Re: Whi is my socket 3 soooo slow?
Posted on Today, 08:50
Check the fan. When it's disconnected or faulty it will drop the CPU multiplier down to 1X.
Re: How to upgrade memory on my 386sx
Posted on Today, 02:48
Good job tracking down the bad DRAMs. I used to toss out a lot of SX-16 and SX-20 motherboards in the 90s, but this one is definitely worth keeping due to its novelty of of being a 386SX "tacked onto" a 286 motherboard. You need to install some crappy operating systems to compliment it. I Recommend …
Re: Help identifying my 386 board?
Posted on Yesterday, 15:55
I feel that this board might also be identical to Shuttle HOT 307.
Re: 386 50mhz Overclock: Very Slow, No Cache?
Posted on 2020-07-05, 10:25
I believe am386 was built using .8 micron fabrication technology, so 50MHz really shouldn't be much of a big deal. It was the same process used on the Intel DX2 chips, and 386s don't have internal cache to worry about.
Re: Rotator board for 386 upgrades w/PGA-132
Posted on 2020-07-05, 09:38
Even 1:1 mapping is going to be pretty hard, because the space you have to work with is really limited. DIY soldering maybe not even possible. I'm not even sure which parts to use. Obviously a plug at the bottom and a plug on top, but what goes in between? Maybe just use a row or two of fine pitch …
Re: IBM 286 Alternative.
Posted on 2020-07-05, 07:45
I wonder if anyone made an actual proper sx-40 with decent cache? It doesn't make sense that a 286-25 or a 386SX-25 should been faster than an SX40. Something must not have been set right, or the motherboard design was defective. Let me guess, it was one of those SARC boards from PCchips, right? …
Re: 386 50mhz Overclock: Very Slow, No Cache?
Posted on 2020-07-05, 05:38
The later ceramic Fasmaths typically had the 387+ core, which was reduced in complexity to allow it to scale better to higher frequencies. The older 83D87 core is said to have topped out at 33MHz. The 387+ models are far more common because they were dirt cheap. I don't know much about the PQFP …
Re: 386 50mhz Overclock: Very Slow, No Cache?
Posted on 2020-07-05, 01:46
Not sure why, but 486s normally need 15ns cache for reliable operation at 40MHz, but on 386s I almost always see 40MHz systems equipped with 20ns cache and they can usually take the fastest timings too. But, I think at 50MHz you're really going to want something better. Anyone know what die process …
Re: Rotator board for 386 upgrades w/PGA-132
Posted on 2020-07-04, 15:49
The only company I know of that sold these was Evergreen. If you check out ETPARTS.TXT, you can find the part numbers for them. Sadly, they are even rarer than the upgrades themselves! Never seen one, much less a pictures of one.
Re: 386SX board identification
Posted on 2020-07-04, 12:43
I don't see why it being Baby AT is anything to worry about. Any AT case should be able to accept it. If your AT case can't handle it, then it doesn't conform to AT standards thus it sucks. Proper full length AT boards are the best. Whenever I see those short ones cost reduction is the only thing …
Re: 386SX board identification
Posted on 2020-07-03, 17:19
I'm going to go with Acer. First it has good build quality, and integrated I/O so it's probably from an OEM (from Taiwan). Second, it has an Acer I/O chip. Third, it has a gold plated keyboard port, which seems to be common on Acer boards.
Re: 386 50mhz Overclock: Very Slow, No Cache?
Posted on 2020-07-03, 11:48
You can also try the Ti486SXL2-50 cpu. It will run at 50Mhz by default, maybe even higher... Probably not much higher. So far 55MHz is the best anyone has been able to do with the 5V CPGA version of this chip. SXL2 starts in 1x mode by default. You need to use software to switch it to 2x mode. I …
Re: IBM 5162 / 5170 Alternative.
Posted on 2020-07-01, 23:12
How are the 5162 and 5170 in anyway proprietary? The 5170 in particular set the AT standard. Everything inside of that machine was copied by other manufacturers.
Re: The mighty beige, now with sli v2's
Posted on 2020-07-01, 12:42
What do people do to make their plastic turn so yellow? Some of my stuff yellows a little with age (30 years old), but I haven't managed to make anything piss yellow so far.
Re: Newly made ISA CL-GD5434
Posted on 2020-07-01, 04:34
Ack, didn't see that. Oh well.
Re: Newly made ISA CL-GD5434
Posted on 2020-07-01, 00:08
I know a 4MB version has been written off (and perhaps not all that useful), but wouldn't it still be nice to leave a few solder pads to allow the end user to add 4MB if they want?
Re: 386 bench results opinions?
Posted on 2020-06-30, 15:49
486DLC-40 is probably the most economical way to to improve performance.
Re: 386 bench results opinions?
Posted on 2020-06-30, 15:25
Things can be improved marginally, but it'll cost you. Not worth it unless you really love your 386.
Re: How about a MR-BIOS ROM file repository?
Posted on 2020-06-30, 14:22
That *seems* to be the one you need, but sadly we haven't found it yet. It's a real shame that there were missing files from the latest dump, because many of the missing ROM images are for fairly common chipsets. Though, we should be extremely grateful for what we have (seems to be about 75% …
Re: UMC chipsets for 66Mhz host bus only
Posted on 2020-06-30, 13:45
As for graphics cards, I was able to get my ARK1000VL cards working at 66MHz with 1ws. At that speed you definitely don't want any other VLB devices anyway. Best run your disk controller on ISA/EISA/PCI.
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