Hi, all !

I'm planning to upgrade my aging specs, but I want to keep my ~400 megs of pc133 sdram.
Here's what I plan to buy:

Mobo: Asus TUV4X (Tualatin support, VT82C694T chipset, 4 dimms, Ata100, 6 pci, agp 4x,...)

Cpu: Intel P/// 1.26Ghz Tualatin, 0.13µ

What do you think ? I want this particular mobo (Asus+Via+price), but I stay open to any other choice with the same performance/price level.

Tell if I'm wrong !

You could get a powerleap slotket and put that 1.26ghz tualatin into your p3v4x. ATA100 will give you minimal performance boost over ATA66.

[URL]http://www.powerleap.com/Products/iP3T.htm[/URL]

VIA sucks.

Avoid them at all costs.

I agree. Via make stable chipsets but in order to get any performance out of them you have to install Via 4-1 drivers and it still may not make them any run any better. Supposedly Micro$oft has built in support for Via in Windows XP but considering the problems I have ran into with M$ drivers in the past, on very common devices, I would not trust them. I would go with a more mainstream chipset such as Intels chipset, expecially with a Intel processor.

I followed a similar plan for my upgrade. I wanted to keep my older SDRAM so I went with a PIII Tualatin. But, went with an ASUS TUSL2-C motherboard. Can't go wrong with intel chipsets. I haven't had any problems so far, rock solid.

I've had my P3V4X for 2 years and 3 months, since the day it was available. I have never had trouble of any kind with it in Win98, Win2K, WinXP, Win2K Advanced Server, Linux, and even Basilisk (Mac emu);) I even use Rivatuner to force AGP 4x and Fast Writes with my Hercules GF3500. Soundblaster runs fine too, and 1gb memory is fully operable.
Maybe this is because I took the 90 seconds required to install the 4in1 drivers?

Seriously, I believe VIA has had trouble supporting AMD platforms more that Intel. Anyone else care to add their experiences?

Here's my specs, running smooth as silk:

OS: Mostly Windows XP
Mobo: Asus P3V4X
CPU: P3 1GHZ w/ Asus slotket adapter
Memory: 1GB PC133 CAS 2 Mushkin
HDD: 30GB ATA66 WD, 80GB ATA100 WD - Both 7200 rpm
CDROM: Kenwood 72x (barely working - these suck!)
CDRW: Yamaha 16x10x40
Floppy: NEC
Video: Hercules GeForce 3 Ti500
Sound: Soundblaster Live! 5.1
Ethernet: 3COM SOHO-TX100, D-Link DFE 530TX
SCSI: Adaptec AIC-7850 (for scanner)
Scanner: Epson 1640SU
Printer: Epson 980
Monitor: Viewsonic PF790
Speakers: Cambridge Soundworks DTT2500
Keyboard: IBM Standard El Cheapo
Mouse: MS Intellimouse Explorer
Case: 3DCool.com
PSU: 300W came with case

I've about 6 different boards with various Via chipsets on both the Intel and AMD side. I have not had a problem with the chipsets. In fact some of the best boards I've owned used a Via chipset *pats trust Asus A7V*

Thank you, all of you !
1- Yes, I'd agree for ddr support but do you know a mobo that supports both ddr and Tualatin cpu ? This way I could keep my ram a while.

2- I'm not against the idea to to invest in AMD, (though I'd like to keep my 133 sdram for a little while, but not at all cost)... I may consider the Asus A7V333 + Athlon XP 1600 + 256 Mo DDR (266Mhz).

3- I will not consider Powerleap iP3/T anymore, cpu adapters are a source for problems in most cases. I prefer to buy a new mobo instead for quite the same price (the iP3/T is available for 95 €, the mobo is 137 €, not that much of a difference)

Your advice is more than welcomed, anyway !

As for VIA Chipsets go, some people have major issues with them, but sometimes people blame the chipset when actually something else is at fault. There is nothing wrong with my VIA chipset on an AMD processor, it works fine. It took a while for VIA and MS to stabilize it under Windows 2000, but after SP1 it was all good. As for Windows XP right now, I am not using any VIA 4-In-1's it runs fine without them, older VIA chipsets are better left untouched. General rule, don't update unless you have problems. Do you really need the latest VIA 4-In-1's?

XP has 4in1's built in, but I don't know which version.

With my present mobo (P3V4X), I didn't installed 4in1's under XP, I didn't feel the need to install them.

As for my upgrading plan, I decided to invest in Asus A7V333 + Athlon 1700+. I already bought the ram (256Mo DDR Pc2100). The rest will come after I return from holidays.

Any cons about my choice ?