Words cannot begin to describe...

[major-error.livejournal.com]

How does one adequately express their immense displeasure at an unsuccessful hardware upgrade?

I've been slowly upgrading all my older systems to max out CPU & memory; everything was all fine & good until I got to my fileserver...
Old Supermicro P6DBE rev2 board (dual-proc P II/III) currently running @ 2x450MHz w/ 650Mb.

I read the manual (gasp!)
It can go up to 1GHz/100MHz FSB PIII w/1GB ram
Consult intel site for appropriate CPU model, then pricegrabber; order mem/cpus from Co. that has more than one in stock.

Package arrives on appointed day, delivery man even shows up early with the shiny newness! Manage to get through remainder of workday without becoming a jittery, excited mess...

Arrive home, shutdown system, take safe route: swap memory first. Power back on?

whirring fans....but no beep(s).

same result w/ old mem & new CPUs.
BIOS flashed, no change.

Email supermicro stating manual is a load of bollocks... (in nicest possible way :)
response: "If your processor is 133mhz FSB speed then it will not support."

duh! I said I read the manual, where that bit was clearly stated!

Comments

[jecook]

Yep.

I have found that FAR TOO FRELLING MANY sticks of "PC-133" won't go backwards compatible with PC-100.

And don't even get me started on PC-66 dimms, either.

[major-error.livejournal.com]

memory is ecc registered PC100 sdram mfg'd by hynix for IBM (fru:33L3116)
as opposed to the unbuffered generic crap that would've been cheaper...

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

That issue is entirely vendors cheaping out on SPD programming. The actual Memory chips will support anything slower than PC-133, but you can't use it of there's no timings for it in the SPD. A huge issue for Apple users given Apple's preference for using slower, more reliable timings which used to be left out by budget memory makers.

PC-66 was a joke. Never was compatible.

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

MB and manual predate 133MHz Coppermine's. Not their fault.

Somebody didn't research which P3 cores were supported.

[major-error.livejournal.com]

SL4KL cores are listed on the intel website as 1000/100

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

But if it's a Coppermine, it needs a 133MHz capable chipset (for CPU support, not for the faster bus). IIRC the pre-coppermines topped out around 700MHz.

[major-error.livejournal.com]

I didn't say it was a coppermine.

I made sure of what I was getting.
the proc even says 100MHz on it :P

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

Does it have 256k Cache?

[major-error.livejournal.com]

only the slow ones had more.

http://www.intel.com/design/pentiumiii/qit/update.pdf

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

Nope, Tualatin was available in 256k and 512K (P III-S) versions, but only in 133MHz bus versions from 1GHz on up.

You've got a Coppermine, which most likely isn't supported by your board's core logic, since your board is Katmai/P2-era. Sure the board is spec'd for 1GHz, but that doesn't mean a CPU it supports was ever made that fast (Katmai in 100MHz form topped out at 600MHz) . It happens (I've got an Asus A7V with the same issue).

[major-error.livejournal.com]

Just got a response back; the cut-in for support >600MHZ was 12/98 for the "Harris controller" and 6/99 for other engineering changes.

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

Oh, and btw, it was clearly stated in the line you quoted:

1GHz/100MHz FSB PIII w/1GB ram


100MHz bus != 133Mhz bus.

[kalium.livejournal.com]

How? WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER!

[coyoteden.livejournal.com]

What about proper vCore support? I've seen boards that won't take PIII "E" chips.

P3 versions were:
B=133FSB
E=Coppermine

EB was 133FSB Coppermine, but there were non-coppermine "B" 133FSB, and 100FSB "E" Coppermines. I think the 1Ghz 100FSB was still and "E" coppermine.

[major-error.livejournal.com]

the SL4KL wasn't listed as a E, B, or EB part.

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

It's a Pentium III 1000E, but it postdates that naming convention, as it does the chipset on your board.

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

That's what he's got. An old 450BX based board which doesn't work with coppermines.

[major-error.livejournal.com]

funny thing is that they list it as BX/GX

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

What does your chipset say, it would be definitive.

It could be a 440GX, which was simply the server version of the BX.

[major-error.livejournal.com]

either way, it doesn't matter.
I have a flaky rev3 board, and it doesn't like the parts either...

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

Just looked it up, Supermicro made a P6DGE as well as the DBE, looks like the letter that changed denotes the chipset.

Neither will work for you (As they're P2 chipsets that support Katmai P3's only because Katmai's are P2 cores with SSE added, not an entirely new core like Coppermine)

[major-error.livejournal.com]

Anger, Denial, Barganing, Acceptance, RMA

a Fuji Finepix F10 is looking pretty good right now... O_o