[NTLUG:Discuss] Install/boot blues

[Dan Carlson]

I spent the better part of a week trying to get this board to work on my
existing SuSE 7.2 system, and I finally gave up.  I replaced the Soyo
Dragon Plus with an Epox 8K7A+ and haven't had any problems since.

In my case the Soyo was mostly stable as long as I wasn't using the system
for its intended purpose of performing two audio/video capture/encodes with
RealProducer, while supporting multiple RealPlayer clients playing rm files
over the network.  However, as soon as I started hitting the video, audio,
and network devices simultaneously, the system would lock up.  It appeared
to be some sort of IRQ or other device conflict.  I spent days trying
different BIOS settings, plugging boards into different slots, etc., all to
no avail.  I replaced the Soyo with the Epox, keeping all the other
components the same, and all has worked well since.

I can't prove it, but I suspect that the source of the problem may be the
Via KT266A core logic chipset used on the Soyo.  This is the current DDR
memory bandwidth leader.  From past experience, I know that some vendors
will sacrifice compatibility in order to improve their benchmark scores (I
used to work for such a vendor).  I chose the Epox board because it uses
the AMD 761 north bridge part, which I hoped would be more stable and
compatible than Via's latest.  While the KT266A is faster on memory
bandwidth benchmarks than the 761, it is not a clear winner on the various
application and "realworld" benchmarks I have seen, where the 761 still
wins its share.  The Epox board uses the same Via 686B south bridge part
that the Soyo board uses.

Unless you are overly attached to the Soyo board, you may find that your
path of least resistance is to return it and try another board, such as the
Epox.  Fry's has always been good about accepting returns with no hassle
for me.  That is where I bought both the Soyo and Epox boards.

While the Soyo has onboard audio and network with 5 PCI slots, the Epox has
onboard audio with 6 PCI slots, so its basically a wash as far as how many
devices you can support.  And in my case the Soyo's onboard audio was
useless because the SNR on wave-in was too low.

Dan Carlson

----- Original Message -----
From: <ddaupert at csc.com>
To: <discuss at ntlug.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 8:39 AM
Subject: [NTLUG:Discuss] Install/boot blues


> I am trying to build a linux box based on the new
> Soyo SY-K7V Dragon Plus motherboard with an
> Athlon xp1700 processor. Read articles on
> tomshardware.com, linuxhardware.org, etc, all
> said it's a great MB, works with linux, blah blah.
>
> Mine didn't. Both suse 7.2 and mandrake 8
> kernal panicked on initial install attempt,
> while just trying to initialize -- hard to be more
> specific right now, the output lines scroll by
> so fast, I can't see what's going on.
>
> My big question right now is, is there a way to
> tell the system to page the output so I can read
> it, or save it to a floppy, or email me (kidding :-)
> at least until he hits his panic point?
>
> I bought the components at Frys, took em back
> to get em checked out, and based on running pc doctor,
> it looks like all the components look good individually.
> Oh yeah, forgot, I also tried loading windows (shudder) 98,
> from a cd-rom install disc, and that didn't work either.
>
> Anybody else have any experience with this board?
>
> /dennis
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> Office phone: 817-762-8304
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> Seen on a Texas bumper sticker:
> Fail until you succeed.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.ntlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>