Is this motherboard any good?

Retro6

Retro6

Retro6

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I need to replace a motherboard in a Pentium III computer and I'm thinking about getting the Gigabyte GA-6WMMC7 Rev 4.0 Socket 370 Motherboard although it has no AGP slot its not to much of a problem as I can use an old PCI graphics card.

I'm not sure what the processor support is like. This board is to replace a faulty board in a 1998 budget TINY PC and I would like to use the same processor. From my research the board supports FSB of 66/100 MHz but I can't find anything much about clock speed. If I buy this board and my processor don't work on it then I will have to hunt down a compatible processor.

So I mainly need to find out what socket 370 processors this board supports?
 
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Retro6 said:
Is this any good for a retro gaming system?
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Depends entirely what you want to use it for?

Personally for me a Pentium III / Athlon era gaming rig would be either be Win98SE or XP, and would be for those games that don't run easily on anything newer. I'd rather have an AGP Geforce 2, 3 or 4 as they were something that would be period correct and offer enough horsepower for games of that era that don't run on anything newer.

If you are dead set on using a PCI graphics card, then probably best option would be a PCI Voodoo 3, and build it up to play Glide specific games.
 
If I was buying a new motherboard for general retroing I would insist on an AGP slot. Socket 370 can get quite fast and unless you're planning on using a GeForce 6200 or something you may find your PCI card can't keep up. Mid range AGP cards are probably going to be cheaper than mid range PCI cards these days too. It's shooting yourself in the foot a bit to skip out on an AGP slot when they're pretty common.

The board doesn't say it supports 133MHz CPUs so you may not get 133MHz based CPUs to boot or be stable. I've found that 133 CPUs are generally better value than 100MHz models I assume because people can overclock 100MHz models a lot easier.
 
For this particular PC its more about getting it up and running, a sort of restoration type thing, not necessarily for a gaming PC specifically. I've been deciding on what OS I should install on it, I was thinking about Widows 95 but the case is more Windows 98 so I'm still deciding on it. I don't need anything to overly powerful because sometimes slow is good.

The most temping thing about the Gigabyte GA-6WMMC7 Rev 4.0 Socket 370 Motherboard is that its new old stock and comes boxed and its cheap so its tempting to buy it anyway but my processor may not work on that board, a nice 400 MHz processor would be nice for a Windows 95 build.
 
Armageus said:
There are no "nice" 400mhz Socket 370 processors :)

Also at 400Mhz+ there is no benefit to going for Windows 95, you may as well go straight to 98SE.
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What I mean by "a nice 400 MHz processor" is the speed combined with having Windows 95. Its the nostalgia.

I have a collection of retro PC's and I would like some contrast in my collection rather than everything running Windows 98SE. There is more to retro computing than putting Windows 98 SE on everything.
 
Retro6 said:
What I mean by "a nice 400 MHz processor" is the speed and having Windows 95. Its the nostalgia.

I have a collection of retro PC's and I would like some contrast in my collection rather than everything running Windows 98SE. There is more to retro computing than putting Windows 98 SE on everything.
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66mhz fsb slot1 boards (and a pentium II or celeron w/slocket) are a lot cheaper and more plentiful if you only want a 400mhz processor and windows 95.
 
It's an i810 board, so 100MHz FSB max. Also explains the lack of an AGP slot, as you're supposed to use the awful onboard graphics.

All the specs and CPU support info are still on Gigabyte's website...
 
Well the board is only 15 pounds plus 10 pounds postage and its new old stock so at the moment that is the cheapest option going and although not having AGP the onboard graphics won't be so bad for some basic games and running things like Encarta 97 and all that good stuff. I can always use a PCi card if needed. I haven't decided yet on whether to buy it as I have my eye on some other boards as well. Nothing is set in stone just yet.

Edit: after some thinking I've decided its going to be a Windows 95 nostalgia PC.

I've found an Intel Pentium III Processor in my parts bin that is a SL3Q9 and has a FSB of 100MHz with 500 MHz clock speed. I had no idea I had one. I tested it and it works. :)

Edit... I have decided its best not to buy this board because the seller wont respond to my questions and he states in his listing there are no returns so I will avoid wasting my money and time just encase I end up with a dud motherboard full of bad caps even though the board is new old stock its still more than 20 years old.

There isn't anything else going at the moment as usual and it has to be a smallish board to fit the case of the TINY PC. The specifications need to be specific. Maybe something will turn up next week.
 
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Armageus said:
66mhz fsb slot1 boards (and a pentium II or celeron w/slocket) are a lot cheaper and more plentiful if you only want a 400mhz processor and windows 95.
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Except there aren't any going. How is a slot 1 board cheaper I don't get that one? I don't mean to sound rude but boards are sold or get auctioned off at random prices despite what they are so saying a slot 1 PII board is cheaper than a 370 board makes no sense. They are not plentiful either and haven't been for a while. I'm willing to go for any old board that will fit this case whether that would be a Slot 1 or socket 370 etc. These days I can't afford to be to fussy.
 
Retro6 said:
Except there aren't any going. How is a slot 1 board cheaper I don't get that one?
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I specifically said 66Mhz Slot 1 boards - e.g. the 440LX/EX or ZX chipsets that no one really wants (as the majority of people want the far more common 440BX to run decent Pentium III chips)

Retro6 said:
I don't mean to sound rude but boards are sold or get auctioned off at random prices despite what they are so saying a slot 1 PII board is cheaper than a 370 board makes no sense. They are not plentiful either and haven't been for a while.
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234368350119 - Tested i810 Slot1 MicroATX
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233935338558 - 440ZX MicroATX
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224788803718 - Tested 440LX BabyAT (too big I think?)

If you didn't need such a small board, this one gives you either Skt370 or Slot 1 :)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224682613674
 
Armageus said:
I specifically said 66Mhz Slot 1 boards - e.g. the 440LX/EX or ZX chipsets that no one really wants
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233935338558 - 440ZX MicroATX
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I thought ZX was basically BX but smaller form factor? My Slot 1 ZX is 100MHz, AGP PCI and ISA anyway.

That board I've left in your quote tempted me with its onboard-but-dedicated rage chip as something interesting to mess around with (I was hoping it would be one of those voodoo 3 boards when I saw the on-board VRAM but sadly not). But I'm not sure I could be bothered when I have better boards / video cards.
 
Armageus said:
I specifically said 66Mhz Slot 1 boards - e.g. the 440LX/EX or ZX chipsets that no one really wants (as the majority of people want the far more common 440BX to run decent Pentium III chips)



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234368350119 - Tested i810 Slot1 MicroATX
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233935338558 - 440ZX MicroATX
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224788803718 - Tested 440LX BabyAT (too big I think?)

If you didn't need such a small board, this one gives you either Skt370 or Slot 1 :)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224682613674
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Thanks for the links. I've already come across those... The first two, 30 quid with no AGP plus postage with no processor included I think I'll pass on those two for now because I will also need to buy a slot 1 processor which 10-20 pound on top. I know there be better cheaper options if I wait. The third one is ok too. I'm sure something will pop up on ebay soon.
 
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