Hi Popmann

1.No digital clocking issues with the slave P4s. Audio is hardwired back to the Host with balanced audio cables, no sync at all. This breakup is more of an audio-dropout type of breakup than the classic clocking clicks & pops.

2.I will swap the audio card to PCI slot 2, and NIC to slot 5 as you suggest.
Yes, I will put NOTHING in slots 1 and 3.

3.MOL works very well indeed. I've used it for years without problems. I've only had problems since I started using Vienna Instruments on the slave P4. I think the streaming demands of the perf leg instruments are testing the limits of the P4, with the NIC pushing it just over the edge. It's not a RAM issue, more of a buss bottleneck problem (I think).

I'm hoping that a higher-spec NIC will somehow solve this.

The significant issue here is that the P4 can handle the sequence fine on it's own, but not via the network.

Keep the ideas coming! I've got a studio to run... [:(]

No luck.

Put audio card in slot 2, NIC in slot 5.

Same breakup.

[:'(]

Plays fine without the network though...

years ago i've changed all network cards to 3Com (for performance reasons) 3C996B and 3C940, the newer ones are displaying broadcom (as newer intel NICs do btw), and we are using also 3Com gigabit switches (unmanaged) for all networks.

you should in any case look for updated drivers fro your realtec card (possibly even a firmware update) and please have another look for a label on your motherboard - without the IRQ table we have 200 possible combinations to equip the PCI slots ...
christian

Thank you Christian.

1.I will definitely try a driver/firmware update for the Realtek NIC.

2.First thing tomorrow, I will renew my efforts to find the label for this motherboard.

Mike.

This is all I can find on the mobo (close to the memory chips):

865PE-A Rev 2.0
15-H70-012004

Hope this is helpful.

thanks,
Mike.

thx, unfortunately 865PE is only related to the chipset, rev 2.0 points either to MSI or Elitegroup - it can't be an ASUS because they label their mobos very well.
for the second term i found only chinese sites so far, which of course was not very helpful to me too [;)]
tbc, christian

Ha! that's the chipset in my machine. Ironically...I've had a billion issues with the wireless NIC (so much that's I've removed it all together)--it's a Linksys, FWIW.

[[:D]] [[:D]] Problem solved.

Disabled "Hyper-threading" and Voila! no more glitches.

Incredible that something this simple could do so much damage.

My sincere thanks to Christian, Popmann and everyone else for their kind assistance.

CM, I will PM you regarding upgrading this PC to a dual-core. From now on, I only buy what VSL recommends. Then we will never again have this "what mobo/chipset" waste of time. My apologies for using so many forum pages.

Mike

I don't think you can go dual core with the 865PE. I could be wrong...I know I can't on my Intel board with the chipset.

Hey popmann
No, I'm planning a new mobo, chipset and ram. All that will survive from the old P4 is possibly the case and the DVD writer [[;)]]

I can get an ASUS motherboard with nForce 5 chipset 200MHZ x4 bus speed. I believe this chipset will support DDR2 800 RAM

Graphics card – a cheap AGP

3GB DDR2 800 RAM

I've asked them for specific model numbers so I can post here for comment. I'll go with whatever CM recommends.

Regards,
Mike.

Let me know what performance gain you see between the two. I'm about to bump mine from 1.5gb to 3gb. I just don't see my CPU getting hit hard, still. I mean, there's some--the instruments like Akoustik Piano that include an impulse verb as part of the instrument...but, it's also not my fave piano I've got, and you can always just clikc the impulse off.

Sure thing, popmann.

I also intend to do the /3gig switch thing...

but only after I've done my homework [[;)]]

sorry mike, i am late ...
i'd take one of those asus boards with 2 x 2 GB RAM (leaves the upgrade path to 8 GB open) - don't take one with the newer DDR3 chipsets, it is too early for the current chipset generation.

alternatively choose intel, eg. this one

if you wait for 2 or 3 weeks the quad-core CPUs will be available at a reduced price (i've read something about $ 266.-)

grafic card is of course PCIe then, but there are still *normal* PCI slots for conventional audio cards

you should actually be able to *transfer* or image your current system and just update/add the needed drivers - i have done this successfully with an older and a newer shuttle lately.
christian

Thanks Christian.

Should I go for IDE or SATA drives? Or is there not much performance difference these days?

All your advice is being carefully noted - much appreciated.

Mike.