Category: Motherboards

PC Cases, Fans, RAM and other details

Overclocking, Picking the right RAM and more How can you own the perfect PC? Build it yourself! It's easier than you think. This article continues with topics begun in our previous PC Builder reports (parts one and two) and concludes with part 4. Shopping List To build a PC, you have to make a number of decisions, and at every step of the way, you...

Is your PC's Clock Losing Time?

The Problem Q:I recently upgraded my PC  with a new motherboard and Windows 98 and now, my system clock is not able to keep the time. A: I had the same problem and that very same evening I finally solved my problem. If you upgrade your motherboard and do not reinstall fresh Windows, the motherboard resources from the old one are inherited...

"Whitney" Motherboards: A look at Motherboards based on Intel's new 810 chipset

The next generation of motherboards is upon us and, as usual, it’s the manufacturers, dealers and the early adopters who will be forced to uncover some of the glitches inevitably encountered when one is first on the block. A good place to start is with mention of the reported incompatibility between the Pentium III and the Intel 810 chipset...

133MHz and beyond: A look at Intel's new 820 chipset

The 100 MHz bus standard used by the latest Pentium II, Pentium III and AMD chips is about to become old news, as Intel prepares to roll out its next generation chipset, dubbed the i820. This chipset, which like the 440BX, becomes one of the key components that defines the capabilities of the motherboards it is a part of, features for the first...

VIA Pro 133 and 133A

Alternatives to Intel chipsets Thinking about a new computer or motherboard upgrade?  A growing number of users are considering alternatives to Intel's latest motherboards and chipsets, in light of cost and compatibility issues related to Intel's choice of RAMbus memory on its soon-to-be-mainstream motherboards designed for the Pentium 4....

A primer on Rambus Memory

Intel on Nov. 15th, 1999 released the i820 chipset (also known as "Camino"). This new chipset, when incorporated into a suitable motherboard and CPU, supports a new type of RAM known as Direct Rambus memory, or RDRAM. With it, Camino and several successive Intel motherboards are able to provide memory speeds of up to 1.6GB/sec. Support...

How Much Memory?

Q: I have been told that Windows 98 Second Edition is unable to handle 512MB of RAM, is this true? The computer I have now has 256MB RAM, but there is room for another 256, so physically I could put more in, but if Windows can't handle it there is no benefit. I've tried finding the answer on the net with no luck. Please help. A: Technically, that...

VIA Problems

The trouble with "second tier" systems As we've noted elsewhere in this section, VIA has carved quite a business for itself providing chipsets and components to a number of motherboard vendors offering alternatives to Intel's own motherboards and chipsets. Many, but not all, of these Intel alternatives are based on AMD's family of...

How to add RAM

Introduction First, you need to know what kind of memory to buy. Generally, your computer manual will specify exactly which type of memory you need. It will tell you whether you need to buy SIMMs or DIMMs, the correct voltage type to look for, speed, ECC capability, etc., etc. At this writing, 128MB of the most common types of name-brand memory...