Athlon XP Upgrade Problem

Greetings. I'm having a problem attempting to ugrade an Athlon XP system (old timey, I know). The current setup is an Athlon XP 1800+ with an FIC AU13 motherboard and 333mhz ram, which has been working fine for years.

I've tried to upgrade with an Athlon XP 2800 and several 3200's, and each time I get the same result - the fans spin, and the drive lights come on, but the system power light doesn't come on, there's no video, and no BIOS beeps. If I swap back to the 1800, it works fine.

The AU13 is supposed to take processors up to the 3200+ with a 400mhz bus - I updated to the most recent bios, but no change.

Possibilities:
1.) Most of the CPU's were "as is," so my initial assumption is that they're all dead.

2.) There could be a power issue. The current PSU is only a low-end model with 300 or 350-watts, but it's run the 1800+, a Geforce 6600, and the drives without any issue. As a test, I tried stripping it down to nothing but the motherboard and 2800/3200 cpu, but it still had the same results.

3.) Dozens of other options that I haven't even considered. The fact that it won't even fully power-up may rule out some of the usual suspects, but that could just be naivete on my part.

If anyone has any experience with this symptom, or suggestions on what I might try, I'd greatly appreciate them.

Thanks a lot,
Josh

I upgraded an old ECS GX-M mobo once from an Athlon T-bird 1.2ghz 266 buss to a 2800+ barton 2.083ghz 333 buss but before doing so, I checked my potential power consumption using this website
Power Supply Calculator

Before I even upgraded, I bought a Coolermaster 500 watt PSU and installed it before I even made the Barton CPU upgrade

You didn't mention the name/brand of your PSU or how many other components you are running, but by using the power supply calculator, it should give you a pretty good idea whether your PSU can't handle the current load with the new processor or not.

Could also be that you need to up your core voltage in the bios just a tad. The 1800+ runs 1.5 volts whereas the 2800+ runs 1.65 volts.

Its also possible that all the CPU's you tried are indeed dead meat or crispy critters!

Hope that helps you figure it out, JX99

Athlon XP 3200+ is indeed a socket A platform. Reset the CMOS first after changing components. This will load factory defaults (usually a known good running config). Also ensure you've got proper power requirements.

Hi again. I'd like to thank everyone for their input, and quick responses.

I found out that while a later revision of the AU13 will run a 400mhz bus, the one I have will not - so no luck with the Athlon XP 3200's even if they aren't dead.

As for the Athlon XP 2800, I tried the power supply calculator that jammerx99 suggested. It gave me a number around 235 with all the components, so I would assume that I should be okay, especially when I try with nothing but the CPU, motherboard and ram. However, despite the listed wattage, maybe the PSU is just not up to the task? Do you think it would be worth trying a new PSU?

As for tweaking the CPU voltage, unfortunately the system never makes it to the bios. I would assume (there I go assuming again) that upping the voltage with the Athlon XP 1800 in, and then swapping the 2800 in without resetting the CMOS would be unlikely to yield positive results.

Thanks again for everyone's help,
Josh

Reset the CMOS as I stated above. Do this by taking the battery out of the motherboard for 30 seconds.

Sorry Weevil, I failed to mention the reset.

During last night's try, I used the motherboard's CMOS reset jumper (and gave it a good amount of time), but it unfortunately made no difference. I didn't actually pull the battery though - is there a difference between the two techniques?

Thanks,
Josh

yes. Pull the battery out and try. If that doesnt work then your board is the fault in your upgrade.

I am no expert but had a similar problem. Had a Athlon 1200+ upgraded to an XP 2400+, had serious boot problems. New CPU wouldn't post. After many attempts (switching cpu's in and out) decided to try new CPU WITH OUT clearing cmos.
It worked like a charm.

i'd suggest a bios update if possible. (use old cpu)

and no, upping the voltage using the old cpu and then pluging in the new cpu will have no "bad" side effects. its not a massive voltage increase for one and two, overclockers always increase volts to overclock further - and it does not yield in dead chips unless they add insane amounts of volts.

Good luck.

Personally I think it could be the PSU

Awhile back I had a Barton 2500+.....you couldn't overclock that thing 5 Ghz without having it not post.
It had a generic PSU 420 watts (pos)
Bought a 420watt Thermaltake...put her in and no probs 3200+.
See if you can borrow a buddies PSU.......tell him its time to clean his PC of dust.....(theres your opening to try it in your)

Remeber just because a mobo booklet says it supports this or that doesn't mean it will
Thats my 2 cents