Shuttle SN45Gv3 running AMD 2800+ as a 2200+ (Very Techie!)

EddyHall

Hi all,

Ive just finished my first self build - specs below...

Shuttle SN45Gv3
AMD Althon XP 2800+
2 x 512Mb Generic DDR333 PC2700 RAM
Seagate Barracuda 120Gb 8mb Cache
Radeon 9550 256MB
LG GSA4163 DVD-R

And after a few teething problems (had to use Linux boot disk to format HDD before XP install) it worked fine. Except for one thing - Ive had to throttle back the FSB in the BIOS.

The memory is running fine at 333MHz, but if I push the FSB to 166MHz (not overclocking, its meant to be that!) then the PC hangs at XP login screen. I thought it may be overheating as Im using the ICE at the moment. So I took off the case and fitted the AMD CPU fan. Even leaving the case off, it wouldnt go past XP logon. So not a cooling issue then!

Im getting fed up of having a pretty slick setup ruined by an underperforming CPU and was wondering if anyone had any advice? Ive tried the following so far...

Increasing the cooling as mentioned earlier
Updated BIOS
Throttling back all other BIOS settings
Checking status of all components using EVEREST

All to no avail. Can anyone help?

Cheers,
Eddy

NellyLock

try running it with one stick of ram and removing dvd drive as a start..does generic ram mean unbranded?

EddyHall

Yeah... unbranded RAM. Ive run Memetest for a couple of days with no errors reported. Obviously this doesnt mean the stuff is stable though.

Ill give it a try with one RAM chip only. See if that brightens it up.

Thanks,
Eddy

Joe_Bloggs

I am not a fan of these cases or form factors. They are either hot or noisy in my opinion. There are many other motherboard components that get the hot air blown away from the CPU. The Northbridge is often the first heat victim. The next worry is probably the mosfets on the motherboard and the capacitors. This form factor is ideal for the manufacturers as it creates a high turnover due to the hostile environment.
J_B.

mjr600

Some Shuttles struggle with two sticks of memory, read the Shuttle Forum here for advice.

http://www.sudhian.com/

I've been running an SS51G v2.0 for the past two years as a media/games centre with Freeview and a 9600pro.

Its as big a shoebox, almost silent (thanks to its unique cooler) and has only crashed when I've tried to overclock it too far.

I can't understand why anyone want big Pc's when a Shuttle can do it all.

Dan_G_2

As mentioned, the northbridge is a good call. Apart from that I would check RAM, Flash your BIOS (Its not a very hard procedure).

Another consideration could be PSU capacity? Doubtful on that rig though.
Dan