Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Microstar 6167 and memory - generic will suffice?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Microstar 6167 and memory - generic will suffice?

    I am considering replacing my P-II 266 with an Athlon 600, which means a new motherboard. After reading posts in here about VIA chipset boards versus AMD chipset boards, and reading the MaximumPC review comparing the MS-6167 against the FIC SD11, I'm convinced the MS-6167 or others using the AMD reference design are a better bet than VIA/AMD chipset hybrids. However, when I search for support info on the Micro-Star website, I see alot of support issues stemming from memory induced conflicts. The standard answer given is to update the BIOS to 1.5, but we have no idea whether that actually helped the person's problem (usually a very serious one, like being unable to boot).

    So I am here for another opinion on MS-6167. Maximum PC tested it with Crucial Memory only. I have 192MB of PC100 RAM but it isn't brand name, and I'm not going to spend the dough on replacing all of that RAM.
    If this motherboard/CPU is going to be really picky about RAM types, I'm going to get a faster Pentium II or III.

    What can you MS6167 owners say about memory compatibility?

  • #2
    My MS-6167 was stable with generic CAS2 PC100, but to be honest, I much prefer the greater stabilty of the Asus K7M. I also have an MS-6195 which is also stable with generic RAM, but both MSI boards suffer from the same thing - crap USB compatability.

    Comment


    • #3
      I'm using generic PC100 stuff and mine is solid as a rock (MS 6167)... but I have tested some lately that was crap! The PC100 stuff wouldn't boot into Win98 (let alone win2K) and it's PC133 counter part was very flaky! Had issues with that PC100 stuff even on my BH6 system.

      *update* that mem had problems because the PCB was the problem. The reason I figured it would be some good stuff cause the mem chips were Micron (mT)! Good mem + poor pcb = crap

      [This message has been edited by Greebe (edited 09 March 2000).]
      "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

      Comment


      • #4
        I'll be getting on tof those Epox KX133 MB here shortly (think that's the final decision)... anyhoo I'll have another 256megs of Crucial (Micron) 7E mem here tommorrow awaiting it.

        Hey Rogue... no email?



        ------------------
        Designer of the first commercial Athlon mod.
        Anyone up for an Athlon800+? Email me (epc@netdirect.net) for more information

        3000 mips, 1.172 gflops @ 900 mHz 1:3 latency w/ active cooling
        CPUmark99 75
        FPU Winmark 4890

        3Dmark 99 Max (8x6 16, 16, triple) PD5.41, Athlon@850mHz
        8000
        15181


        "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

        Comment


        • #5
          Hi Greebe,
          Didn't realise my e-mail address wasn't viewable.....it should be now.

          Chris.

          Comment


          • #6
            I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with RoGuE. I think the K7M is less stable. It's much pickier about RAM, power supply, etc.
            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.

            Comment


            • #7
              Yes, as far as memory goes the K7M [i]much[i/] prefers quality RAM, oops, forgot to mention that . Mine isn't picky about power supplies, runs an overclocked 500@750 Athlon on a weedy 230w PSU.

              Anyway, gotta go, my K7M BIOS flash has gone awry, grrrrr won't detect any IDE devices now.......

              Comment


              • #8

                Thanks for responses. However I'm not getting any closer to coming to a conclusion regarding the move to an Athlon. In fact, the lack of decisive information is causing me to consider a Coppermine CPU and an Asus P3B-F. I've never had to run through a checklist like the one shown on the AMD website before buying Intel CPUs. With AMD I'm looking at great performance at the cost of possibly replacing my power supply, 192 MB PC100 memory and if things go wrong I'll need to go through two motherboards before it is all sweet and dandy. With Intel I need a motherboard (previous P2B going to another system with the P-II anyway) and CPU - and I know the BX chipset is stable.

                Can anyone convince me that Athlon upgrade project won't cost 2x that of Intel 550E at the end of the week/month (depending on hair pulled out)?

                If you are going to post an opinion, back it up. Anyone can say ye or nay. It takes some intelligence (and your time, thanks) to make a good point. But that is what a discussion should be! That and some fun.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I don't think anyone can give you a "definitive" answer. It seems to me that people have had different experiences with various Athlon platforms and, without the aid of a fully functional crystal ball, you're not going to get a "definitive" answer. There are just too many variables.

                  Anytime a new technology is introduced, there are bound to be a number of question marks. If you *play it safe,* take the Intel route, and purchase a Coppermine CPU, you may still run into any of a number of problems.

                  You're running an old CPU, a PII 266. Unless you have a relatively new BX motherboard, there is a good chance the Coppermine won't run on it. If you have an LX or FX motherboard, forget it. You will have to upgrade.

                  Your Intel upgrade path isn't particularly clear either. You'll want a BX board, like the Asus board you mentioned, with Coppermine support and, if you intend to overclock, a 1/4 PCI bus divider. Even then, there's no guarantee your videocard will function properly with the AGP slot overclocked. People thought the BX chipset was on its way out months ago. Many of the issues involved with keeping it alive have made the upgrade path as murky as it is. If you buy a new BX board, however, you will be investing in an aging technology at the end of its life.

                  Your other options include purchasing a board based upon the Camino chipset. With Rambus support, the platform functions well, but Rambus is extremely expensive. The i820 boards with SDRAM support appear to be poor performers. Another option would be to take the VIA route, and their a appear to be any number of pitfalls with this solution as well.

                  AMD has made certain recommendations in hopes of minimizing potential problems with new Athlon-based systems. If you choose to ignore their advice in order to save some money, you very well could have problems. Some people have had problems with Athlon motherboards and AMD-recommended power supplies. There are no guarantees. That's why AMD put a disclaimer on their website.

                  If you're confused, you're in good company. This is a particularly confusing time as fare as new platforms go. I've been following the situation closely, and I don't see any clear path. I think if you really feel the need to upgrade right now, you should continue doing what you're doing. Solicit peoples' opinions. Research your options on a number of forums. Read a number of reviews, and prepare to spend some money to avoid or correct potential problems.

                  I have reason to believe things will be clearer in a couple of months. Intel will probably release the more SDRAM-friendly i815 platform. Hopefully, many of the issues related to Athlon and VIA-based boards will be ironed out.

                  Paul
                  paulcs@flashcom.net

                  [This message has been edited by paulcs (edited 09 March 2000).]

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hey Paul,

                    Thanks for your comments.

                    The P2B and P3B-F both support 100Mhz Coppermines with current BIOS.

                    The timing of this is triggered by someone I know wanting a basic computer. So the opportunity is there to sell them the used components that will meet their needs and provide for an inexpensive upgrade for myself. Based on what I've heard about human factors research, my upgrade should be a factor of 2x CPU power to make it really worthwhile.

                    I don't understand where Intel and others sell their bleeding edge technology. I can't buy Rambus or 800Mhz CPUs with the current prices. Generally it doesn't make any sense to spend money on this year's technology - it is like throwing money to the wind. I generally prefer to buy the best of what was available last year - the bugs are shaken out, the price is often half of the introductory price, and the software support is there. So sticking with a BX isn't out of the question for me.

                    Hardware stability is very important to me. I do QA work out of my home and I can't have variables from hardware make any effect on what we see. That is an impossible goal to have but it is something to try for. Up to now, the P2B and P-II have behaved well and I'd like that to continue in the new blood.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Man, I have a MSI 6167, 128M generic RAM (had it left over from my K6-III rig) K7 500@750, and I haven't crashed since I hooked it up..but I run a PC Power & Cooling
                      Turbo Cool 425 ATX power supply. G400Max, 5.50 drivers, and the only reason I even came to this board was to check for driver updates, but the 5.50 work great, every day. Oh yes, I am using the 1.5 bios (MSI). All in all, I couldn't be happier with this rig, this is the way I always imagined a computer should run.
                      P.S. Everybody (personal friends I see all the time) I have recommended the MSI 6167 to, they are all happy.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        se sig for spec's.

                        i have nec memory on nec pcb's (not cheap) but i am curently testing in my system for a buddy no name pc133 memory from access micro (ld chips) boots right up and runs fine (seems even more stable than my nec recomended memory but that could be my imagination.) memory prices right now are so cheap that getting a k7 cpu, mother board amd a stick of memory, will still work out cheaper than intell cpu and good bx mother board. and if you want higher bus speeds your still going to need new memory (pc133 and a via 133 chip set board.)

                        so in my opinion go with the k7 in the long run you will be happyer.

                        noel
                        msi 6167 mobo k7 500 wk41 now at 650. 256 meg ram ,addtronics case w 250watt sp power supply, matrox g400, maxtor diammax 2500+ 10gig hd,10x aopen slot dvd, 3com 10/100 nic, sb live xgamer sound card, efecent networks dsl modem, dlink 701i dsl router/firewall, lots of controlers (joystick throttle rudder raceing wheel), 19in ctx monitor, logitech mouseman wheel usb, and klipsch promedia v2-400 speakers. win98 oem and win2k pro dual boot.

                        noel
                        it's times like this that make me think of my fathers last words....

                        Don't son that gun is loaded.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          doh!!! forgot sig

                          ------------------
                          msi 6167 mobo k7 500 wk41 now at 650. 256 meg ram ,addtronics case w 250watt sp power supply, matrox g400, maxtor diammax 2500+ 10gig hd,10x aopen slot dvd, 3com 10/100 nic and 56k ext modem, sb live xgamer sound card, lots of controlers (joystick throttle rudder raceing wheel), 19in ctx monitor, microsoft inteli mouse explorer(5 buttons, and klipsch promedia v2-400 speakers.

                          noel
                          Don't son that gun is loaded.

                          msi 6167 mobo k7 500 wk41 now at 650. 256 meg ram ,addtronics case w 250watt sp power supply, matrox g400, maxtor diammax 2500+ 10gig hd,10x aopen slot dvd, 3com 10/100 nic, sb live xgamer sound card, efecent networks dsl modem, dlink 701i dsl router/firewall, lots of controlers (joystick throttle rudder raceing wheel), 19in ctx monitor, logitech mouseman wheel usb, and klipsch promedia v2-400 speakers. win98 oem and win2k pro dual boot.

                          noel
                          it's times like this that make me think of my fathers last words....

                          Don't son that gun is loaded.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I've got generic PC133 and my friend has got 1x64 and 2x32mb all difrent bulk PC100 mem's. Both boards are working fine.

                            ------------------
                            Athlon 500@650 Rock Stable (500 Core, 4ns)/MSI 6167/128mb/7200rpm/SB128/G400Max/Win98/RH6.0

                            Athlon 800@1GHz/MSI 6167/256mb/7200rpm UD66/SB128/G400Max/Win98/Win2k/RH6.2/Be5

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I just installed 256 megs of Micron (Crucial) 7E PC133 mem. Although my generic worked fine.. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul so to speak... That mem was borrowed form my Celeron system and was badly missed (only 64megs suxs). Since the prices have dropped so much and I'm going to get Epox's new KX133 MB.. I said what the hey!
                              "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

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X