Here's some exerpts from some PM's I've exchanged with mechBgon re:
A7S333 mb
Gonzo2k: The A7S333 board I bought has no firewire capability (you can see where the soldering points for the connectors are). The C-Media 8738 6 channel audio controller is a plus. Line IN and/or Mic IN jacks are used for rear/center speakers and are configured with jumpers- also connection spot for front panel audio hookup. Can add 4 additional USB ports (2 onboard) for 6 total. ATA100. Nice for the price!
No voltage adjustments in BIOS for core or mem- thought there would be.
Here's a link to the manual:
A7S333
mechBgon: So I hope they at least have voltage jumpers, since the BIOS doesn't have soft adjustments?
Out of curiosity, what kinds of temperatures are you getting from the on-CPU temperature diode?
Gonzo2k: No jumpers for voltage tweaking! No voltage adjustments in BIOS!
My CPU temp is 37-39 C. Running an 1800+ with 512mb Crucial(Micron) PC2100. Voltage is locked in at 1.76 and I get FSB up to 145 before problems start. Keeping it at 133/133 for now. Fastest memory settings keep me from booting but I'm note about a couple settings in BIOS... (MA/Cmd lead-off timing, DRAM turn around timing)... are two of 'em.
There is also a CPU/Memory Frequency Ratio (Auto/1:1/4:3/4:5) which I am unfamiliar with. I have 1:1 set now.
mechBgon: Dang! It says right on
Asus' A7S333 overview page that it has "Flexible CPU Core Voltage Adjustments in 0.05V increments over defaults"...
Look on the board for a jumper called "JEN," the one that is called the "Jumper-free" one in the manual, and move that jumper to the other position, and you should find all the voltage tweaks revealed in the BIOS. Let me know if it works... I've just about made up my mind I'm gonna buy one, voltage tweaks or not, but I'm curious to hear if that does the job for you. Keep in mind that AthlonXPs are not known for major overclocks these days, maybe 100MHz or so. Still, nice to have all your options.
Gonzo2k:This is my 5th Asus motherboard (p2b-f, p2b-b, p3b-f, a7v133 and now the a7s333).The Jen jumper bypasses the dip switches for jumperfree mode (the dip switches all get set to zero). Often there are jumpers near the top right for a cpu voltage range... or the core can be adjusted in BIOS.
Not with THIS board. Very few jumpers ie: keyboard/usb power up, Jen, clrtc (CMOS clear) and several jumpers to direct audio outs to mic/line in jacks or to front panel connections. That's it!!
Advanced BIOS goes like this:
CPU Speed
CPU Frequency Multiple
CPU/PCI Frequency
CPU/Memory Frequency Ratio
CPU Level 1 Cache
CPU Level 2 Cache
CPU Level 2 Cache ECC Check
BIOS Update
.....and so forth!
Core adjustment is "usually" accessible ahead of the Level 1 Cache setting- It's nowhere to be found in this BIOS.
I flashed the most recent BIOS update (1003) from 1002. It's not beta but I think I'll flash it back to 1002 to see if the voltage settings reappear. Maybe I downloaded an incomplete BIOS program. This will be one for the books if that's what happened. Nowhere in the manual does it mention ANYTHING about core/mem voltage adjustments. I've read it from cover to cover. Weird!
mechBgon: Arrrgh, that's crazy. They say right on their website that it supports it, but I finally got the manual downloaded and sure enough, no mention of voltage tweaks in the manual. Personally, I could live without voltage tweaks for my purpose of building a non-overclocked work system, but still, they should deliver what they promise.
BTW, I have a question about the layout. There's a photo of the board here which shows a pretty big cylindrical capacitor at the bottom-right corner of the CPU socket. The image of the board in the manual shows a vacant spot there. Does your board have one at that location? The reason I ask, is I'm trying to figure out if an Alpha PAL8045 heatsink would fit. It's huge and that capacitor would probably get in the way.
Gonzo2k: That capacitor doesn't exist on my board!(Wow- one for the manual) I see the spot where it goes (like the firewire connects).
Should be NO problem with the Alpha 8045 -tons of room around the CPU socket. I had one on my KT7A.
I'm not worried about the voltage tweaks, either- but I agree that MB capability is grossly misrepresented on Asus site.
Tip: Crazy glue the nylon nuts to the bottom of the board when you install the 8045- this will permit you to remove HSF without having to remove the motherboard- otherwise the nuts spin or mounting bolts come loose.
The board seems very stable-gonna play with the memory settings next!
Later