K7V D+ and Tbred chips

[andyc52]

UPDATE FEB 10,2005

There is a sticky thread labeled D+ MOD INSTRUCTIONS PAGE that contains the detailed instructions for performing the mods listed in the post below. Included are links to a photo
of the work area and to the Soyo FTP site for bios downloads. There is also a link showing
how to perform a socket pin mod for getting access to higher multiplier values when using
mobile cpu chips after you perform the mods.

D+ Mod Instructions Page:http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=377836

Please continue to use this thread for any further discussions in order to keep the info
in one place.




Original post starts below:

I have been using the D+ with a 2400+ cpu chip for the past several weeks with a beta bios that I obtained from another kind Soyo user. I just flashed to bios version 2BA6 and all is working fine. I see that many people are having trouble with the new Tbred chips and the D+ board. Why some work and other do not work I can't answer as there are too many system variables.
Here are my system specs:

Soyo K7VXA Dragon + board serial number V201 041785
AXDA2400DKV3C AIUCB 0239CPBW 2400+ Tbred B cpu chip
(2) Kingmax 2400 ram sticks
Enermax EP 465VE power supply

How did I get this to work? Before I detail the steps I took to get this working, I will state that I CANNOT guarantee that this will work on ALL D+ motherboards and I will NOT be held liable for any damage caused by these changes. With that said here is how I got the Tbred B 2400+ chip to work on 4 different K7V D+ boards:

1. Remove capacitor C130 from the motherboard. This was suggested by a Soyo tech months ago to some one else I was in contact with on this subject matter. This is a small surface mounted part and requires some soldering skills to remove successfully.

2. Added a cap to the empty location at ELC28 (1500mfd-10 volt 105 degree C. This change alone made my board more stable with different makes of ram.

After performing the above mods, I started with a 1600+ MP cpu chip and flashed to the new bios. Then I removed the old cpu, and installed the new 2400+ chip.
I then cleared the cmos using JP5 and removing the ATX power cable from the motherboard, counting to 10 and reconnecting the ATX power cable. At power on, the unit started and I went into bios setup and reset my parameters. Thats it.
One other thing, on the POST system configuration screen (first one that appears) the new 2400+ chip is NOT IDed correctly: CPU TYPE - unknown cpu type"; "CPU ID - 0681"; "CPU SPEED - 2000mhz". The last 2 are correct for a B version Tbred chip and Sandra and CPU ID both show the chip as a 2400+ with the correct model and stepping numbers. I would venture a guess that Soyo did not include the 2400+ chip string in the latest bios version. I have not tried any other Tbred chips except the 2400+ so don't ask. Also, i modded the boards and then used the new 2400+ chips so I don't know if they will work without the mods. I hope this helps some of you and good luck.

Andy

[Dragon_Tamer]

Yep, I got it to work too. But I went a head and got the Biostar mobo to get the 333 fsb. I will miss the d+ though. One hell of a motherboard. The newer Soyo's do not reflect that quality IMO. It all ended with the d+ kt266a for me. Probably one of the best ever athalon MB's. And my Biostar is real close in features and quality, minus the blue paint job. If they had painted this mobo silver---even OZZY would have one in his case. LOL j/k

[andyc52]

I agree that the Soyo quality has dropped in the past year or so.
Seems that their staff has been reduced due to the business downturn, and the results are now starting to show. I purchased a KT333 Dragon Plus weeks back and while it's up and running fine with a 2700+ chip, I was a little disappointed with some of the bios screens. An hours work with Modbin took care of some of the issues. Did I send you a cap for your D+ awhile back

Andy

[EtherGhost]

Hey Andy,
What is modbin?

[Dragon_Tamer]

A cap? Don't know what ya mean. But yeah, if Soyo were serious at all, they would have put out an Nforce motherboard.

[andyc52]

D Tamer - several months ago I was in contact with another D+ user who was in the process of trying to get a Tbred chip to function on his D+ board. I sent him a capacitor for location ELC28 on his board and as I recall, he was from the Dallas TX area. Just thought that its a small world and by chance might have been you. I too was hoping for Soyo to release an nForce 2 board, but given their close relationship with VIA, I can understand their not wanting to rock the boat so to speak.

E Ghost - Modbin is a file utility for making changes to Award bios files. Not aimed to you personally, but it is not for novice users. Any incorrect bit changes could result in a dead motherboard after flashing your modified bios file; speaking from experience here. It is handy for making those "hidden" items reappear in bios screens though. For example, I like to have 2 floppy drives available in my systems simply because I do a lot of file copies using disks. Modbin makes enabling the B drive possible. The program can be downloaded from the web, but the documentation is slim. Hope this helps.


Andy

[ozzy983]

Doubtful, I've been using Soyo motherboards even before they become somewhat mainstream.

Even so, I think there quality is about the same. There are a few people who have had VERY good success with the KT400 chipset Ultra and overclocked to about 190+ FSB, which is very impressive. Seems heat is a very big factor, so consider that before you think of seriously overclocking the motherboard.

I like the Dragon Ultra KT400, I've had no problems with it, very stable and reliable, and overclocking, well, couldn't overclock the palimino 2100 much on an EPOX, let alone this.

Later,
Oz

[andyc52]

Oz, my comment on the declining quality of Soyo boards was not intended as a knock at Soyo or to it's board users, rather it was just my observation based on years of hands on experience with their products. Coming from a board manufacturing backround, it's not hard to notice when corners are being cut in order to save money. And yes I too have used their products for a long time, back to the days of the Soyo and Rise computer partnership. Their old R534 Mustang series of boards were very popular years back. I noticed that many of the newer main boards are now being shipped with many capacitors missing thru out the layout. This is a sure sign of market economics coming into play. Think of it this way; a production run of say 5K boards and omitting 2 caps from each board at $1.00 each, adds up to a nice savings. Multiply that by the number of different model boards you produce, and you have a hefty figure to add to your bottom line. I have seen and briefly worked with the KT400 Ultra board and can say that the above does not apply to this model. Of course being their flagship product, I would expect nothing but their best effort on it. Back 2 or 3 years ago, bios updates were on a regular basis and those didn't add any new bugs but rather fixed what was required. I just looked at the USA site yesterday, and they still have a beta bios listed for the K7VTA PRO dated Sept of last year. Also, the users manual for the KT333 Dragon Plus, a brand new product, has glaring errors as to what chipset is used on the board and this one was posted in Nov of 02. What I'm saying, is these types of things did not occur 2 to 3 years ago. All these signs point to a company that is understaffed and trying to stay alive in the markertplace.
I havn't tried to overclock my 333 Dragon Plus yet. I always let it run stock for a few weeks before I start to push it. When you were OCing your KT400, was the north bridge the heat monster? I know on the 333 series they get pretty warm when you start to crank up the fsb.


Andy

[ozzy983]

The the CPU was for the most part. One of the guys who has the 190 FSB has a dual tornado (Vantec) somehow setup to create a windtunnel effect. Makes his CPU very cool, and enables the high FSB speeds. I image the Chipset does get pretty hot, and does need more than the stock HSF to cool it properly.

Later,
Oz

[Dragon_Tamer]

Yeah, The Soyo Dragon Ultra Kt400 is a nice MB, but...when I saw how well the biostar performed for the price, and still had the promise controller (slower, but i like it better for IDE chains) I could not pass on it for $89.00. Guess lo'ts of companies are now feeling the crunch of the economy via 9-11. Not much spending going on. acajka, it as not me about the capacitor, allthough I did ask for the shematic on it from someone in google groups..... And i have some threads about it..

[ozzy983]

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a great motherboard, but I'm content with what I'm using right now. Just bought a new case, heatsink, and 2400+ processor.

So, I'm kinda pressed right now...lol, too many upgrades.

Later,
Oz

[andyc52]

D-Tamer, no problem with the cap issue, I guess your not the only D+ owner in the Dallas TX area.lol
I noticed you have the same cpu I run in my 333 Dragon Plus board. Have you tried any OCing on this chip yet? Just curious to get an idea of what people are getting with the 2700+.


Oz, you can never have enough upgrades to perform j/k. With the way new products keep appearing on the market, you no sooner get a system setup to your likeing, then you start over again with a new hardware piece. I've seen a few mentions on different websites, that the latest batch of 2400+ chips are clocking up very well indeed. On air, some are getting in the 2.3g range. You may get lucky and have one of these OC speed demons.


Andy

[Dragon_Tamer]

No---I have not OC'ed yet. As this chip is might fast as it is for now. Hey, I have that new Kt333 d+ Soyo. A friend bought it, then decided to go Intel through I-Buy, and wanted to get rid of it, I bought it for 2-$20.00 bills. Ran it last night, runs exremely well. Im might keep it instead of selling it.

[ozzy983]

That is a great motherboard. It's essentially the KT400 minus the 8x AGP support.

Should treat you well.

I just can't wait until my upgrades are here.

Got me one of the sweet looking Chieftech cases (Artic Blue) with the clear side panel. Also got my not one, not two, but 5 Vantec Tornado's. I'm looking for some serious cooling.

When I get all this hardware, with new processor, I"m going to overclock this puppy like a dream.

Later,
Oz

[Dragon_Tamer]

Cool OZ, That's a nice big case and will give you great airflow. That drogon is just waiting to be lead to the promise land.....190+! - Heh on setting up that Soyo I have I got lots of locks till i made some changes. When I originally loaded the OS all was ok, then after time, things would bog down, windows would be dragging slow, so...Doing what I usually do to find the cause...I sarted thinking back about threads and reviews I have read, and my own epx. I uninstalled the 9700 drivers--deleted the base ATI folder, did a search in regedit-deleted most ATI refs, re-booted- Using Winxp standard vga i set res @ 1024-768 and 85htz, now no problems. So I re-load the same (newest drivers) again--set res and htz, ok again, windows snappy, no locks. About to load RTCW and here it goes again. So...I try the Via route, check ver. in regedit 4.42 (actually means 4.43, ok. I start also switching ram slots. I go fron 1 to 3, then boot up and uninstall Via 4.43 and re-install, at first ok, then locks again. Ok---power off. Case in kitchen, pull out vid card, check re-seat, check ATI power cable, check all power cables, check IDE cables--reseat all, look through gap between mobo tray and back panel for shorts, none. Put back together. Boot up------Lock up instantly. Boot to safe mode---ok, Uninstall Via 4 in 1's, boot down, cover off again, switch ram to slot 2. Boot up OK! to windows---good sign---here we go! Now I load Via Hyperions, then Dx9. No more locks at all. WHEW.

Actually it was only about a 2 hour process...but all ok now, Dimm 2/ 4.45's / Dx9/ New ATI 9500 drivers/ Stable.

So, if anyone has this board- since there are only 2 bioses listed, perhaps they can learn from my EXP. All settings were optimized defaults, and I was using Mushkin PC2700 cas 2---all defaults. I have since been able to overclock quite easily, and get 4 bank and 1t command, fast writes, 2 2-5-2.