May 16, 2002                

TIME TO UPGRADE

If you look at the Intel CPU’s on the price list you will no longer see any processors that will work with a non-Tualatin motherboard.  All processors are now FCPGA2.  Most motherboards that are 6 months old or older will not run these processors.  This is good because it increases the amount we all make on upgrades and in some cases it prompts the customer to buy a new machine.  The same is true for AMD.  Most motherboards out there will not run XP processors.  If they are running an Athlon they may have the option of changing to Duron but that’s a downgrade in my opinion.    Push the upgrades!

PPGA, FCPGA, FCPGA2

This is an area where many people get confused.  When Intel first released the PPGA (Plastic Pin Grid Array) processor, it was a replacement for the Slot 1 processor.  A new motherboard was required.  They later changed the layout to FCPGA (Flip Chip Pin Grid Array).  Like the PPGA it was a socket 370 but most boards would not run it, at least not without a bios upgrade.  This time the look is the same but the FCPGA2 (also known as Tualatin) is a 0.13-micron wafer and it will not run on anything that wasn’t specifically designed for it.  With the FCPGA boards, you could run the old PPGA processors.  However, with the FCPGA2 boards you can run FCPGA but you cannot run PPGA.  If this explanation doesn’t make sense read it again, if it still doesn’t make sense call me and I will try to explain.

 ATI CARDS MAY DESTROY MOTHERBOARDS

We recently discovered that there is a version of the ATI Xpert 2000 Pro that will definitely destroy Supermicro P4 motherboards.  Because ATI puts out several versions of the same card it is difficult to tell if you have the board killer version.  We burned up several boards before we knew what was causing it.  We also discovered that they would not work on some MSI boards.  Be careful!  The model number of the card we were using is 1025-B3030 00050.  We have returned them all and will not be carrying them anymore. 

We will be closed May 27th for Memorial Day.  Stock up now!

S&K