Beware of Unscruptulous PC Vendorz....

[kelin]

Well, after messing for 2 weeks trying to get this K7 600 system working (K7 600/G400 Max/Adaptec 2940U2W/Aureal Vortex2 Super Quad)...and buying an expensive power supply and making 3 one and a half to two hour round trips to the Vendor in question ( one of the many Russian owned places, here in the Cleveland area)...I finally found out that the FIC mobo that they sold me as being the second (and thus, fixed) revision of the SD-11 was actually not only a bum board, but the damn first rev!!! So not only was the First FIC SD-11 having a bunch of probs, and there were a bunch or bum mobos out there, but the first rev had major issues with the Enhanced HSDRAM PC133 that I use...I took the FIC back last week and got the Gigabyte...not much better...A couple of days ago, I got a 75$ Sparkle Power 350W APPROVED Power Supply!!!, Well, took the Gig back, and decided that if the FIC that I was going to get (again) didn't work, that was it...I was going to take the mobo/K7/Heatsink-fan package back...and wait for the Coppermines to hit the street...
Well, the service guy today(a nice, young, Russian kid) was very helpful...and said (its amazing when they finally tell the truth and at least you know what's going ON!!!) that the FIC I had before was the original...the one I got today was the next rev and I should have no probs...also, they have had alot of crap with the Giga's...
Well, I got the SD-11 home, and after only one Blue Screen Fatal Error during Win 98 install, it seems like its running fine!!!
Amazing!!! The salesman, back when I originally got a 2 weeks ago for my birthday (very frustrating B-day, BTW) said to wait a few days for the 600, cause they only had the first FIC and they didn't work above 550Mhz!!!
Anyway, to anyone out there who is planning on going the K7 route...
I have NEVEr had ANY probs with ANy Pentiums(I realize its not AMD's fault, here...but that dosen't help me much) and the K7 is a SCREAMER!! Almost twice as fast as my P3 450 clocked to 567 on 3D mark 99...
But just do your homework...Get an approved Power supply, really, the BIGGeR the BeTTer...and make sure you get the mobo you are buying (I am sure that everyone will be getting the Asus'...but they weren't out two weeks ago)...I am going to get the Via 133 Asus, when its out....but that's another story...
I am pretty good with PCs....use Nt and Unix at work for CAD/CAm...and run 98, Nt and Linux here at home...but I have never been stumped like I was for the last 2 weeks...
GLAD its OVER....
Kelin
ps. the G400 Max runs great on the K7, BTW...
Pri sys (98)
K7 600 on FIc SD-11
256 megs Enhanced HSDRAM PC133
Adaptec 2940U2W
Quantum Atlas 10K 9.1G U160M/sW
IBM Ultrastar UW 4.5G
Aureal Vortex2 super Quad
3Com NIC for Cable
LS-120

Sec sys (98, NT, and Linux)
P3 450 on Soyo BA6 +III
128 Megs PC100 CAS-2
TNT
2 V2s in SLI
2 UDMA (33and a 66) HDs
SB Ensonic
3Com NIC