Will K7S5A run Mobile Xp 2600+?

[NightRust]

Hoping someone has a straight answer...

Will my ECS K7S5A (Rev 3.1 w/"XP" stickers by CPU socket and latest/greatest BIOS) run an Athlon XP Mobile 2600+?

Since this is a 266FSB processor, I assume it will. BUT, it has a Barton core and 512K cache, so I don't know if the BIOS will see it correctly.

Been through several forums, but still haven't found a clear answer.

And no, I'm NOT intending to overclock the processor afterwards or try to push the board to 333FSB. Currently running an XP 2000+ and looking to squeeze a little more life out of my current setup. I understand a regular XP 2600+ with 266FSB will work, but hoping the extra 256K of cache on the mobile Barton will be worth going with it instead.

Hoping someone else out these has seen these CPU's at Newegg and has tried one on a K7S5A.

[Ruslan]

You will need BIOS (latest possible), supporting that CPU and I guess, ECS have never made it...

However, it is possible to manually make "unofficial" BIOS for this board, for example, using BIOS Patcher... But it can be risky and some experience needed...

[Garak]

You will need BIOS (latest possible), supporting that CPU and I guess, ECS have never made it...

However, it is possible to manually make "unofficial" BIOS for this board, for example, using BIOS Patcher... But it can be risky and some experience needed...

There are unofficial BIOS's for this board, such as the Honey-X version that does support the 2600 CPU, but I am not 100% sure if that is the Original XP version or the Barton Core.

Try this link

I've used these updates in the past, stable and maybe worth a donation or 2.

Good Luck,

[NightRust]

Thanks, Garak. Downloaded some of the BIOSes. Looks like I'll need one of them even to run the regular 2600+ chip.

I'm gonna continue to prowl the web and wait for some more responses here before taking the plunge.

[Garak]

Thanks, Garak. Downloaded some of the BIOSes. Looks like I'll need one of them even to run the regular 2600+ chip.

I'm gonna continue to prowl the web and wait for some more responses here before taking the plunge.

No problem, hope you get the issue resolved

[Epimetreus]

Hey, NightRust.
I have the exact same situation as you - bought an Athlon XP 2600+ for my ECS K7S5A (rev 1.0). The ECS compatibility pages claim that with the latest BIOSes, the board can run the 2400+ or 2600+. I've had no luck so far, though, with the standard ones.

A friend helped me find an unofficial BIOS that's letting me run it at 150/150, so the board sees it as an Athlon XP 2100+... I'm going to try out some of the stuff on Garak's recommended pages. I'll post here if I have any further success.

[NightRust]

Thanks, Epimetreus.

I haven't bought anything yet, so it's nice to still get some input.

I'm thinking now that the regular 2600+ is the way to go (instead of the mobile), so I'd be interested to see if you can get it working correctly.

[Epimetreus]

Apologies: I read your initial post too fast.

My K7S5A is rev 1.0, and my 2600+ is the standard, not mobile.

Still, I think the same problems are likely to happen, because I haven't read that the BIOSes treat the chips differently.

I upgraded from an Athlon Thunderbird 1.4 GHz, so I have some small improvement with the chip as it's currently recognized - as a 2100+, and I may just live with that if I can't find something better. Not sure if I want to put the money into a newer mainboard.

What are you upgrading from?

[NightRust]

Currently running an XP 2000+

Not expecting a huge leap. My wife's system is running a Duron 900 and she could use some more horsepower, and her mainboard (Asus A7V133-C) tops out at XP 2100+. Looking to pass my 2000+ down to her.

So this is more of an excuse to upgrade.