A-Open i855GMEm PentiumM+1.4 Celeron $89

[Copper]

RMClock works very well with the Pentium M as well. I like it over NHC only because I don't use .net, and .net is a lot to install for one little program.

I can vouch for the D400 as very quiet. I stuffed in an inexpensive SSD, disabled SpeedStep so it's always running at 600MHz, and bingo, no moving parts 'cause the fan she doesn't turn. Although it will with CPUBurn, but hey, I've got better things to do. Whichever model you choose, if you're patient and watch for a Dothan it is a significant improvement over Banias. Geeks doesn't label them so you have to do some detective work. Some speeds overlap such that you can't tell by the speed alone, but others are unique to one or the other.

===========================

Are you still RMA'ing the board? You seem to be playing a lot instead of boxing up.

[Bluefront]

Follow-up here......I received the RMA board yesterday, and so far it boots every time. Lucky me. It took over three weeks to get this new board however. Not good. Anyway this new board has the newest BIOS installed, so maybe it's newer than board #1.

And I also got my new CPU....P-M 755, the same as the SPCR interview. Good news.....you can easily change the CPU from 100x20 to 133x15. No problems noted at all. Should be slightly faster. This new BIOS is quite a bit different from the original BIOS. Among other things, the CPU can be under-volted quite a bit.

I still haven't figured out how to get the fan control utility, and speed-step to work together. Plus there's "Silent-BIOS" to consider. Speedfan will manually control the fan speed, but I can't seem to get it to work on automatic. I'll get it working......this new CPU seems to run cooler than the OEM Celeron-M. But I've only had it working for a few hours. I can set it so the fan will turn off at an idle, and stay off for a long time. (On the bench) I'm using a Zalman 5700 and a low-speed 80mm YL.

As I learn more about this new (to me) system, I'll report back. This thing is going to be quiet.....no matter what case you put it in.

[Bluefront]

As I discovered with the first board, the supplied HSF is a POS, runs hot even with the fan at 12V. But it's very short, so you could fit it in a short case. The Zalman 5700 I'm using along with a 25x80 YL is also very short, and could be made even shorter with a 15X80 fan. It cools 100% better than the AOpen HSF. The board uses standard 478 heatsinks, but you need to use a shim of some sort, to get the right pressure on the CPU (since this chip has no IHS). This Zalman makes it easy.....the shim goes under the spring clip, visible in the photos.





This heatsink can handle the heat off this CPU without any problem. The 25CFM off the YL is plenty for anything. It usually runs about 800rpms, using the AOpen series tool. (this is a bench test at 24C ambient). The CPU maxes about 41C, with the fan at 1000rpm (1/2 speed).

I'm still figuring out settings.....but here's what's working. 100x20 CPU clock. 1.07 BIOS. 1.03 series tool. BIOS fan control set to "Smart Fan". Default CPU voltage setting 1.34V. Speed-step 800-2000mhz. This Series tool version seems to be very stable.....it controls everything. Fan speed, speed-step, over-clocking, etc. I would prefer to use this utility, provided it is stable. So far, so good.

[hmsrolst]

Very nice report, Bluefront. Thanks. All throw in a few more thoughts.

Not all S478 heatsinks require a shim. The XP-90 fits very well without one.

After reading your write-up I tried the AOpen series tool, but it doesn't seem to allow for voltage modification. At 6x (600MHz for me since I'm running 100x20), it only takes the voltage down to about 1.14v. Notebook Hardware Control allows .70v, but if I try to use both, it locks up the system. It might go lower at 6x, though, by setting the voltage lower in the BIOS--the 755's seem to run stably in the 1.1-1.15v range under full load.

Although these are really nice setups, even at the lower price, I'm not sure they're a particularly good deal compared to Core Duo. The AOpen MB i945GTm-VHL can be bought for about $115, and I've picked up T2500's on ebay for quite a bit less than I just sold one of my P-M 755's (both are 2.0MHz chips). There's also the question of what kind of spare RAM you might have around. However, with the 945 board you get many better features than the 855 board. The only advantage I can see of buying the 855 at this point is that it can be run at lower voltage.

[NoiseFreeGuy]

As I discovered with the first board, the supplied HSF is a POS, runs hot even with the fan at 12V. But it's very short, so you could fit it in a short case. The Zalman 5700 I'm using

Glad to hear you finally got your RMA board and things are working out!
I have the GMEm-LFS too, using a P-750 with it.
Believe it or not I stuck with the 'POS' stock HSF. I bought another fan before I put together the system but decided to try out the stock one first.
I have my BIOS set to keep the CPU fan off for temps under 40C and the CPU idles at about 37C. Also my system is in the next room (wires through the wall) so noise isn't an issue at all, hehe.

I was interested when I heard about this price because I was thinking of picking up another board as a backup! I love my system.

[Bluefront]

I tried the OEM HSF with the Celeron that came with the first board. It ran hot even with the 70x15 at 12V. I didn't even try it with this P-M 755.

The CPU voltage adjustment is in this BIOS version.....1.07. The BIOS with the first board (1.01 I think) didn't have this ability. And right....the series tool has everything but the voltage adjustments.

After running with the above settings for a while, I changed the CPU to 133x15, and lowered the CPU voltage a few steps. Everything has remained stable so far....

[mcoleg]

pentium-m, nice. one of my faforite cpu's. good to see these lil' puppies keep finding a nich...