ECS K7S5A Modification

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ECS K7S5A Modification (1)
Kevin Cribbs 23 Sept 2001

I overclock AMD processors because my MPEG-2 video encoding speed is almost directly proportional to the processor speed. To help reach the maximum possible processor speed, I want control of: Vcore, Front Side Bus (FSB) speed, and the processor FSB multiplier. The unofficial K7S5A BIOS provides some FSB control but the other controls are not provided in the BIOS.

My first socket A motherboard was an FIC AZ11. I purchased it after reading web articles that described how to add the ability to adjustment Vcore and the processor FSB multiplier. Those articles explained that each socket A processor tells the motherboard the voltage and FSB multiplier to use for the processor. The motherboard is expected to provide the specified voltage and provide processor initialization for the specified FSB multiplier. The articles also showed that the voltage and FSB multiplier values specified by the processor could be overridden. (Note: Full control of the FSB multiplier is only possible if the processor L1 bridges are connected/closed.)

The description and pictures that follow describe the modifications I made to my ECS K7S5A to add the ability to adjust Vcore and the FSB multiplier. I had a limited amount of time to work on this description but
the information that I needed to make these modifications is provided by the URLs listed at the end of this description.

Do not attempt to make these modifications unless you are willing to risk killing your motherboard (and perhaps other components). Mistakes in my description or your understanding of my description may cause your modifications and results to differ from mine. (This might mean a dead motherboard or dead components.) I also recommend reading this description several times before deciding to attempt these modifications and that you do not break the board/socket connections until you are confident that have successfully completed the other modifications. (Most of the described modifications can be undone or even left in place if you have not damaged anything. I believe that my method for breaking the connections to the processor VID/FID pins cannot be reversed.)

Warning: Turning on the power before completing the mods (e.g. before breaking the VID[3:0]/FID[3:0] pin connections) may cause shorts if any of the VID/FID switches are set to the pin grounded (on/closed) position (or an error has occurred).

Note: You will not have full control of the processor FSB multiplier unless your processor’s L1 bridges are connected/closed.