PC chips m535!?

[HMBR]

Hi, I have this MB with a pentium 166s, 64mb edo ram, cirrus logic 1mb, voodoo II 8mb, first of all, I have a 80gb HD but the mb didn't work with it, so maybe a bios update? the actual bios is from 96.. also looking at the mb I saw that it support 2.5volt and 3x multiplier, 75mhz fsb, I have a k6 II 300 with no use, It will work with 1.5x (3.5x) mutl + 75mhz + 2.5 volt, so 262mhz, a bit of underclock and some overvolt... but will work?
soon as I can I will post some photos...
the bios is:
10/18/1996-i430vx-10031996c-00

at the mobo I found this
L-9650 ML-1 94v-8 is that a 530!? 520!? I notice that it have 4 cache chips (512k?) and the place fot the expasion slot doesn't have the slot... 2x sdram, 4x pci, 3x isa... by the bios I can see that it have USB support, doesn't have PS2 connector... but I can see one place where it should be... I found also a v1.3 next to the keyboard connector...
thanks.

edit, just remebered, I have also a k6 533mhz, but this is impossible to work?

the problem is I'm not sure if this k6s work anyway, one is at a asus p5a-b, other in a compaq via atx mb, both stop working (they turn on but no sign of life) but I think is the mobos, not the cpus...

[cp]

I have a k6 II 300 with no use, It will work with 1.5x (3.5x) mutl + 75mhz + 2.5 volt, so 262mhz, a bit of underclock and some overvolt... but will work?

yes, it will. the problem will be that there is a linear regulator on that board. linear regulator means: low current supply and high heat dissapation due to the low efficiency of the regulator. if you put in the K6-II make sure to add an extra fan to cool the linear regulator or it will just dissapate some white smoke...only once though.

for the latest bios search for PcChips i430VX. make sure to grab the correct version!!! your current bios should show something like 'Release xx/xx/xxxxL' or 'Release xx/xx/xxxxS'. the last character is what you're looking for.

http://wims.rainbow-software.org/index.php?count=-1

which OS are you using? the bios just supports HDDs upto 64GB, so if you're using an old OS (like DOS, any Windows before 2k or XP) you'll only be able to access that 64GB. if you're using some modern OS (Windows 2k, XP or Linux) the BIOS limitation on the HDD is not an issue.

I notice that it have 4 cache chips (512k?)

two of them are cache chips, the other two are the data path chips that belong to the intel 430VX chipset. so the mainboard has 256kB L2 cache.

edit, just remebered, I have also a k6 533mhz, but this is impossible to work?

the linear regulator will just go up in flames if you put that processor in, as it has to drop 5V-2.5V=2.5V multiplied with the current demanded by the processor. with a K6-II this means around 10A (roughly, doesn't matter anyway since the regulator will not be able to supply this much current), so it has turn 25W into heat. that's the same amount the processor turns into heat.

[KachiWachi]

IIRC, Jan Steunebrink was working on a 128 GB patch for this board.

http://home.hccnet.nl/j.steunebrink/M520_j2.zip

I don't recall if the BIOS is the Long or the Short version.


Thanks.

[HMBR]

thanks for the help!
very useful information

but, I can't make the mobo work anymore, yesterday I had the idea to test a sdram on the mobo, I take off the 2 edo ram (2x32mb) and tried to install the sdram, but then I realize that it wouldn't work, it was a PC133 ram, so I put the edo back and... beeeeep, beeeeep... tried 100x times to test in different slot, only one chip, even tried another chip (4mb, from a 486) and nothing, always the same thing, with or without the memory installed
I would try to take the battery off, but it seems to be soldered, than the clear cmos, I found a place where look to be the place for the jumper to clear cmos (a open jumper very close to the bios chip and battery), put the jumper there and always the same beeps.

[cp]

jumper settings can be found here:
http://www.mobokive.org/Archive/PcChips ... index.html

i hope that you are aware of the fact that you always have to populate TWO memory slots with PS/2 ram of the same kind (at least with all Intel socket 7 chipsets).

if you carefully listen to the sequence of the beeps, you can find out what the problem is since all those beeps have a meaning. just do a search for "award beep codes".

PC133 btw. doesn't say that the module is incompatible with the mainboard. PC133 just says that the module is able to handle 133MHz on the memory bus at max. it surely will handle less speed, too. however it's almost certain that the module can't be used with its full capacity but that's a limitation of the memory controller build into the chipset.

[Denniss]

The i430VX memory controller is useless with SDRAM as supported memory density is far too low. Better stick with good quality EDO, either 4x16 or 2x32.

The onboard voltage regulator should not be capabl of delivering the low VCore the K6-2 needs nor is it able the Amperage the processor would suck from the voltage regulator. Without oveclocking the max you could use is 400 MHz of your 533 MHz CPU.

[HMBR]

"Repeating (endless loop) Memory error Check for improperly seated or missing memory."
so it is memory... I tested 2x 4mb edo ram (from a 486) and it worked!
than I tried 1x32mb in the 486 (the modules that was in the "m535") and it counted the memory fine, but the PC stopped at the windows loading screens, same thing with the 2 modules, than tested the 2 modules at the sime time and it doesnt start, but I think maybe is a problem with the 486, it have 4mb of onboard memory so it would be 68mb of ram, I think it's over the mb limit,

the layout doesn't match 100% of this mbs on the link but I think I found the right jumper (jp1, is very close to the bios chip and battery), I tried that jumper, when I started the PC with the 486 edo rams, it was there the "cmos error", than put the 2x32mb back and just worked perfectly, I think my mistake was to test only with one memory at the "m535"?!!
anyway thank you!
so, I took the pictures of the MB:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c370/ ... m53501.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c370/ ... m53502.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c370/ ... m53503.jpg

the k6 I wan't to use (300afr) at the p5a-b (it doesn't work, with ATX power supply it just don't turn on, and with at just the fans work, the tree leds of the beyboard stay on)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c370/ ... zo/p5a.jpg

so, m520 bios should work fine with this mb?
the k6 will work, but I will have more heat and will "force" the volt regulatores more than they where designed to, and will use another fan to cool them, the highest clock that the processor will work is the 260mhz that I said? (3.5x75@2.5v)?
or there is any way to work at 4.5x66?

edit, for the HD, I'm using win98se, but the HD didn't wok, I tried to run HDD regenerator (dos) and the 80gb is not detected (in another PC it works)

edit2: how can I know if my mb use the "L or S" bios? (that's long and short?!)

edit3: in everest, I notice that it says that there is no l2!?
also this:

so it's "short"?
I also tried memory read test and the result is higher than "PC66" with the same processor and 430tx chipset!?

[Mr.X]

The i430VX memory controller is useless with SDRAM as supported memory density is far too low. Better stick with good quality EDO, either 4x16 or 2x32.

I had some EDO DIMMs installed, but could only get 48megs total with the chips I had on hand. Just tried upgrading to 2x64meg SIMMs (PC100) and it still only recognizes 48meg!

Putting just one SIMM in (both are 64meg) gets me 16meg or 32meg, depending on the particular SIMM.

Obviously some compatibility issue there, I assue that the max that the MB can deal with is 32meg per SIMM?

If so, then crap.

Just want to run Win2k at a reasonable speed and 48megs is just too small.

[KachiWachi]

The i430VX will only recognize up to 32 MB DIMMS (16 Mbit Technology).

Your best bet is to install four 32 MB EDO SIMMS for a total of 128 MB.


Thanks.

[Mr.X]

Thank you for very much for your fast reply.

[edwin]

some other stuff for the M535:
http://www.elhvb.com/mobokive/Archive/P ... index.html