PCChips M748LMRT and Celeron 600Mhz

Agent24 · BIOS Newbie Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 16

This board is dual Slot 1/Socket 370 board, I've got it running a slot 1 P2 350Mhz but I want to try a 600mhz skt370 celeron, but it doesn't POST.

I upgraded to what I think is the latest BIOS (13-Feb-2001) which apparently increases CPU support up to 12x multiplier (so with 100mhz FSB should be 1.2Ghz) but no go.

Does anyone have any experience with this board or know where I can get a newer BIOS or a modded version?

cp · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:18 am Post subject:

is it coppermine compatible out of the box? if not you could (hardware) modify the socket or use a slot1->s370 converter. just make sure it supports coppermine cpus (there are various topics about that in the forum).

support for faster cpus doesn't (necessarily) require a bios update as the cpu has a locked multiplier and it will just operate with the frontsidebus * multiplier. the mainboard doesn't need to know how fast the cpu is nor does it care. there are just some measurements taken to display a flaky cpu speed but that's just eyecandy for the user.

oh, and the board isn't a dual version but mere a twin version. dual means it can take two cpus at the same time, twin means it can take one cpu at a time but the cpu can have various (two ;)) socket types.
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Agent24 · BIOS Newbie Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 16

I think you may have found the problem, the CPU is a coppermine-128, but that board is so old I think it does not support them (there is no mention of it in the manual)

I guess then I need a slot-socket adaptor if I were to run this.

Thanks for correcting me with the dual/twin motherboard issue too Smile

cp · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:33 am Post subject:

you can even run coppermine cpus in Intel 440LX chipset boards. there is no incompatibility between the chipset and the cpu if they support the same processor bus.
the problem is that intel changed the pin assignment of the coppermines to prevent older boards to even start if one of those processors were dropped in. the reason is the processor core regulation circuit which has been redefined for the later socket 370 processors. voltages dropped and currents increased so on older boards the cpus could be overvolted and the regulator could be damaged by the cpu demanding more current than the regulator was designed to supply. to prevent scenarios like that a simple change in the pin assignment was made.
so if you know what you are doing it is quite simple to remove the socket 370 lockout and make even coppermines work in older mainboards. if you're using a coppermine compatible slot1/socket370 adapter the lockout will be removed by the adapter itself without checking if the mainboard's regulator will be able to supply the lower voltage and/or the higher currents.
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Agent24 · BIOS Newbie Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 16

as an update to this...

I recently got given a box of old computer bits, among these was an old socket 370 celeron - 433mhz.

http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SL3BS.html

Now this one is mendocino, not coppermine, so I figured it should work. right?

doesn't work with that one either Sad

I then thought, maybe the board is faulty and can't run fast CPU for some reason (don't know how this would work) so I dropped a slot 1 P3 550 in it - and it came up fine first try

Obviously that theory is down the drain

So then I thought, perhaps the socket370 on the board is faulty - as luck would have it I also got 2 slockets with the bits, so I tested it with both.. Nothing.

Either this board really doesn't like celerons, or something is wrong.

To even further confuse me, I tested the celeron in a separate board, and it worked fine!!

cp · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:56 am Post subject:

http://www.amptron.com/html/m748lmrt.html

the amptron site states that the board can handle ppga celerons upto 533MHz. so there must be something wrong with your current config.
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Denniss · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject:

Set the FSB in Bios or per jumper to 66 MHz and try again. If 100MHz FSB of the Previous P2-350 was still effective than a no-boot is clear as the Celeron is not capable of running that fast.
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Agent24 · BIOS Newbie Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 16

apparently, according to the manual the CPU is autoconfigured in BIOS, I tried setting it to 66 x 6.5 manually, then shutting down, then changing the CPU - no go either.

cp · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:51 am Post subject:

i just have an ECS P6SET-ML behaving a bit odd. same chipset, so the trick might apply. my board doesn't start up with anthing different than a Pentium II cpu. except..when you push the reset button. then the board will boot properly even with a coppermine celeron.

try the following:
put the CPU in, power on, wait a sec, push reset. does the board come up now?
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Agent24 · BIOS Newbie Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 16

Tried but that didn't work either.

It's as if this board just does not like celerons in any form, even the ones that are officially supported.

Do you think, with all the different variations of this board under different brands, that it's possible a wrong BIOS update could break support for celeron somehow?

If I remember correctly I got the BIOS file I am using from an archived version of amptron or pcchips's website on web.archive.org

Actually now I think about it, I can't remember which one it was Sad

My board is actually Rev 1.5 now that I look at the top left corner..

Agent24 · BIOS Newbie Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 16

Update...

I just remembered about a slot-1 400mhz celeron in an old compaq .. so I put it in.. and worked first time!

Now I'm really confused / annoyed

edit: yes the 433mhz celeron still does work. just not in the PCChips board Shocked

cp · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:15 pm Post subject:

pcchips site:
http://pcchipsusa.com/support-pcchips-bios.asp

amptron site:
http://www.amptron.com/html/biosCode.html

at least 4 bios files to mess with ;) just don't forget to make a backup copy of your current bios.
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