Identifying whether IX8 and IX8+ Chip

[JonathanW]

Hi,

Performed the usual searches and cannot see how to discover whether my T21 has the Savage IX8 or SXGA compatible IX8+ chip. The driver is listed in Device Manager as 'Savage IX 1014' and running the Savage ID utility WinS3ID gives me Savage IX w/MV chip ID 8C12. However having Googled it appears as if the 8 and the 8+ share the same chip ID so that renders the utility fairly useless in my case!!!

I ask as I replaced my system board with what I believe is a T22 board - if that is the case I appreciate it WILL be an IX8+ chip but I cannot be certain that the board WAS from a T22! Just got my hands on an SXGA LCD and am hoping my T21 can undergo even more surgery....

Hope someone can help, many thanks.

Jonathan

[lilserenity]

Fear not for help is at hand from the girl who knows an unhealthy amount about the T2x series

If the board was from a T22 - it will definitely be an IX8+ chip. There is no easy way to tell, unless it came with a CPU, which if it were a 900 or 1000MHz Mobile Pentium III it's a definite T22 board. But a lot of T22's also came with 800MHz ones which was the common T21 speed.

I have not studied the chips, but the actual chip on the mainboard might give a clue as to its identity.

Also does BIOS yield the system unit type like 2647-XXX ; if so, whack that into IBM's website and it will tell you if it was a T21 or T22 motherboard.

The T21 motherboards were all fitted with the IX8 chip except the 850MHz SXGA+ models which were fitted with the IX8+. The T20 were all IX8, even the 'high end' 750MHz units. The T23 for the record has the SuperSavage IXC/16 which are all SXGA+ enabled.

What gives you the hunch that the system board is a T22 one?

If you have the correct LCD cabling I suggest giving it a go and seeing what happens; but as you say the chip IDs from my experience are the same too.

But kudos on getting an SXGA+ panel; they're not all that common. I had an SXGA+ T23 once upon a time but found it a bit too slow on some web pages and photoshop in 1400x1050x32. The ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 32MB driving this current laptop at 1400x1050x32 is another matter however

HTH, and some solution is found.

Vicky

[JonathanW]

Ah, thank you Vicky - it's like having my very own personal helpline

Typing in the system ID in the applet on a different machine seems a bit hit and miss. For ages it just returned a list of drivers etc and then one day last week it suddenly brought up the original system details. Indeed it is from a T22 so it is all systems go for an SXGA screen.

However, I have had an irrational surge of Ebay purchases of all things T21/22 not helped by the fact that there have been several SXGA models on offer. I now have an SXGA T21 850Mhz without drives or front screen bezel (those have now been sourced). This was to be the donor machne for the SXGA screen but as it needed so little I have scrapped that idea. I have also purchased another T21 850Mhz, SXGA, 512Mb for a very good price. So after all that, unless I can find a cheap SXGA screen or another 'spares only' SXGA model my first T21 with the T22 motherboard may have to stay an XGA ....

Phew...confusing isn't it? And I still have to answer to myself why the hell I have bought all these T21's anyway

Thanks again Vicky.

Jonathan