AMD Sempron Processor 3100+ & ECS NFORCE3-A Motherboard for $80 at Outpost.com

[yukit]

Originally posted by: PrinceKee
Which I could find a combo like this again for around the same price since mine was DOA ...

In today's Fry's ad, they have Sempron 2800+ & ECS NF3-A for $80.
The same MB, but a bit slower CPU for $10 less. You can check Outpost for the same part number:
http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP...2664&adid=2640878&subid=10688139&type=

Yesterday, they had these for a bit more money:
Athlon 64 3200+ & ECS KN1 Lite ($170)
http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP...2664&adid=2634068&subid=10665546&type=

Sempron 3100+ & MSI K8NGM-V ($130)
http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP...2664&adid=2634068&subid=10665547&type=

BTW, did you ever try clearing the CMOS?

 

[PrinceKee]

Originally posted by: yukit

Originally posted by: PrinceKee
Which I could find a combo like this again for around the same price since mine was DOA ...

In today's Fry's ad, they have Sempron 2800+ & ECS NF3-A for $80.
The same MB, but a bit slower CPU for $10 less. You can check Outpost for the same part number:
http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP...2664&adid=2640878&subid=10688139&type=

Yesterday, they had these for a bit more money:
Athlon 64 3200+ & ECS KN1 Lite ($170)
http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP...2664&adid=2634068&subid=10665546&type=

Sempron 3100+ & MSI K8NGM-V ($130)
http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP...2664&adid=2634068&subid=10665547&type=

BTW, did you ever try clearing the CMOS?

Yea, I cleared the CMOS but still didn't work. Checked the video card, PSU, and everything else. I just didn't get a chance to check the RAM because none of these old PC's I have around use that kind of RAM. Thanks for the suggestions yukit...

EDIT: Are MSI mobo's OK? What about this one?

 

[Melectricus]

Princekee,
I'm only quick scanning the previous posts and this may have been mentioned before so I hate to even say it but.... You plugged in the 20 pin atx power cable but does your power supply have the auxillary 4 pin (square configuration) power connector and did you also plug it into the mobo. The problem you are mentioning sure sounds like it isn't. If you did, I'd rma the board since it's acting like the 4 pin isn't working. Also for giggles if your video card requires an auxillary power connection (4pin molex) and it isn't connected it may or may not boot up, although you would get a post beep code.

edit to clarify vid molex

 

[PrinceKee]

Originally posted by: Melectricus
Princekee,
I'm only quick scanning the previous posts and this may have been mentioned before so I hate to even say it but.... You plugged in the 20 pin atx power cable but does your power supply have the auxillary 4 pin (square configuration) power connector and did you also plug it into the mobo. The problem you are mentioning sure sounds like it isn't. If you did, I'd rma the board since it's acting like the 4 pin isn't working. Also for giggles if your video card requires an auxillary power connection (4pin molex) and it isn't connected it may or may not boot up, although you would get a post beep code.

edit to clarify vid molex

Yea, I plugged in both the 20pin and the 4pin power connectors. And my ATI Radeon 9200SE doesn't have a power connection so that wasn't the problem. So I already called and got an RA# from outpost. I hate this board was DOA becausethe cheapest Sempron 3100+ I found is like $80 without a mobo...

 

[Melectricus]

Sorry..good luck. At least the first mobo on this deal for me died quickly and with flair...

 

[PrinceKee]

Yea, guess it wasn't in the cards for me to have this combo. At least you got another one when your's popped. I just hope I can find one of comparable speed and price soon because I really need my PC for school...

 

[avash]

I just noticed a problem with this mobo. The Realtek AC'97 audio balance doesn't work.

When balance is set to right, there is no sound. Balance set to left has sound in both channels. I googled and found another person with the same problem.

I upgraded to Realtek v3.83 drivers but no fix. Can you guys check if your balance is working?

Thanks

 

[furballi]

No problem here. I use the driver at the ECS website for the NF3-A.

 

[Dyslexor]

First time poster, long time reader, hahahaha. Anyway. I bought one of these combos and it pretty much works wonderfully, while being screaming fast. The problem is that I installed XP Pro on a SATA drive, then after running some updates, tried connecting a 120GB WD PATA containing backed up user information I wished to copy onto the new set up. No matter what settings I change in my boot order or whatnot, it keeps trying to boot from the IDE drive, containing no boot data, and failing.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what I might be missing to make this continue to boot from SATA while the other drive is connected?

 

[furballi]

Disable BOOT OTHER DEVICE in Boot Seq and Floppy Setup. Connect the PATA drive to the slave connector of the secondary IDE cable. Set the jumper on the drive to SLAVE mode. Make sure that your PATA does not contain an active primary boot partition.

 

[thetxstang]

What furballi said.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: avash
When balance is set to right, there is no sound. Balance set to left has sound in both channels. I googled and found another person with the same problem.

Sounds like you have left channel going to both channels, and no right channel. Couple of things to check... if you are using front audio ports, disconnect them and put the jumpers back on the motherboard audio headers in the default positions (5-6 and 9-10). Also, try some different speakers or earphones in the rear audio jack and make sure it is plugged in all the way. Some jacks are a bit "tight" and if the plug is not seated the last millimeter or so, you'll get this problem.

 

[PrinceKee]

Well, this combo is no longer on the website but I just called and they have some more instock and you can order it by calling Outpost and giving them the order number. Hopefully this one works for me...

 

[furballi]

Very good performance for only $90. I'm getting 37.7 sec SP @ 2.45GHz (1.55Vcore). They were able to hit 36 sec @ 2.52GHz (1.65Vcore).

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/print/sempron-3100-oc.html

 

[Dyslexor]

Furballi,

Thank you kindly for your response, I had already disabled the Boot Other Device and Floppy from the boot sequence. The trick that I needed to hear was forcing the PATA drive to be a slave. Once I switched the jumper and booted--ding! It worked like a charm.

cheers!

- Dyslexor

 

[avash]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: avash
When balance is set to right, there is no sound. Balance set to left has sound in both channels. I googled and found another person with the same problem.

Sounds like you have left channel going to both channels, and no right channel. Couple of things to check... if you are using front audio ports, disconnect them and put the jumpers back on the motherboard audio headers in the default positions (5-6 and 9-10). Also, try some different speakers or earphones in the rear audio jack and make sure it is plugged in all the way. Some jacks are a bit "tight" and if the plug is not seated the last millimeter or so, you'll get this problem.

I disconnected the front audio ports as soon as I got home and re-installed the bypass jumpers and it fixed the problem ..... and then I checked this thread!!! I should've realized that the combined brain power of AT-folk is quicker than me frying brain cells thinking of solutions while driving home.

Thanks again!!!!!

 

[avash]

Originally posted by: furballi
Very good performance for only $90. I'm getting 37.7 sec SP @ 2.45GHz (1.55Vcore). They were able to hit 36 sec @ 2.52GHz (1.65Vcore).

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/print/sempron-3100-oc.html

Newbie to OCing, could you tell me what OC settings are you running? I want to run something quite safe while keeping passive cooling on the mobo chipset and AMD retail HSF.

Memory is crappy PNY PC3200.

I'm mostly interested in the mobo settings (freq, DDR settings, CPU voltage, etc). Anything that needs to be changed.

 

[aboothman]

you would probably have better luck starting a new thread in the CPU OC forum or the Motherboards forum....

 

[furballi]

Glad you could read from the PATA drive.

RAM speed...166
RAM timing...2.5, 3, 3, 8, 1T (may need to use 2T with some RAMs)
HT speed...3x
FSB speed...250
CPU voltage...+1.7% or +3.4%
RAM voltage...default or 2.7V

 

[Crono]

Is the deal dead now?

 

[aboothman]

There is a deal for a lesser Sempron and same board for $80 (as written above in this thread,
but you have to enter SKU# 4674248. You may have issues with the cart as availbility is "Call for Availability". YMMV?

 

[furballi]

Yes...currently has the same board with Sempron 2800 for $80 at Fry's. I can conservatively OC the 3100 Sempron to an equivalent of A64 3600 (little faster than an A64 3500 with dual channel memory on 939 platform).

 

[yukit]

Originally posted by: furballi
Yes...currently has the same board with Sempron 2800 for $80 at Fry's. I can conservatively OC the 3100 Sempron to an equivalent of A64 3600 (little faster than an A64 3500 with dual channel memory on 939 platform).

If the 2800+ is a Palermo, it may overclock better than 3100+ Paris.
2800+ may use a lower multiplier than 3100+, so the top FSB of 250 on this MB is a limiting factor (unless you use clockgen or something like that)

 

[furballi]

The problem with the 8x multiplier is the RAM must run at 133 speed. This will cost at least 50MHz CPU core speed.

 

[SeniorCorrespondent]

Can anyone recommend a good utility to monitor cpu and mb temps for this ECS board? I normally use everest, but the temps it is reporting are way out of wack.