questions on the TX Pro 2

[dumb_user]

hi all! :)

just received a Pentium from a friend and it doesn't comes with manual. intended to do some upgrading and BIOs flashes, but need some help.

1. what is the TX Pro 2? (I saw this on the heatsink of the chipset). is it a chipset manufactured by PCChips? However, on this site (http://www.amptron.com/html/pm571.html) there is a mobo which looks like mine, but it says that it's using the VIA TX3 chipset. i'm confused. is it made by PCChips or VIA?

2. which mobo manufacturers make mobos based on the TX Pro 2? how do i identify the maker of my mobo?

3. are all mobos based on the TX Pro 2 using the same onboard SIS video chip and sound chip?

4. the max capacity for a single DIMM is 64MB? (PC 100 and PC 133 SDRAM can be used right?)

5. how to identify the rev. of my mobo?

6. what is the M571?

thanks a million. :) :) :)

[timmy]

DU:

While it is often said that there are no "dumb questions", I'd like to suggest that you do some more research before getting into this business. I'll try to point out a few things to help you get started on this.

1. "just received a Pentium from a friend and it doesn't comes with manual. intended to do some upgrading and BIOs flashes, but need some help."

The first thing to do is download the manual. This can be found in a number of places, but you can find it on the M571 Site; the url is posted after my name at the end of this post.

The second thing to do is to study the manual and get familiar with what it is talking about.

2. "what is the TX Pro 2? (I saw this on the heatsink of the chipset). is it a chipset manufactured by PCChips? However, on this site there is a mobo which looks like mine, but it says that it's using the VIA TX3 chipset. i'm confused. is it made by PCChips or VIA?"

The TX Pro 2 is a chipset made by SiS. PcChips makes motherboards. VIA also makes chipsets.

You must be absolutely sure which motherboard you have before you begin to mess around with it, or you will come to grief. This is the first rule, and you will ignore it at your own peril.

3. "which mobo manufacturers make mobos based on the TX Pro 2? how do i identify the maker of my mobo?"

To list which motherboards came with a specific chipset would mean someone would have to go to great effort to provide you with a very lengthy list. There are a number of sites on the www that can assist you in identifying your motherboard if you are sure you don't have a PcChips product.

4. "are all mobos based on the TX Pro 2 using the same onboard SIS video chip and sound chip?"

The TX Pro 2, or SiS 5597/5598 chipset does come with an integrated video capability. It does not come with sound capability. The audio on an M571 is provided by a CMI 8330 chip.

5. "the max capacity for a single DIMM is 64MB? (PC 100 and PC 133 SDRAM can be used right?)"

The specifications of the M571 3.2, 3.2a, and 7.0 motherboards say that DIMMs up to 64 MB are supported. For one thing, this is a constraint imposed by the BIOS. For a second thing, this is a practical limit, as the SiS 5597/5598 TX Pro 2 chipset only supports 512 KB of Level 2 cache, and this will only cache 128 MB of system memory (there are 2 DIMM slots on an M571, so 2 x 64 MB = 128 MB total). That said, there are certain 128 MB DIMMs that you can use on an M571 for a total of 256 MB of system memory. But, 1/2 of this will not be cached by the L2 cache on the motherboard. Whether or not this is an issue depends on the applications you run and your expectations of your system. The only way to overcome this issue if you must have the extra 128 MB cached is to run an AMD K6 3 cpu, which has on baord L2 cache that is able to cache 4 GB of memory. I think that you can see that this is an issue that needs some consideration on your part.

6. " how to identify the rev. of my mobo?"

There is a small silkscreened number near the keyboard connector of an M571, if that is what you have. If not, then you must check how a specific board can be identified. This sort of information can be found on a nubmer of sites; for example if you go back to the old forum, this question has been asked a great many times. Normally, when you ask for help on one of these types of boards, folks will expect that you will have done searches and thereby found the answers to questions like these -- in other words, since it is much easier to ask a barrage of questions than it is to answer one, and since folks are generally busy, it is an unspoken expectation that a person seeking help would exhaust their own ability to research the commonly asked questions. I don't mean to have this response to sound like a lecture; I only point this out to point you in a path that will help you get the answers you need, both now and in the future.

7. "what is the M571?"

The M571 is a model of PC compatible computer motherboard made by PcChips in Taiwan. I believe they began production in 1997, or perhaps 1996. They were a product directed to the low cost segment of the computer market and came with integrated video and audio. Many of these boards were made and even tho they are no longer state of the art, they are still in use around the world. therefore, many people are interested in keeping them productive in today's environment. This can be done in most cases, but not all. For example, hard core gamers would need a more powerful system to run the newest games. But, a great deal can be accomplished with an M571 system. They offered a very powerful capability in their day compared to their cost, and this has ensured that there are still lots of them around. I have two systems myself, and have notions of getting a 3rd. I use one for some parts of my business, one is used for household use. I also use them as ways to find information for the M571 Tech Support and Upgrade Site, the url of which follows my name. Give it a look if you are so inclined.

Regards,
timmy

[atang1]

I have an Amptron PM8600 motherboard which uses a VX PRO+ chipset and a cy2961sc-1(date code 9739) pll circuit. My question is how to find the pll circuit diagram, and how to change the resistors and capacitors to go beyond 83 mhz FSB.

It seems that TX pro and 430TX chipset all use the same pll circuit for chipsets and could be squeezed for 90-95 mhz performance?

[inoitu]

Hi everyone,
Firstly,sorry to butt in this thread, came to these forums before and registered to participate. I came across threads regarding mobo M571 and a version 7.0A (I believe) came to b in my possession with a Pentium 166MMX. I tried following those threads again but failed. Happy to see that many are using it till today. I wish to run this after gettig aother parts to complete the rig. I havent flashed the bios, because I just managed to get it to post, ( 21-0305-001437-00101111-071595-M571-007_66_M571H). Is it ver 7.0A? Yesterday I saw that this mobo supports USB too, can someone help me to locate this since I cannot find on the board.

thank you.

[alan norman]

The version number is printed on the motherboard near the keyboard connector.

If you go to my site, you can read about using USB with the board and also download a manual (in pdf format).

Alan

[jim chase]

"Firstly,sorry to butt in this thread, came to these forums before and registered to participate."

Yes, for some of us old people it's hard to keep questions straight so new threads are appreciated.

"I havent flashed the bios, because I just managed to get it to post, ( 21-0305-001437-00101111-071595-M571-007_66_M571H). Is it ver 7.0A?"

I think so but check by the keyboard socket, it should be printed there.

"Yesterday I saw that this mobo supports USB too, can someone help me to locate this since I cannot find on the board."

The usb ports are in the J7 pin set. The easiest way to connect to them is to use the "ATX form card" which has jacks for usb, I/R and P/S2.

Jim

[alex zorrilla]

Hey, dumb_user.

PCChips is a motherboard maker, now part of ECS. They have had a really annoying habit of taking somebody else's chipset and inventing their own name for it, seemingly for the purpose of confusing everybody, including themselves. :rolling:

The TX Pro 2 is really an SiS 5597/5598. I believe that the information given on that link is incorrect. If you see a motherboard with a non-existent chipset name, it is most likely PCChips. You can identify a PCChips motherboard by going to the PCChips Lottery: http://www.stud.fernuni-hagen.de/q3998142/pcchips/

The M571 is a specific motherboard from PCChips that uses this chipset.

--Alex