Maxdata ECO 3100X - P4 issue

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more_coffee
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Hello all,

Turning to the experts having run out of steam....

I recently acquired a Maxdata ECO 3100X laptop, advertised with a 2.6GHz P4. This was loaded with a questionable copy of Vista, so tried to install XP, 2000 and/or Linux (tried all unsuccessfully). The installs halt during format (2000), system checking (before install- XP), or fail to load the kernel (Linux).

After a bit of head scratching, RAM swaps and HDD disconnect, problems are still apparent.

I see:
1. Laptop model (bottom label) is N35BS1; rebadged Uniwill...?
2. System diagnostics show 1300MHz for the CPU, not 2600
3. CPU turns out to be SL6WH- P4 2.6GHz HT, 800MHz FSB

BIOS info:
AMIBIOS
AMI EC951 Version: 1.10
63-0620-009999-00101111-040201-SiS650-34BS1M

Board seems to report
MAXDATA N34BS1 5123660003

I strongly suspect that the machine has been fiddled with or 'rebuilt'.

Since Maxdata are no more, I ask for some assistance:

1. Can anyone help me find out what chip should be in the machine? I initially thought the max speed was 2.4GHz w/ 400/533 FSB (from Uniwill site), however have acquired a P4 2.4GHz chip @ 533 which won't get all the way through the boot. I now find conflicting info that it may be Celeron or P4-M chips for the board...

2. Would a BIOS update enable me to recognise either of these chips? I am reluctant to do this unless absolutely necessary.

3. Some Uniwill documentation mentions the SW6 jumber- presumably not present on all boards; where would this be?

4. Could I be completely off in my assumptions!?

Thanks in advance-
Rob
cp
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Location: Germany

according to SIS the 650 (with its variant 650GX) only supports a 100MHz front side bus which is 400MHz in Intel marketing terms. since Intel multiplies the clock on the bus with the data transfers on rising and falling edges (2 transfers on both) their bus clock results in 400MHz which is - in technical terms - completely nonsense. the bus clock doesn't exceed 100MHz and to honor their quad-pumped bus i'm going to call their FSB by its name: FSB. okay, just a little clarification on the terms. start business now :)

the 2.6GHz cpu is running at 200MHz front side bus (FSB800) with a fixed multiplier of 13 (13*200MHz FSB = 2600MHz core). since the SIS650 only supports 100MHz FSB and the multiplier is fixed (hardwired) it'll run at 1300MHz core (13*100MHz FSB).

technically every Pentium 4 with FSB400 (or 100MHz FSB) should run in the machine with its full speed.
select 'Intel Pentium 4 Processors' on Intel's processor finder
the SL6GU is the fastest processor with FSB400 running at 2.6GHz.

if every processor running a 100MHz FSB is running on your board also depends on the BIOS. to find out if a certain model works there's virtually no other way than testing.
If you email me include [WIMSBIOS] in the subject.
edwin
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so, this thing can only handle 400FSB thus a 800FSB processor would indeed run at half the speed or 1300MHz. Yes, this laptop has been fiddled with... :(
edwin/evasive

Do not assume anything

System error, strike any user to continue...
more_coffee
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Thanks for the replies- good tip re: FSB.

Unfortunately, it now means I have 2 useless chips :x Does it seem reasonable to be having stability issues with the 2.6 chip, ie. underclocked?

{Sorry for posting originally in the wrong place...}

Cheers
more_coffee
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Last ditch effort-

Had another look at the machine and noticed that I had been looking at the SW6 jumpers the whole time- they are DIP switches beside the ZIF (I was looking for the old-style plastic jumpers...)

Inverted these and installed my 2.4 chip.

Diagnostic on Hiren's boot CD recognises the P4 2.4G chip, reports 2394MHz and shows 133*18. It seems to be able to boot my Linux live CD, so I will get on with XP and see how that goes.

Thanks for your help 8)
cp
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overclocking is evil, but as long as it works and as long as you know what you are doing: go for it :)

maybe you can post a photo (to some picture hoster) and a short explanation that may help other users, too.
If you email me include [WIMSBIOS] in the subject.
noborep
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Well, it's not overclocking at all. One of the differences between the N34AS1 and the N34BS1 boards is, that the N34BS is equipped wit the SiS M650 chipset instead of the SiS 650. (Note the "M" in front).

This newer chipset can, besides USB 2.0, handle the 533MHz FSB. So it is not overclocked.

With the switches SW6 near the CPU, the core voltage range for the different possible CPU types is set.

HH=Celeron, LH=Mobile P4, HL=Desktop P4

I used the board with a 2.4Ghz desktop P4 at 533MHz FSB but I found out, that it is running very hot. So finally I changed back to a 2.2 GHz mobile P4 with 400MHz FSB which runs much cooler.

What is your experience with the current CPU? Is it D/T or Mobile?

By the way, even the N34AS1 board with SiS 650 (without the "M") runs at 533MHz FSB if you put a 533 CPU in it. But this one is really overclocked and does not run stable. I fond, that it tends to corrupt the HDD contents. So maybe the HDD controller doesn't work well at this ferequency.
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