Or some of it, maybe.
I just ran PC Wizard 2008 per the Hard Drive discussion in another thread. I've reported elsewhere that my 1.8 Ghz CPU was 'erroneously' being shown as running at 1.35. However, PCW confirms this. Given the phrasing--that 10%-100% throttling is being used, how can I crank it back up to its rated capacity?
A further look reveals that the FSB speed was 'initially' 133 Mhz, but now is 100. What is going on?
TIA,
R.
Think I would either clear and reconfigure the BIOS or if there is a new BIOS flash and reconfigure. I'd also look on the motherboard for any jumpers that may control FSB (or anything else for that matter) as a lot of old motherboards weren't as "automatic" as the new boards.
I'll offer my unsolicited opinion here as well. Save for a new computer. You will save yourself a world of grief if you simply got a barebones system and started fresh. Then you can enjoy making music. Just my opinion, don't take offense.
Erm, none taken. But this IS a barebones system--just made of old parts, except a brand new WD main drive and fresh install of XP.
R.
Power Throttling (AMD calls it Powernow!) can indeed be detrimental when the goal is streaming audio. CPU can't ramp up to speed in time to handle the demand load.
There are ways to defeat the Power Throttleback.
AMD or Intel chip?
Quote:
Power Throttling (AMD calls it Powernow!) can indeed be detrimental when the goal is streaming audio. CPU can't ramp up to speed in time to handle the demand load.
There are ways to defeat the Power Throttleback.
AMD or Intel chip?
Yes I believe you posted about AMD's Powernow quite a while back. Sadly the search function on this board only goes back to last Tuesday! LOL
When will they upgrade their Forum Software!!! 
Quote:
Erm, none taken. But this IS a barebones system--just made of old parts, except a brand new WD main drive and fresh install of XP.
R.
Erm, I have a 386 from 1990 in my closet with a new unopened case and powersupply of the same year sitting next to it. Don't know if I would consider it a barebones system. Right now the case works as a door stop!
Just checking in on what could be slowing things down from higher "discrete" component performance ratings: What type of Ram Memory chips are loaded? Even if they may be relatively new, if their timing is slower, or faster than the FSB speed, or some multiple of same, they may be out of synch with the timing of the Front side bus (FSB) which can reduce performance altogether. Data transfer between the memory chips and the FSB may require more than one separate clock cycle if there is a mismatch in timing characteristics, which will also slow the CPU performance as well, since there is a bottleneck in how the parts link up and transfer data. I could be all wet about this instance, but the tip about old parts thrown together made me wonder about how the parts may be possibly mismatched.
FWIW, NEWEGG has some ECS motherboards under a $100 with FSB rating of over 2500 MHZ or 5200 MT/Sec....
Mac,
AMD Athlon XP 2200+ 1.8 Ghz Pentium IV equivalent.
R.
Dr D.,
I'm aware of those considerations. I'm pretty sure the RAM is the correct type, and a matched pair. I'd have to open the puppy up to make sure. I'd rather not, but one does what one must.
All y'all,
RE: Getting new anything: Buying a new mobo means a new CPU, RAM, drives--in other words, the new PC I can't afford now. I'm open to donations anytime. Other than that, what you hear is what I got. *g* This thing should be doing what I'm asking it to. It's not like I'm trying to run a 48-track studio or anything. Two at a time is all.
R.
32 or 64?
Whichever, websearch for how to turn off Powernow! for your specific mobo, chip and OS.
AMD site used to have a downloadable utility, I couldn't find it there just now but that is the site to trust...
--Mac
Thirty-two bit.
PowerNow seems to be mainly a notebook feature. It is disabled by default in XP (which I just installed) but may be enabled by a newer driver for the processor itself. I've tried to get every update I can less SP3, but don't recall anything for the CPU.
I found that making Power Settings in Control Panel as Desktop/Office or Always On--I usually select one or the other--also disables it.
But the really strange thing to me is that the system is reporting a completely different processor (AMD Athlon XP 1500+, where mine is the 2200+) as well as the lower clock speed. PC Wizard, OTOH, reports the correct initial speed, but also that it is running at 1.35 Ghz--two thirds of rated.
I'll see about doing the BIOS thing.
R.
I would check the CMOS/BIOS settings. Since you're reporting a FSB of 100 instead of 133, I think that there is most likely an incorrect, or 'default' setting in the CMOS which needs to be corrected.
Some CMOS have an 'Optimal Settings' which is what I would use, instead of the default. Default is often used as a 'safe' setting, to get you back up and running if something bad happens.
I had a hard time finding the stuff for your motherboard, because it's listed as a PC Chips, not an ECS, even though they're the same company. You have an AMI BIOS chip. Enter the BIOS (press Del when told) and go to the CPU Setup Page. Change the CPU Frequency to 133, which will restore your computer to the speed it should be running at. Make sure the DRAM timing is set to Auto.
Gary
Gary nailed it here, I believe. I remember this would happen to an old ASUS MOBO I had with an Award BIOS. I could never figure out what would cause it to change, but once a year or so, I had to go into the BIOS and reset the bus speed.
-Scott
Gary DID nail it, yay! I went in and, sure enough, bus speed had been set back to 100 MHz. Kicked it up to 133 and CPU ID and speed are now correct as well. Can't thank you guys enough.
I've also corrected my sysinfo to reflect the 'PC Chips' mfg instead of ECS.
Okay, now how come on boot the BIOS reports the onboard video chip with 8 Mb VRAM about two thirds of the time, and the AGP board with 64 Mb only about one third of the time? Both are NVidia GeForce, but of different series. Can this be affecting performance as well? I did have an issue in RealBand which turned out to be video related and which was corrected by backing off hardware acceleration all the way. Again, this is in BIOS only. In Windows the system has always reported the correct card.
Through the fog,
R.
Hard to tell if this is a bios setting issue or possibly a messy registry, but certainly any system running with a "slow" FSB that uses shared Ram for video ala Vram on board chips would be very sensitive to any real time video intensive display demands. I would check the video section of the bios, which by the way may be able to be updated, and in fact may need updating to handle the AGP video card. You might consider simply reinstalling the AGP card to reinitialize that component as the preferred video display driver component. With it reinitialized, which doesn't require any ugly reopening of your box, you should have a more stable and optimized system, that no longer draws off of RAM and some CPU cycling to boot.
R is an underclocker. (grin)
You hould disable the onboard video in the BIOS when running a separate vid card.
Otherwise the onboard vid will always grab a piece of your physical ram at bootup.
Dr D,
Doubt it's the registry; the Win install is only two weeks old.
By reinstalling the AGP, do you mean reinstalling OEM drivers, or 'uninstalling' via Device Manager and allowing it to find itself again? Or something else?
Mac,
I don't see an option in BIOS to disable video. What I was able to do was to deny allocation of an IRQ to PCI VGA, which may be the same thing. Also, there are only three options for memory allocation to video: 32, 64, and 128 Mb. I cut it to 32, but I'm not sure what I did really.
Re: Clock speed, what about overclocking? I can kick the FSB up to 166 from the nominal 133. Note that my CPU runs at 55 deg. C at idle, and that PC Wizard reports 14.07 VDC on my 12 V bus. Am I risking anything by going up? I have a case fan I can add.
R.
I don't recommend overclocking that one for DAW work. The gain is rather slight and not worth the risk IMO.
Overclocking has other implications in the DAW world. For example, that Creative card, which may not like a higher bus speed...
--Mac
The Creative card is out of the loop. It is physically in the system, but not in use. I have moved audio and MIDI I/O to the TASCAM US-224. Now, if I could just get it working as a control surface . . .
R.
Rys,
First, leave the CPU Frequency where it is.
Secondly, if you have an AGP video card installed, under the Advanced setup, set the Shared Memory size to the smallest possible, and set the Video Window to 64 or Auto.
Under the PCI/PnP, make sure the primary graphics adapter is AGP. Unless you have some huge crash and burn conflict, I don't recommend disabling the PCI VGA IRQ.
Gary
Sounds reasonable Gary, but it also sounds to me like the AGP NVIDIA card is not installed. If he reinstalls it using the latest NVIDIA Geforce driver software package for that card from
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-ushe may be able to get the card nailed down better. This board and bios may be so old though that the bios itself may need a flash update of the bios to be able to even recognize an AGP type card in the first place. If it's an AWARD bios he can get that at the Award web site. I think he's still got the bios divvying up ram for the on board video chip, and that Mac is trying to get him to reset the bios to either not allocate any ram to the video chip or turn it off. In any event you'd probably agree that his system would be better off without the CPU and RAM doing any video processing when all that could be done by the GeForce AGP card, right?
Do what Gary says above and then also DrDuBose except....
I wouldn't install the latest Nvidia drivers for your card (did you post the model somewhere) if it's less than a series 8 because the new drivers load Physx which you don't need and can't use.
Good drivers before Physx are 169.21 and 175.16. Note that with Nvidia the best driver is the one that works for your computer AND software and not necessarily the newest one.
A good program to sweep out your old drivers is DriverSweeper. It can find your motherboard drivers and remove them as well. Be alert!
Here's a link.
DriverSweeper Remember to backup your system at intervals when changing out drivers. That alone will save you days worth of work if a driver doesn't work out well.
Quote:
Sounds reasonable Gary, but it also sounds to me like the AGP NVIDIA card is not installed. If he reinstalls it using the latest NVIDIA Geforce driver software package for that card from
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
he may be able to get the card nailed down better. This board and bios may be so old though that the bios itself may need a flash update of the bios to be able to even recognize an AGP type card in the first place. If it's an AWARD bios he can get that at the Award web site. I think he's still got the bios divvying up ram for the on board video chip, and that Mac is trying to get him to reset the bios to either not allocate any ram to the video chip or turn it off. In any event you'd probably agree that his system would be better off without the CPU and RAM doing any video processing when all that could be done by the GeForce AGP card, right?
I did update the Nvidia card as I have done before to version 7x.xx (I could look it up, I just don't care any more). It seems to work fine.
I downloaded and ran, or attempted to run, the Flash utility. It doesn't recognize anything, even though it is said to be specific to my mobo. (It is clearly quite generic.) When I run the default routine, it says, "CHIPSET/FLASH PART ISN'T AVAILABLE. THE FUNCTION WILL BE INVALID." And so it is. The utility gives me lists and lists of numbers to choose from, none of which I understand or care to investigate. I'm good, but I'm just losing interest.
I can't make any of my music-creation programs talk to each other. I once recorded a bit of a CD into Nuendo. Wow. And before I actually needed to, I was able to link Reason with Nuendo via ReWire. It hasn't happened since. RealBand is, to me, quirky and unpredictable. I finally printed the manual and maybe that will change. I am still able to create things I like in BIAB--but I can't do anything with them, because I can't figure out how to record Reason, which is where I send things after I'm through with them in BIAB, into a DAW. I feel like an idiot--I even have the Dummies' Guide to prove it--and I am about to give up.
It can't be this hard. There are people here who are much less technically adept than I who are doing wonderful things. Although there have been difficulties, it isn't the machine. I READ THE FREAKIN MANUALS, most of which are opaque, incomplete, or assume vast knowledge of the arcane. I can make BIAB and Reason tap dance; I just can't DO anything with the results.
I want to take music from BIAB and/or Reason, put it into a DAW and record guitars and maybe some voice. Is that so freakin much to ask?
Richard
We need to hold hands and sing Kumbya, I suggest the folk.sty LOL
I know what it's like, I've got 5 computers in the house and touch wood (touches head), all are and have been working fine, but I miss being able to use the Dxi synth on Vista 64.
Not PG's fault, but it makes rendering mp3's from arrangments a royal pain.
A slow royal pain.
Quote:
I am still able to create things I like in BIAB--but I can't do anything with them, because I can't figure out how to record Reason, which is where I send things after I'm through with them in BIAB, into a DAW.
Why can't you export your tracks in Reason as wave files and import them into your sequencer?
I'm assuming that if you want to record in Reason, you have to have a controller keyboard. Do you? I mean, you can do drum loops and stuff, of course, and you should be able to import MIDI (can't do it with the demo) and select from there. I don't know if your VG-88 will work as the controller for Reason.
Since you have to use Reason's instruments for all the sounds, you'd want to make sure you have the sounds you want. It seems to me that Reason is very dance orientated, and if that's what you're looking for, I guess it's okay. From the demo, I wouldn't use it.
Since Nuendo is 1.6, and the lastest version is 4.2, I'm not even going to guess.
My Opinion is that with the VG88, the JV1010, Real Band and Real Instruments, you probably have enough to get started on what you want to do, and then we can start working with Reason later on to export the audio and import it into Real Band.
Give me some details on kinds of music, etc.
Gary
http://www.pcchips.com.tw/PCCWebSite/Pro...D=1&LanID=0Is this you mobo? If so, you need to figure out how to navigate the BIOS setup menus. You seem to be confusing some specs for the IDE (Hard Drive s and other drives) with the FSB speeds, and I think the manual could help clarify things. Check out the manual download on the far right in the middle, below downloads. Leaving flashing to perverts, and consider returning your BIOS to factory defaults, which should be a setup menu option, and one that should be featured in the manual. Then try one thing at a time in your music making. Each application may prefer different drivers or settings. Set your first application up, produce your tracks, check them to be sure you got them. then restart and change the settings for whatever goes next - produce the next stuff, check it, save it - move on. restart and reconfigure for the third app., and produce that , check it save it, and you may be the next susan boyle or Paul Pott (sp?). ...
If this is you board it's much fresher than I thought and it can handle whatever you throw at it.
Gary,
You've been a big help in the past. That said, I was prepared to sniff at your last paragraph until I got a call from a friend who talked me off the ledge a bit. *g* Yes, I can go on creating bits and pieces of music until I can get all this stuff together. Sure would be nice to share
all of what I'm doing with people outside of my music room, though.
The VG-88 does not do pitch-to-MIDI, durnit. A Terratec Axon Mk II PTM converter/synth is the next major investment. I have an M-Audio Keystation 49e USB/MIDI keyboard controller which works well when my programs recognize it at all.
My version of Nuendo isn't an issue. It has ReWire, which is designed to port audio and MIDI directly between slave and host. (See my recent re-post in the Wishlists for a full explication.) In one triumphant moment it worked, and if I can get it to do so again and consistently it will be all I need for straight recording with Reason as a soft synth. (I still want RealBand for other reasons.)
Reason has an odd rap. Think of Reason as a rack full of all the modular samplers, synths and processing gear you want (up to the limits of your system's resources) and you will be much closer to the truth. And you can do anything you want with an instrument. Put another way, Reason is a DAW without the A, and even that is only partly true. It can handle audio, only indirectly. I use it as a big lashup of a bunch of synths and wash stuff I create in BIAB through it.
A very short definition of my music is electronica with blues overtop of it. Fairly unique AFAIK. Here's an excerpt of an ad I placed in the Atlanta craigslist:
Quote:
OBJECTIVE: To play blues-informed electric lead guitar in an ambient/techno/prog pop setting, or add ambient values to a blues group . . .
OUTLOOK: As a guitarist I consider myself an electric blues player but would prefer to play in a techno/prog pop/fusac setting, OR join a blues band which would allow me to bring some of those values to the presentation. (Still wanna play some electric lead, though.) Think Stevie Ray Vaughan with David Bowie ("China Girl"), Santana with Weather Report ("This Is This"), or Rick Holmstrom's Hydraulic Groove CD . . . (To get an idea of my ideal, go to Klasyka Muzyki Elektronicznej (Classic Electronic Music)* and listen through your preferred media player. I wanna play guitar over that!) *g*
Love to know what you think of all that.
TYVM,
R.
* At polskastacja.pl and way down the list, if the link doesn't work directly.
I just checked the manual, and you need to be sure to set the Primary Graphics Adapter setting to be AGP on the PCI / Plug and Play set up page. cursor down to Primary G... A... then when it s highlighted either go right to the right side and highlight AGP. You might also be able to change it using the +/- keys... Anyway be sure its set to be AGP... Then "save changes and exit... When it reboots you should notice a difference in video response... good luck again...
That be the bad boy. I tried ta tole ya, I am not just
anybody's idjut!
I put this thing together from components only half knowing what I was doing, but I don't think I did a bad job. I'm stuck with IDE drives for now, but they're FAST IDE drives (WD Caviar Blue, 7,200 RPM 8 Mb cache). And I know what to do when I get (well, build) the new system . . .
Checked since your earlier message. I am using matched PNY PC 3200 DDR sticks of 1 Gb each, for the system max of 2 Gb. Now, the system's only rated to PC 2700; do you think that could be an issue?
Been through the BIOS a bazillion times, pretty sure I've got it aced. Now that this thing boots in 45 seconds I don't have a problem takin' another look from time to time, though.
R.
Quote:
I am using matched PNY PC 3200 DDR sticks of 1 Gb each, for the system max of 2 Gb. Now, the system's only rated to PC 2700; do you think that could be an issue?
R.
No.
Rys, The 3200 or 2700 isn't going to make a difference, the mobo will just slow the memory down to what it can run at.
I know RB and BIAB aren't ReWire capable. I would have thought (although I tried the Reason 4 demo) that you would be able to export audio. I don't know what else is ReWire capable, though. I'm guessing Nuendo is.
I still think you need to start with RB, BIAB, the JV1010 and the VG88 and just use those for the moment. The M-Audio keyboard should work with Reason, though.
We'll have to figure out Reason later on.
Gary
You can absolutely export tracks in Reason 3 to audio. It's in the file menu. It's called "export song as audio". To export several tracks you have to do it several times, once for each track, soloing that track and muting the rest. Each time. Reason doesn't have a separate track function in 3. You can export midi as well. Reason Rewires to Nuendo as well as Reaper, Sonar, Cubase and other rewire capable hosts. Reason would be the slave to Nuendo. Setup is a little different in each host with Sonar probably being the easiest to grasp.
Quote:
You can absolutely export tracks in Reason 3 to audio. It's in the file menu. It's called "export song as audio". To export several tracks you have to do it several times, once for each track, soloing that track and muting the rest. Each time. Reason doesn't have a separate track function in 3. You can export midi as well. Reason Rewires to Nuendo as well as Reaper, Sonar, Cubase and other rewire capable hosts. Reason would be the slave to Nuendo. Setup is a little different in each host with Sonar probably being the easiest to grasp.
Duh. *facepalm* I don't have the manual, but I coulda looked at the File menu . . .
It will export the whole thing as a stereo WAV file, too, which is what I wanted right now. I've pulled it into RB and am listening as I write. Odd, though--I recorded the thing at 140 bpm but it's playing back at 120, even when I set the tempo in RB first. But THIS IS SO COOL. First real interprogram communication I've had so far.
Yes, Nuendo has Rewire, but I haven't been able to make it work but that one time. Hope springs eternal.
R.
Google "Reason 3 Manual"
I'm sure it's out there!
The Reason manual is a 300-page PDF included with the program. So I HAVE it, but gimme a break, I just wore out one color and one black cart to print the freakin RB book.
Lol,
R.
I went over to the Paperless Office somewhere back in the late '80s.
And I ain't looked back.
--Mac
If you learn best, or even acceptably, in the cockpit, more power to you. Me, I need ground school.
Something I know about myself is that I learn best from the printed word, as in "ink on paper", which I can dogear, underline, flip back and forth between other places in the book where I have my fingers stuck or otherwise personalize. And I can take it with me when I leave the PC.
30
R.
PROGRESS NOTE: I just finished running Gibson Research's "Spinrite 6.0" on my main drive. It took three days to run Level 4 maintenance on its two partitions.
The D: (Maxtor 80 Gb) drive name is in red and there have been bodings of Ill Things were I to run Spinrite on it at all. When I went to actually do it, a robot ran out waving its arms, saying, "Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!" and referred me to the grc.com website, where I found
this message about a rare problem with my BIOS.
Oopsie. I've tried to update the BIOS once, without success. Even though the machine is running well, now it sounds more important than ever. I'll try again but may come looking for help.
R.
Quote:
If you learn best, or even acceptably, in the cockpit, more power to you. Me, I need ground school.
Something I know about myself is that I learn best from the printed word, as in "ink on paper", which I can dogear, underline, flip back and forth between other places in the book where I have my fingers stuck or otherwise personalize. And I can take it with me when I leave the PC.
30
R.
Just a matter of changing the tools a bit.
Find a .pdf program that allows you to highlight, underscore, even create your own custom search logs.
Use Notepad or Wordpad. With Wordpad you can often copy from .pdf and paste into the wordpad to create your own "notes" fast.
With a laptop, or the handheld, I can even take my .pdf manuals with me for study almost anywhere.
--Mac
Now you've defined what works for you. Groovy. If I had a laptop or a handheld, perhaps I could do those things too. Still prefer paper, myself. Getting whiteout off a lappy screen is a b*tch.
lolz
r.
Rys,
I'm really going to go where I know I shouldn't.
You might consider replacing the computer.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.asp...671&topnav=That's a Dell system available at Costco.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.asp...671&topnav=This is a ZT system from Costco.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.asp...671&topnav=This is another ZT system from Costco
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.asp...671&topnav=This is from iBuyPower, and may actually be your best bet. It has an Asus mobo (which I use in my computers), a bigger power supply, only a dual core processor, but you really don't need anything else. All of these run 64 bit OS's, and as long as you can get drivers, you should be fine. Lots of companies offer 64 bit drivers for products now.
In any of these choices, you can move the 160 gig hard drive from your old computer, and you'll have to use the monitor you have now. I wouldn't trust to update the BIOS in your old computer, I'm sorry to say. You could, easily, leave yourself in a situation where you'll not be able to use the computer at all until you physically replace the CMOS chips. I don't trust ECS/PCChips at all, I've known too many people who have had issues with them. It is even possible that the 80 gig is still good, and you may be able to save that, as well.
I trust Steve Gibson, but if you have a BIOS issue, then Spinrite can get screwed up. My opinion is that a newer computer will save you a lot of hassles.
I know, I'm sure, that price is an issue, but it's the best solution I have right now.
I went out to iBuyPower's website, and they also have Weekly specials, like this one:
http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=69Plus, you have the ability to custom configure the system. The only things I would do to this system would be to be to put a 500 watt power supply in it for $30, spend an extra $50 to install a second 320GB hard drive, and if you wanted a 20" widescreen monitor, spend $170 more for that. Without the monitor, you're still under $600.
Gary
Gary, I really appreciate the advice. I do. It's not that you shouldn't go there, it's just that I can't. I've nickel and dimed myself on this one, but the 500 Gb WD Caviar drive is it, todo, all there is. In the meantime I am getting useful work out of it, and I think the new drive will make the audio run seamlessly. I don't regret the nickels and dimes, either, because I've learned all along. Even though I've been frustrated along the way, it has led me to where I am now, with a dated but functional DAW. "Everything I know about computers, I learned in self defense."(c)
I've heard comments on Maxtor reliability, mostly from Lawrie as I recall. I lost an unbacked-up Maxtor 60 Gb main drive in my last move; it worked when I packed the machine, didn't when I unpacked it, and I'm the one who moved it. This drive is at least five years old, came out of a SOHO network server, and has half the throughput of my present main drive, so when the WD arrives I pull everything off and build a pr0n cruisin' virus catcher with the old drive, lol. I don't trust it for NOTHIN'.
R.
And I figured as much, Rys. Still, computer prices are coming down, so at some point in the future, it may be possible to do something.
But, let's concentrate on now.
http://www.pcchips.com.tw/PCCWebSite/Pro...D=1&LanID=0This is the BIOS flash page, but you need to have version 5.1 motherboard. If you don't, you'll need to see what version of the motherboard you do have, and then get *that* BIOS.
There is a link on that page that shows you where to find the version information.
At the bottom of the page, there is a BIOS flash utility. You can open that up, load the flash data file, and then click whatever it says to do to flash it. You have to follow the directions exactly though. Failure of a flash will render your computer totally useless. Yes, that's scary, no, I've never had an issue with it...don't do it in a thunderstorm where the power may go out, or where you kitten will sit on your UPS switch and turn everything off (mine does that all the time!) You shouldn't have any issues updating the BIOS, it's not very hard.
The thing I like about Steve Gibson is he doesn't give you any B.S. He lays it out and tells you WHY stuff isn't working. Since I've now read the link you posted, you may have the latest BIOS on your computer, if which is the case, then there is no reason to try to update it. As I've said before, I don't trust ESC or PC Chips. You *might* be able to find something compatible with your CPU on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/GIGABYTE-SOCKET-A-MO...93%3A1|294%3A50Maybe something like that, used, but inexpensive, and I've used Gigabyte in the past (still have one, a 754 socket, runs fine) and have been very happy with it. In fact, my other Gigabyte board now resides in my sister's computer, which is a 939 socket, and that one also continues to work fine.
You can also find Asus, MSI, and others that will work well for Socket A for a relatively inexpensive, more nickles and dimes stuff, that would probably serve you better than the PC Chips mainboard you have now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ABIT-KG7A-RAID-S...93%3A1|294%3A50Gary