher memory performance as well. (Unfortunately, mine can't do this:( ... it may be that I didn't buy the right memory for overclocking.) It can't hurt to try this approach if you want to avoid physical modifications. FSB adjustment is the primary advantage of the K7D over the other dual Athlon boards. From what I hear, though, the Tyan is also a very excellent board, which chooses to ensure stability by not giving you the option to overclock.
 
One more thing I forgot to add: if you intend to use more than 2GB of RAM, you have to buy registered memory. Since I want to go to 3GB someday, I jumped on a great deal on the Samsung RAM I have now. If a 2GB ceiling is not an issue for you, then you can use less expensive (and most likely better for overclocking) non-registered DDR. 512s are pretty cheap, but once you move to the GB sticks, they nail you. :mad:
 
DanK you don't happend to play Tribes: Arena do you?
 
the 2466-4M is a no-frills super stable board. I own one and it's been good to me. I am sort of a tweaker as far as hardware goes, but if you're aiming to hit just 2500+ speeds and then leave it i'd say the 2466 is a great choice. I personally would go for the K7D now just because i like to tweak my boards a bit, and it's prettier :D
 
Hehehe, red PCB > *

Anyway, i've got a K7D and i've been very happy with it, it's rock stable all day now that I got real MPs
 
No, I haven't played anything Tribes-related online in years... great game though. Still fun, and sometimes my friends and I will start it up and play a few rounds at LANs every now and again. Must be another DanK out there (it's a pretty common nick I guess). Hmm, now that you remind me of it, maybe I'll pick it up again! :D
 
Hi!

I've just bought a k7d master - l .

And i would like to ask you, to tell me, how to use a barton in this mobo? is there a chance not to do the "multiplier hack" ?

l5/4 connection is ok for me, but the multiplier hack seems to be a bit rough..

thanks a lot!
 
The MSI K7D Master is the best motherbaord I have ever owned...bar none.
 
I've used all the MPX boards and the K7D master L is a great one.
I don't like the Tyan, it's very stable, but picky about RAM and CPUs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top