Scala, Inc. - Hardware FAQ / Hardware Stability Guide

A motherboard is literally the 'backbone' of a PC -- it's the thing that everything else is attached to. The basic performance, stability, and flexibility of an IC solution are defined by this selection. For Scala Broadcast Multimedia "Player" applications, the following motherboards and computers can form the basis of supportable, stable, cost-effective systems.

Single CPU, (Socket 370: Celeron, CeleronII, PentiumIII), computer motherboards:

AsusTek TUEG-VM MicroATX:
http://usa.asus.com/mb/socket370/tueg-vm/specification.htm

AsusTek TUSI-M MicroATX:
http://usa.asus.com/mb/socket370/tusi-m/specification.htm

These boards work well with Windows2000sp2 and WindowsXP.


AsusTek CUSL2-M MicroATX:
http://www.asus.com.tw/products/motherboard/Pentiumpro/Cusl2-m/spec.html

AsusTek CUSL2 ATX:
http://www.asus.com.tw/products/motherboard/Pentiumpro/Cusl2/spec.html

Built-in stable Video, Audio, LAN. Three/(Five for the CUSL2) PCI slots, One AGP slot. TV-OUT Capable with additional riser card.

If using the on-board video on Intel 815E boards we _strongly_ suggest the use of a 4 MB "AIMM" Display Cache Memory card:
http://www.asus.com.tw/products/motherboard/Pentiumpro/Cusl2-m/aimm.jpg

These boards work well with Windows98SE, WindowsMe, Windows NT4.0sp6a, and Windows2000sp2.


CAUTION: These motherboards ship with the "Yamaha XG" *Soft-MIDI* Audio Synthesizer device drivers. We do not recommend the use or installation of this software!

Micro-Star International "815EM Pro:"
http://tw.msi.com.tw/product/main_show.asp?pro_name=MS-6315

Micro-Star International "SA6R:"
http://www.abit-usa.com/english/product/motherboards/sa6r.htm
Built-in stable Video, Audio, LAN. Three/(six for the SA6R + EIDE RAID) PCI slots, One AGP slot. If using the on-board video we _strongly_ suggest the use of a 4 MB "AIMM" Display Cache Memory card: http://www.asus.com.tw/products/motherboard/Pentiumpro/Cusl2-m/aimm.jpg

OBSERVATIONS:

The use of the "HighPoint Hpt370ATA100 EIDE RAID" can make for a tricky Operating System installation. [esp. when you are attempting to use a combination of hard disk drives and CDROM devices that are installed on both the core-chipset EIDE controller AND on the Hpt370] When correctly configured the Hpt370 appears to provide a good and stable form of EIDE RAID-1 hard disk mirroring and performance data striping--this is a VERY important attribute for 7x24x365 systems!!!

These boards work well with Windows98SE, WindowsMe, Windows NT4.0sp6a, and Windows2000sp2.

Intel "D815EFV(LU), D815EPFV(LU):"
http://program.intel.com/shared/products/boards/d815efv/technical.htm

Intel "D815EEAA2(U):"
http://program.intel.com/shared/products/boards/d815eea2/technical.htm

These boards work well with Windows2000sp2 and WindowsXP.


Intel "D815BN:"
http://developer.intel.com/design/motherbd/bn/bn_ds.htm

Intel "D815EEAAL:"
http://developer.intel.com/design/motherbd/ea/ea_ds.htm

Built-in stable Video, Audio, LAN. Three/(five for the EEAAL) PCI slots, One AGP slot. DVI-D & TV-OUT Capable with additional riser card. If using the on-board video on Intel 815E boards we _strongly_ suggest the use of a 4 MB "GPA" Display Cache Memory card:
http://developer.intel.com/design/motherbd/ea/ea_gpa.htm

These boards work well with Windows98SE, WindowsMe, Windows NT4.0sp6a, and Windows2000sp2.

DUAL CPU "High-End PC/Workstation" Motherboards:

These motherboards are intended for use with TWO Intel PentiumIII CPU's. These boards are
limited to being used under either the Windows2000sp2 and WindowsXP Pro/Server Operating
Systems ONLY!

Gigabyte GA-6VXDC7
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/products/6vxdc7.htm

MSI 694 Master MS-6362
http://www.msi.com.tw/products/mainboard/mainboard.php?model=MS-6362

MSI Pro266TD Master MS-9105
http://www.msi.com.tw/products/server/server_board/9105.htm

AsusTek CUV266-D & DLS:
http://usa.asus.com/mb/socket370/cuv266-dls/specification.htm

AsusTek CUV4X-DLS:
http://www.asus.com.tw/products/Motherboard/pentiumpro/cuv4x-dls/spec.html

All of these motherboard series are based on the "VIA(R) 694XDP 133MHz AGPset and 266 AGPset with VT82C686x South Bridge" chips. Several of these motherboards support the either the "Promise 20265R" or "HighPoint Hpt370 ATA100 EIDE RAID-0/1" controller chips on board.

OBSERVATIONS:

The use of the "Promise 20265R IDE RAID" or "HighPoint Hpt37xATA100 EIDE RAID" can make for a tricky Operating System installation. [esp. when you are attempting to use a combination of hard disk drives and CDROM devices that are installed on both the core-chipset EIDE controller AND on the Promise/Hpt37x] When correctly configured both the Promise & Hpt37x appear to provide a good and stable form of EIDE RAID-1 hard disk mirroring and
performance data striping--this is a VERY important attribute for 7x24x365 systems!!!

We do not recommend the use of the integrated "VT82686x South Bridge AC'97 Audio" that is implemented on some models of these motherboards. It is best to disable this audio sub-system in the CMOS Setup program and use a PCI Audio card.

NOTE: ATX BIOS Set to Automatically Power Up.

Please make sure that the BIOS used on any ATX motherboard has a setting to automatically power up. Failure to set this can result in your IC player powering down on reset, (or AC power loss), forcing a technician to visit the machine personally to press the momentary power switch. Traditional "Baby AT" motherboards don't have this problem.

NOTE: Tested For Reliability.

This is not to say that these motherboards are required for Scala to operate correctly. Instead, these motherboards have been tested and have worked reliably for extended service periods under going the same rigors that an InfoChannel player goes through in the real world. Currently we are evaluating other motherboards for inclusion on this list.

Selecting a motherboard.

In selecting a motherboard for a custom Scala player application the main things to look for are:

Does it have enough of the right type of expansion slots? In your installation, how many PCI, ISA, and AGP cards will the player need to support? Are any of the cards full sized? Do the cards have "drop down" sections-is there enough clearance for these items with the blockages caused by heat sinks, voltage regulators, and cables?

Does the motherboard correctly handle "Plug & Play" cards? Can you truly disable 'on-board' serial ports, printer ports, hard disk controllers, etc. to free up the resources that some of your solutions expansion devices might need?

Is the motherboard stable? Not: "Does it run for 20 minutes?" But can it support your Scala Player solution will all the devices running without fail for at least a week?

These points can be determined ONLY through testing. Even the smallest difference in manufacturing and layout between two motherboards using the exact same chips can make the difference between a good stable platform and an unstable one.

Since it is impossible for everybody to know about every motherboard, (and test it to see if it meets their needs), the 'Web is a fantastic tool in this area. (but take all WWW-Site HW recommendations with a grain of salt...)

Links to other Motherboard Resources.

Tom's Hardware Page http://www.tomshardware.com
System Optimization Information http://www.sysopt.com
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