Frequently Asked Questions - TYAN THUNDER 100 Manual

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why don't I get a display after I put in my old DIMM module?
A: The 440BX/GX chipset requires the memory manufacturer to program an
EEPROM chip with SPD (Serial Presence Detection) on the module in order for
the BIOS to program the chipset's timing registers properly. Your DIMM may
not have the EEPROM chip on the module, or the EEPROM may not contain
the correct program. Check with your memory vendor for details. The figure
below shows a DIMM module with an SPD EEPROM chip.
EEPROM
Unbuffered
RFU
Buffered
168-pin DIMM
Q: My system sometimes becomes unstable. How should I check the system?
A: The first thing to do is to check and see if you have any device conflict in I/
O address, IRQ, or DMA. If you are using Windows 95, the Device Manager is
a good place to start. Please consult your operating system manual for details.
Second of all, slowing down the memory timing in the BIOS's chipset setup
section will help the situation, as well. Many memory modules are not suitable
for high performance systems and are probably the main source of your
problem.
Q: Can I use EDO DIMMs on this motherboard?
A: No. The Intel 440BX/GX AGPset does not support EDO memory.
Q: What is AGP?
A: AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) is a new bus architecture for 3D graphics.
The AGP slot eliminates the PCI bandwidth bottleneck by bypassing the PCI
interface and accessing the system memory directly. Currently, the AGP
supports 1X and 2X modes, which yield bandwidths of 266MB/s (at 33MHz
bus speed) and 533MB/s (at 66MHz bus speed), respectively. Compare this
with the mere 132MB/s (at 33MHz bus speed) that you get from the PCI bus.
Q: Does my operating system support AGP?
A: Currently, only Windows 98 and Windows 2000 will have built-in support
for AGP. Some AGP cards require Windows 95 OSR2.1 or a special driver from
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