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  • ECS K7S5A boot issues

    Picked up one of these boards recently to build a cheap rig into using my old Duron 800, and I'm getting a very odd problem.

    I've got no AGP card in the box, using a Mystique based RRS instead, plus a Compaq 3121 10/100nic and Adaptec 39160.

    When I have more than 2 of these cards in the box, it will POST but wont boot.
    Doesnt seem to care where the cards go or what they are, any more than 2 of them and it simply hangs at the 'Hooking boostrap interrupt 18h' stage.

    Is there a hidden BIOS switch somewhere that says "Turn this board into a pile of crap' or have I just got a duff mobo?
    Athlon XP-64/3200, 1gb PC3200, 512mb Radeon X1950Pro AGP, Dell 2005fwp, Logitech G5, IBM model M.

  • #2
    Very odd.
    I seem to have a mobo thats incompatible with Compaq 3121Nic cards.
    Tried two of them, sme results.
    Currently have Mystique RR, Adaptec 39160, 2xVoodoo 2s and an Intel 10/100pro nic and its booting fine.

    I hate computers, I really do.
    Athlon XP-64/3200, 1gb PC3200, 512mb Radeon X1950Pro AGP, Dell 2005fwp, Logitech G5, IBM model M.

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    • #3
      K7S5A aren't the most compatible mobos around.

      I've seen a lot of issues with those boards in combination with certain SDRAM DIMMs (no video output nor beeps on startup) and a lot of problems with certain CDROM/CDRW combos.

      It's cheap for a reason.. I bet they've skimped a lot on compatibility testing of the BIOS. It works ok with most 'normal/common' hardware however, and when it works it's a good board for the price. Just keep in mind that ECS is closely related to PCChips

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      • #4
        Oh boy, now I'm really looking forward to trying to install NT4 into that lot

        Once more unto the bios dear feinds....
        Athlon XP-64/3200, 1gb PC3200, 512mb Radeon X1950Pro AGP, Dell 2005fwp, Logitech G5, IBM model M.

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        • #5
          It's cheap for a reason? Reason being that they only have to mount 1 chip instead of two - less expensive to design, build, and package. It's only $10 less than my MSI 745Ultra.
          Gigabyte P35-DS3L with a Q6600, 2GB Kingston HyperX (after *3* bad pairs of Crucial Ballistix 1066), Galaxy 8800GT 512MB, SB X-Fi, some drives, and a Dell 2005fpw. Running WinXP.

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          • #6
            All boards based on the SIS735/745 are very inexpensive, but yeilds were low for SIS, so they went back to dual chip.....
            Let us return to the moon, to stay!!!

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            • #7
              and your source for that info is?
              "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -- Dr. Seuss

              "Always do good. It will gratify some and astonish the rest." ~Mark Twain

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              • #8
                Yes, really. Yield info is generally a very well kept secret. What's more - low yield on one chip can still be <B>much</B> cheaper than average yield on two. Even if your reason were true, it doesn't make much sense.
                Gigabyte P35-DS3L with a Q6600, 2GB Kingston HyperX (after *3* bad pairs of Crucial Ballistix 1066), Galaxy 8800GT 512MB, SB X-Fi, some drives, and a Dell 2005fpw. Running WinXP.

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                • #9
                  What is better:
                  Dual or single chip?
                  If there's artificial intelligence, there's bound to be some artificial stupidity.

                  Jeremy Clarkson "806 brake horsepower..and that on that limp wrist faerie liquid the Americans call petrol, if you run it on the more explosive jungle juice we have in Europe you'd be getting 850 brake horsepower..."

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                  • #10
                    Tossup. The single chip is a tad faster because the nb/sb interlink is self contained while the separate nb/sb is more configurable in terms of board makers being able to select what southbridge they want to use (new/expensive vs. old/cheaper).

                    In 2001 ECS overtook ASUS as the #1 Taiwan mainboard producter.

                    Who owns who:

                    ECS owns Hsing Tech, which is a very small part of their operations.

                    Hsing Tech's chairman was at one time the chairman of PC-Chips, but since PC-Chips is out of business....

                    Dr. Mordrid
                    Dr. Mordrid
                    ----------------------------
                    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Greebe
                      and your source for that info is?
                      I got this directly from SIS when visiting their Sunnyale, CA offices....

                      Another reason that they decided to go to a 2 chip design is that they can add new features more easily, simply by updating the SB or NB indipendently...
                      Let us return to the moon, to stay!!!

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                      • #12
                        PCChips isn't out of business, it's part of ECS.
                        Anyway, ECS uses a lot of different brand names/aliases, as found on this link:

                        (and probably even more).

                        I'm not saying ECS boards are crap, just that their BIOS isn't up to par to for example the MSI 745 (though even that one has it's own share of problems).

                        I assumed that this was partly due to the difference in manufacturing costs between these boards, but there's no way to verify without knowing the profit margin of either (as Wombat implied).

                        But if you compare the layout/components/pcb/manual quality of both the ECS and MSI 745 boards, you will definately see a difference (and if you actually build a LOT of different configurations containing either of these boards you will notice the difference in compatibility as well)

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                        • #13
                          I use an ECS K7AMA. It's OK. Cheap, does its job, reasonably stable, not o/c-able (although I have found a hacked BIOS so I can change the FSB to something other than 100 or 133). Net result: I don't really have much of a problem with ECS. But nor would I go out of my way to recommend them.
                          DM says: Crunch with Matrox Users@ClimatePrediction.net

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                          • #14
                            I have had several of these boards and all of them were a complete waste of space. I gave a friend a brand new replacement that I received for one that had *died* and he is having problems as well. Sorry but I cant recommend this board to anyone.

                            Regards MD
                            Interests include:
                            Computing, Reading, Pubs, Restuarants, Pubs, Curries, More Pubs and more Curries

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                            • #15
                              I've had mine for quite a while now, most stable board I ever used, no bells and whistles, but it just works.
                              "That's right fool! Now I'm a flying talking donkey!"

                              P4 2.66, 512 mb PC2700, ATI Radeon 9000, Seagate Barracude IV 80 gb, Acer Al 732 17" TFT

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