Hi all,
Just purchased a 1.4Ghz Thunderbird / A1400AMS3C on e-bay & need some info on the Bios settings (just in case) + a PSU recommendation if mine's not up to running this Cpu.

What I can tell you is this is the last officially supported Cpu for my Mobo & Bios rev though I have posted about 2400+ T-Breds running on this Mobo I would prefer if it can recognise the instruction set.

I have a link for the Mobo if anyone would like to have a look.

http://www.abit-usa.com/produc...chsp...ries=1&model=89' ">http://www.abit-usa.com/produc...?categories=1&model=89

I also would appreciate any info about what is an acceptable running temp. for this Cpu as I heard they tend to run hot.

I have bought some Arctic Silver 5 Cpu grease (Thermal Paste) & some ArctiClean Thermal Surface Remover & Purifier but any tips on best method of application or quantities to use would be very welcome. /smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

Cheers

P.S.All input welcome /biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

I do not know what you mean by recognise the instruction set: If you mean having the name & speed of the chip listed at boot time, that is only cosmetic and does not really matter - what matters is whether the chip is stable or not. If the 2400+ is stable on the motherboard, it'd be fine.

Official CPU support lists can often be ignored; sometimes they are wrong, incomplete, out of date, or don't reflect the 'ifs' and 'buts'.

The list here:
"Processor
- AMD Socket A Duron (100MHz FSB) up to 950MHz
- AMD Socket A Athlon (100/133MHz FSB) up to 1.4GHz"

at the exact URL you gave, did you go by that? It was probably written at the motherboard's production time...

The motherboard is listed on that page as having a KT133A chipset; those usually support 133/266MHz FSB & Athlon XPs, indicating it'd probably support a 2400+ Athlon XP Thoroughbred running at full speed just fine.

What are the specifications of your power supply unit? Try to keep the CPU normally under 60°C.

Hi eddaweaver /smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />
QUOTEI do not know what you mean by recognise the instruction set: If you mean having the name & speed of the chip listed at boot time, that is only cosmetic and does not really matter - what matters is whether the chip is stable or not. If the 2400+ is stable on the motherboard, it'd be fine.

Sorry I should have been more specific , Everest gives a good example. /blush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blush.gif' />

QUOTESuggestion SSE is not supported. Upgrade your CPU to speed up applications optimized for SSE.

I do know about running 2400+ T-Breds but it's said it has to be locked? Step "B" is what I have seen quoted but it runs as a unidentified Cpu that you have to enter manual settings for & that leaves me witht 2 issues. /sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' />

1)Unidentified Cpu - so maybe you get the speed out of it but it does not utilize the added features since the T-Bird Series

2)This is a SDRam Mobo so the FSB is a max of 133 on the board?
So would you really be getting the 2Ghz out of the Cpu or at what speed could be reached before you would bottleneck(ie. maybe a slightly slower Cpu but getting it's max from it).

The PSU is not a good story from what I can guess as I cannot find any brand,even a poor quality one! Lol

It reads Switching Power Supply Model ATX 300W & in big green letters it says N.S (a Brand?)
Manufacture Date Jan 2001.
AC Input 240V - 50Hz 3A
DC Output (MAX)

+3.3V .... 14.0A
+5V ...... 22.0A
-5V ...... 0.5A
+12V .... 6.0A
-12V ..... 0.8A
+5SB ..... 1A

I can only tell you it's from a P1 or P2 case & whether it's up to running a T-Bird?
I think I might need a new PSU /excl.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='excl.gif' />

60c for the T-Bird? My Duron is doing is 51c if Everest is to be believed.

Thanks for your thoughts on this M8.

That's the weakest PSU I've ever seen! I'm surprised it could even boot a Thunderbird or Katmai. It was probably from a Pentium MMX system.

I'm not quite sure what you're saying about instructions and added features... AFAIK the only added feature in the XP vs the TB that comes to mind is SSE, which isn't very important unless you're using an application that specifically needs it. If you're using a TB, it doesn't have SSE anyway.

The 2400+ is meant for a 133MHz FSB motherboard, so it isn't excessively bottlenecked; Athlon XPs are designed with L2 cache for high multipliers, so it isn't a big deal. It's true it'd be faster with DDR SDRAM than SDR SDRAM, but you'd never really notice the difference except in games. Even if it were particularily bottlenecked, it's still 600MHz faster than the 1.4GHz TB + it is ~10% faster per MHz.

Hi eddaweaver,
QUOTEThat's the weakest PSU I've ever seen! I'm surprised it could even boot a Thunderbird or Katmai. It was probably from a Pentium MMX system.

Well I can't disagree with you there,I thought it was suspect though I hadn't realised it was that bad. /sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' />

The good news is I've just got my T-Bird & thrown it in,it's a noticeable improvement with apps & movies running smoother.

But the heatsink I had bought with it off ebay didn't fit,because it overhung to much & the caps near the Cpu were to high. /mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' />

I've been forced to use my stock heatsink & fan off my 900 Duron with temps between 60-65c just web browsing & email.

So I need a recommendation for both a PSU & a heatsink/fan combo in a hurry & I can spend about Aus $320 for the lot.

The XP T-Bred will have to wait. /blush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blush.gif' />

Thanks

For the PSU: look for one with:
* active PFC
* ATX12V 2.x (if you want to be able to run an AMD64 from it in the future)
* that is quiet (read website reviews)

A heatsink rated for an Athlon XP 3200+ should be big enough.

Thanks eddaweaver,
I'll post back when I get & install them. /smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

Cheers

Hi eddaweaver,
I got a new heatsink/fan combo & as you suggested, I got one rated to Athlon XP 3400+
& it's now running with temps between 40-43c without all the noise! /biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

I got a TR2-M2 (P/N:A4002D) & the tech in the shop where I bought it from,installed it with the pad still on it,I thought if he installs it he can't claim user's fault if anything should go wrong (a pity about buying the Artic Silver 5 & not using it).

I would like to know what you think of it.

http://www.tr2tt.com/products/coolers/m2.htm' ">http://www.tr2tt.com/products/coolers/m2.htm

As to PSU's I'll get an Antec 400W & see how I go! /smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

Thanks for your help! /wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' />

I am not abig expert on heatsinks but it can't be too bad if it's at a cool 43°C on that big chip at 1400MHz with a thermal pad. It probably doesn't matter that it's a thermal pad if it's that effective. The copper vs aluminium must make a big difference as usually an aluminium heatsink of that size wouldn't provide nearly that much cooling.