1. How do I unlock my Athlon/Duron (covering both Slot and Socket A)?

For Slot A processors, you need to obtain a Gold Finger Device (GFD). This device connects to some connectors inside the casing on your Athlon and give you the ability to modify the multiplier via DIP switches or dials. They're available from overclocking shops on the web or on eBay and most will come with instructions. Note: You will have to de-case your Athlon to connect it. See here for instructions.

For Socket A Athlons and Durons: (TBirds and Spitfire core Durons), a picture better be worth 1,000 words, as it takes longer to load. Here's what I find to be the best explanations:

Overclockers.com
Tom's Hardware

2. Why can't my KT133 motherboard run at 133Mhz FSB, or even close to it??

Via technically only supported 100mhz FSB on this chip, thus the KT133A was released, having "official support" for 133MHZ FSB. Most DDR chipsets for socket A also support a true 133 MHz FSB.

3. What are good heatsinks for socket A chips?

There are a number of good solutions, with new contenders entering the market daily. Unfortunately, neither the one that comes as part of the retail AMD package, nor most cheap heatsinks sold with them by retailers are very good. Expect to pay at minimum $20 for one, and most good ones will cost between $30-40.

The basic rule is to find the C/W rating of the unit. Currently, the goal is a number lower than .25 C/W. The Millennium Glaciator, the Swiftech MC462, and the Thermalright SK6 are favorites at this time of writing.

Generally, the cheaper "good ones" will tend to use a high-speed, noisy fan; the Delta 7K being a favorite. That will sound like a small vacuum cleaner. The quieter ones will use lower-speed fans, but tend to weigh (and cost) more.

4. What is the register 52 tweak and how do I do it?

The register 52 tweak enables the Halt-on-idle command on Via KX133, KT133, and KT133A chipsets. Register 52 is a specific position in the KT/KX northbridge and by changing what value it is programmed to, you enable halt-on-idle. What that does is essentially throttle the CPU way back when it isn't doing much.

Typically, users that enable the Halt-on-idle see a significant drop in idle temperatures of 4 to 5 or more degrees celsius. It is done with WPCREDIT and WPCRSET. You use WPCREDIT to temporarily change register values to see if the tweak works for you, and if it does, you use WPCRSET to automatically apply it every time you boot up Windows. You are not actually changing your BIOS - just the mirror of the BIOS in your memory. As such, you need to do this for every Windows installation you run, i.e. if you multi-boot 98, 2K, XP or any combo of those, you need to do it for each OS. You also need to do it again after a re-formatting and fresh installation of Windows.

Here is an URL that describes the tweak in detail. The article includes all the links for the files you need and how to do it.

You must have ACPI enabled in the bios and in your OS for this to work.

This doesn't always work properly. One user reported his NIC card (Netgear FA310TX) would not transfer data of significant size (such as email with attachments) while Reg 52, EB was in effect. Another user reported Winamp would lock up with this setting, though Media Player worked.

5. What is a good motherboard for AMD processors?

Our (FAQ authors') favorites (RAID Versions not denoted, usually they perform identically when compared to a non-RAID version):

Socket A, PC133 SDRAM BASED:
Iwill KK266 and KK266 Plus
ECS K7VZA (not a good overclocker but stable and a good performer)
Abit KT7A, KT7A and KT7E
MSI K7T Turbo
Epox 8KTA3

Socket A, DDR BASED:
Epox 8KHA and 8K7A
Shuttle AK31 revision 2
Abit KG7
ECS K7S5A (not a good overclocker but performs very well at stock speeds)
MSI K7 Master
Asus A7V266

Socket 7 (K6-2, K6-3 and + Series chips):
FIC VA503+
Epox MVP3G2 and MVP3G5
Asus P5A and P5A-B
Tyan Trinity K6

6. What kind of power supply should I have for my AMD motherboard/processor?

See questions 10 and 11.

Otherwise, most of us Forum dwellers would recommend at MINIMUM, a 300W name brand power supply unit for your Athlon, a 250W unit for a non-overclocked Duron. A 250W unit is more than enough for any K6-2 or lower system.

Remember, overclocked AMD Athlons and Durons consume massive amounts of power, which can be exacerbated given the extras you use and which video card you choose (GeForce cards are notorious power suckers). Each fan, drive or other component you connect to your PSU adds drain to your system, so select one with that in mind.

7. What is the 686B bug, how do I know if I have it, and how do I fix it?

The 686B bug causes data corruption,and is most frequently assosciated with the use of a SoundBlaster Live! card. A very detailed explanation and a list of available fixes can be found at Via Hardware (this affects Via 686B chipsets only).

Official statement from VIA:

"The data corruption error, which some web sites and people have reported with the 686b Southbridge,is caused by incorrect bios registry setting to the Northbridge. These bios settings were made by motherboard manufacturers, in an attempt to fix a conflict with the Sound Blaster Live Value cards. Information has been provided to all motherboard manufacturers on how to correctly resolve both the data corruption error and the Sound Blaster Live conflict. The patch released by VIA in the 4in1 4.31 drivers’ replicates the correct bios settings. We provided this patch to make sure as many people got a fix to their Sound Blaster Live problems as soon as possible. Most motherboard manufacturers have now corrected their bios and the patch is not necessarily needed, although it will not harm any VIA based system if installed."

The Official fix is to install the latest 4-in-1 Drivers which you will find on the VIA homepage.

The 4.32 drivers which also contain the fix appear to work better for a lot of systems then the 4.31.

Another option if you do not wish to change your 4-in-1 drivers is to download the beta fix released by VIA, which is located here.

It is not critical to upgrade your 4-in-1 drivers if you are happy with the version you have. The 1.0 VIA patch will fix the problem for you whether you are using the VIA IDE controller, or the Microsoft IDE Drivers.

Another source for a fix are upgraded BIOSs that many of the motherboard companies have now provided. You should check to see if your mobo has one. An example of this is the ZT bios from ABIT for their motherboards using the 686b Southbridge, this has been claimed to fix this problem without installing the VIA fix.

Asmodean, N2 and SickBoy