You don't need no stinkin' socket 370 adapter!
Written: Aug 08 '00 (Updated Sep 13 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: AGP 4X, Ultra DMA 66, PC 66/100/133 frontside bus & memory speeds
Cons: System MUST BE UNPLUGGED when inserting memory.
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| GamepadGuru's Full Review: Tyan S1854 Trinity 400 |
This is first motherboard I bought in two years. My Abit BH6 was getting long in the tooth even though I think it's still the best BX motherboard you can buy. I did some research on which motherboard I should buy. Hmmmm, Let me see......I need to have 133MHz frontside bus & memory speed, I need AGP 4X support, 6 PCI slots, rock solid stability & have a Slot 1 & Socket 370 CPU support. If you need everything I just mentioned in a motherboard, The Tyan Trinity 400 is for you.
Lets start with the features. Based on the VIA Apollo 133A chipset, the Trinity 400 supports Slot 1 & Socket 370 CPU's. Because of this, this board grows with your needs. PC 66/100/133 frontside bus support, 3 DIMM slots (1 GB total RAM), 100MHZ/133MHz memory speed, 6 PCI slots, 1 ISA slot, 4X AGP support & Ultra DMA 66 hard drive support...(whew)!
Stability of this board is ROCK SOLID! I haven't had a single crash since I bought it. This is also the ONLY motherboard I know of that can have the frontside bus & memory speed running at different speeds. So you have a P3 with a 100MHz frontside bus & 133MHz memory....no problem. Both can be running at their top speeds. Kudos to Tyan!
But this board has one minor flaw & ONE MAJOR FLAW! The minor flaw is that the manual says there were jumpers on the board that switch the CPU types (either Slot 1 or Socket 370). I have yet to see this jumper. I put my P3 450MHz Slot 1 CPU in it & it worked fine. Maybe I have a NEW revision of the board that auto detects the type of CPU installed. Alas, some sort of documentation should have came with the board saying this.
Now the MAJOR flaw! Be very careful when inserting memory into this board! The Trinity 400 operates on a 3.3 volt standby for DIMM banks. Because of this, YOU MUST UNPLUG THE COMPUTER BEFORE YOU INSERT YOUR MEMORY. Otherwise, THE COMPUTER WILL AUTOMATICALLY POWER UP WHEN THE MEMORY IS INSTALLED! Be VERY careful!
Update (9/13/2000): Tyan has informed me that minor flaw I mentioned above. They said that only older revisions of the board has the jumper & the newer version do not. In addition, they did so mention it in the manual itself. I looked in the manual & behold....there it was. So never mind the minor flaw section mentioned above. Thanks Tyan.
Also, When buying this board pay close attention to the model number next to the power supply connector on the motherboard. If it says "9900Y" or "9900YA", avoid it at all costs. These are the older revisions of the motherboard THAT DO NOT SUPPORT COPPERMINE PENTIUM 3'S!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100.00
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Epinions.com ID:
GamepadGuru
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Member: John Riggs
Location: Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
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