Do you have the Ali V2.13 chipset drivers installed?

https://theretroweb.com/drivers/118

What onboard GPU (sorry to lazy to look it up ;0 )

From my experience with such system (v72ma motherboard,Ali chipset and its onboard Rage Pro Turbo 8mb), what really impacts game performance are the video drivers.
Personally I use this one: https://gona.mactar.hu/ATI3DCIF/drivers/rpro_540-1b02f.zip Installing the "wrong" video driver can make the video performance drop by a large margin. And dont forget to install DX6 or higher. Chipset and AGP drivers can also cause some impact but not as much...

Is there a usb card installed?

(Try without it if so)

Geforce 2-4

Radeon 7000-9000 series

are good cards for these setups in my experience.

What games are you playing? There are a couple out there that ran poorly on the k6-2 compared to even the P1 MMX chops that were running at half the clock. If I recall it was due to the weaker FPU.

Brought home another K6-II/400 for comparison. Asus 430VX board, 64MB EDO, and an inferior Matrox Millennium II 4MB (vs Rage Pro 8MB)

Couldn't get graphics to work correctly (game looked like CAD, initially also the case with the IBM). Totally annihilated the IBM though, despite much slower RAM and GPU. Ran the same at 1024x768x32 as the IBM at 640x480x16...

Major differences are dedicated SB16, dedicated VGA, no USB at all and a Corsair 550W supply, compared to IBM's stock 70W. Resources or power issues?

mwdmeyer wrote on 2023-04-09, 01:26:

Do you have the Ali V2.13 chipset drivers installed?

https://theretroweb.com/drivers/118

Installed. Helped slightly but still have to play with all on minimum.

Horun wrote on 2023-04-09, 01:27:

What onboard GPU (sorry to lazy to look it up ;0 )

ATi 3D Rage Pro.

Sphere478 wrote on 2023-04-09, 04:59:

Is there a usb card installed? […]
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Is there a usb card installed?

(Try without it if so)

Geforce 2-4

Radeon 7000-9000 series

are good cards for these setups in my experience.

Only integrated USB. I have an 8MB V2 PCI, but doubt the 70W AT PSU can handle it.

gaffa2002 wrote on 2023-04-09, 02:38:

From my experience with such system (v72ma motherboard,Ali chipset and its onboard Rage Pro Turbo 8mb), what really impacts game performance are the video drivers.
Personally I use this one: https://gona.mactar.hu/ATI3DCIF/drivers/rpro_540-1b02f.zip Installing the "wrong" video driver can make the video performance drop by a large margin. And dont forget to install DX6 or higher. Chipset and AGP drivers can also cause some impact but not as much...

😁 With IBM's own drivers the game looked like CAD... Now ATI's latest are installed though, and DX9C.

echothedolphin wrote on 2023-04-09, 10:11:

What games are you playing? There are a couple out there that ran poorly on the k6-2 compared to even the P1 MMX chops that were running at half the clock. If I recall it was due to the weaker FPU.

Only Interstate '82 atm.

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-11, 04:50:

Brought home another K6-II/400 for comparison. Asus 430VX board, 64MB EDO, and an inferior Matrox Millennium II 4MB (vs Rage Pro 8MB)

430VX MB with K6-2-400? AFAIK K6-2-400 is achieved by 66x6 or 100x4, but (correct me if I were wrong) no 430VX board could support either 100MHz FSB or 6.0 multiplier, rendering this K6-2-400 running at 300MHz or even less.

The 6x is in the cpu so can be set on any motherboard through the BF pins of the cpu, sometimes this means hardmod

Have you verified that L2 cache is working?

Not all k6 cpus support 6x though. See core revision for confirmation.

Easiest is to set 2x and see what happens. Check cpu-z

dormcat wrote on 2023-04-11, 05:47:

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-11, 04:50:

Brought home another K6-II/400 for comparison. Asus 430VX board, 64MB EDO, and an inferior Matrox Millennium II 4MB (vs Rage Pro 8MB)

430VX MB with K6-2-400? AFAIK K6-2-400 is achieved by 66x6 or 100x4, but (correct me if I were wrong) no 430VX board could support either 100MHz FSB or 6.0 multiplier, rendering this K6-2-400 running at 300MHz or even less.

Interesting 😮 That should put the IBM even further ahead, with both chipset, cpu speed, ram type and gpu in favor...

At least POST says "K6-II @400MHz" or so, unsure what cpu truly lurks inside. Googled the exposed sb82371sb chip to find 430vx, but now realize it's just a pci bus...

I think the board's Asus P/I-P55T2P4, but googling it returns an AT board, while mine is ATX.

Apologies for vague infos, will get access to PCs during weekend again 😀

Sphere478 wrote on 2023-04-11, 22:15:

The 6x is in the cpu so can be set on any motherboard through the BF pins of the cpu, sometimes this means hardmod […]
Show full quote

The 6x is in the cpu so can be set on any motherboard through the BF pins of the cpu, sometimes this means hardmod

Have you verified that L2 cache is working?

Not all k6 cpus support 6x though. See core revision for confirmation.

Easiest is to set 2x and see what happens. Check cpu-z

I can turn on and off both L1 and L2 in BIOS. They're both on, but as you're asking, I can't tell if there's any actual L2 mounted (assume the bios option would be grey then?). How can one verify it's working?

(It's an Aptiva 2158, there's a huge manual online, if helpful)

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-12, 11:39:

[...] […]
Show full quote

[...]

Interesting 😮 That should put the IBM even further ahead, with both chipset, cpu speed, ram type and gpu in favor...

At least POST says "K6-II @400MHz" or so, unsure what cpu truly lurks inside. Googled the exposed sb82371sb chip to find 430vx, but now realize it's just a pci bus...

I think the board's Asus P/I-P55T2P4, but googling it returns an AT board, while mine is ATX.

Apologies for vague infos, will get access to PCs during weekend again 😀

This sounds very odd indeed. The Aptiva 2158 was a uATX system, so an ATX board wouldn't fit, nor would a babyAT board.

There is an ATX version of the P55T2P4 (called XP55T2P4), but that's full ATX, not uATX. Also, both P55T2P5 and XP55T2P4 have i430HX chipset, not i430VX.

I think you need to see what is really in the system as this doesn't compute.

[...]
I can turn on and off both L1 and L2 in BIOS. They're both on, but as you're asking, I can't tell if there's any actual L2 mounted (assume the bios option would be grey then?). How can one verify it's working?

(It's an Aptiva 2158, there's a huge manual online, if helpful)

Cachechk. Simple DOS tool, just run it and it tells you how much cache you have and what it's caching.

Anyway, the 6x multiplier is a non-issue, AMD re-used the 2x multiplier on later K6-2 CPUs (CXT, Chomper eXTended - K6-2 from 350 onwards basically) , so if the system can support a Pentium 120/133, it can give the correct multiplier for 6x.

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-11, 04:50:

😁 With IBM's own drivers the game looked like CAD... Now ATI's latest are installed though, and DX9C.

Have you tried the ATI drivers I suggested? The latest ones are really bad, trust me...

dionb wrote on 2023-04-12, 13:05:

This sounds very odd indeed. The Aptiva 2158 was a uATX system, so an ATX board wouldn't fit, nor would a babyAT board. […]
Show full quote

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-12, 11:39:

[...] […]
Show full quote

[...]

Interesting 😮 That should put the IBM even further ahead, with both chipset, cpu speed, ram type and gpu in favor...

At least POST says "K6-II @400MHz" or so, unsure what cpu truly lurks inside. Googled the exposed sb82371sb chip to find 430vx, but now realize it's just a pci bus...

I think the board's Asus P/I-P55T2P4, but googling it returns an AT board, while mine is ATX.

Apologies for vague infos, will get access to PCs during weekend again 😀

This sounds very odd indeed. The Aptiva 2158 was a uATX system, so an ATX board wouldn't fit, nor would a babyAT board.

There is an ATX version of the P55T2P4 (called XP55T2P4), but that's full ATX, not uATX. Also, both P55T2P5 and XP55T2P4 have i430HX chipset, not i430VX.

I think you need to see what is really in the system as this doesn't compute.

[...]
I can turn on and off both L1 and L2 in BIOS. They're both on, but as you're asking, I can't tell if there's any actual L2 mounted (assume the bios option would be grey then?). How can one verify it's working?

(It's an Aptiva 2158, there's a huge manual online, if helpful)

Cachechk. Simple DOS tool, just run it and it tells you how much cache you have and what it's caching.

Anyway, the 6x multiplier is a non-issue, AMD re-used the 2x multiplier on later K6-2 CPUs (CXT, Chomper eXTended - K6-2 from 350 onwards basically) , so if the system can support a Pentium 120/133, it can give the correct multiplier for 6x.

Finally home, thanks for bearing with me 😁

The mysterious Asus board is indeed P/I-XP55T2P4. My bad just googling the PCIset. i430HX, standard ATX it is =)

IBM's a different story. It houses an ALi M1542/M1543 combo, which was the baby-AT tailored version of Aladdin V (V+). L2 is unfortunately onboard, so probably no hope upgrading that, is there? Board is Acer V72MA.

Did the Cachechk however:

Could test more thoroughly, probably a bench between the two? Asus lacks USB, CD-ROM and floppy though (brand new case since I had nothing to put it in), stuff takes time unfortunately.

gaffa2002 wrote on 2023-04-12, 15:09:

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-11, 04:50:

😁 With IBM's own drivers the game looked like CAD... Now ATI's latest are installed though, and DX9C.

Have you tried the ATI drivers I suggested? The latest ones are really bad, trust me...

Unsure, can give it a shot, thanks 😀

i430HX is the best EDO So7 chipset, but Aladdin V with SDRAM and 100MHz FSB should run rings around it if you have any L2 cache and you clearly do.

So whatever is wrong is related to something other than motherboard.

gaffa2002 wrote on 2023-04-12, 15:09:

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-11, 04:50:

😁 With IBM's own drivers the game looked like CAD... Now ATI's latest are installed though, and DX9C.

Have you tried the ATI drivers I suggested? The latest ones are really bad, trust me...

Tested now. Impressive what just drivers can do sometimes! Definitely a framerate increase, even playable on 800x600 now =)

However there is quite some chopping (rather than constant stuttering) when enemies appear nearby/shoot me etc. There's also freezelag during CD track change (once the CD music even stopped playing for no reason, not to return; I think the CD-ROM has firmware issues though, as it several times randomly spit out CD's at full rotating speed). ESS onboard sound replaced by Soundblaster 16.

Unsure what to do with this machine, really. Already have a bunch of PIII's in the lockup, but I want to like this :c

dionb wrote on 2023-04-15, 14:17:

i430HX is the best EDO So7 chipset, but Aladdin V with SDRAM and 100MHz FSB should run rings around it if you have any L2 cache and you clearly do.

So whatever is wrong is related to something other than motherboard.

Probably should try some of the other benches and compare the two.

Over 600mhz…

Is that correct? Is this a k6-2+/3+? It doesn’t list L3 cache though.

What does chkcpu say?

Sphere478 wrote on 2023-04-16, 03:01:

Over 600mhz…

Is that correct? Is this a k6-2+/3+? It doesn’t list L3 cache though.

What does chkcpu say?

Nope, stock K6-II @400MHz. I guess performing equal to 486 @626MHz.

Chkcpu says K6-2 CXT @400.8 MHz (100.2x4)

I asked CHKCPU about this

He is probably using an old Cachechk version, because it says AuthenticAMD 486 at 626.4MHz on his K6-2/400.
I'm always using Cachechk v7 on S7 system, and run it with the - d switch on SS7 to get an extra decimal behind the dot for added accuracy.

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-15, 14:51:

Tested now. Impressive what just drivers can do sometimes! Definitely a framerate increase, even playable on 800x600 now =) […]
Show full quote

Tested now. Impressive what just drivers can do sometimes! Definitely a framerate increase, even playable on 800x600 now =)

However there is quite some chopping (rather than constant stuttering) when enemies appear nearby/shoot me etc. There's also freezelag during CD track change (once the CD music even stopped playing for no reason, not to return; I think the CD-ROM has firmware issues though, as it several times randomly spit out CD's at full rotating speed). ESS onboard sound replaced by Soundblaster 16.

Unsure what to do with this machine, really. Already have a bunch of PIII's in the lockup, but I want to like this :c

Probably should try some of the other benches and compare the two.

Haha! Glad to know there was some improvement 😀
IMHO the most exceptional thing you can do with this system is playing DOS/Windows games that use the ATI CIF API, which are not that many to begin with.
I only played Tomb Raider with it and it runs great at 640x480@30fps most of the time, with some drops to 20 in very specific areas. It's the best period correct way of playing this game without having a Voodoo card.
The driver I suggested you is the last one that supports ATI CIF while still keeping decent OpenGL and Direct3D performance so you should be able to run it without any issues.
Aside from that there is no much use for it, it's an OK system I guess but nothing exceptional... Mine is used for DOS gaming, but I'm using a P200 MMX (allows better speed control using setmul), a Diamond Stealth 2000 2MB video card (better for DOS games, but I can still switch between it and the onboard ATI in the bios) and an ISA Aztech 2320 for sound.

gaffa2002 wrote on 2023-04-17, 19:36:

Haha! Glad to know there was some improvement :) IMHO the most exceptional thing you can do with this system is playing DOS/Win […]
Show full quote

Ahrle wrote on 2023-04-15, 14:51:

Tested now. Impressive what just drivers can do sometimes! Definitely a framerate increase, even playable on 800x600 now =) […]
Show full quote

Tested now. Impressive what just drivers can do sometimes! Definitely a framerate increase, even playable on 800x600 now =)

However there is quite some chopping (rather than constant stuttering) when enemies appear nearby/shoot me etc. There's also freezelag during CD track change (once the CD music even stopped playing for no reason, not to return; I think the CD-ROM has firmware issues though, as it several times randomly spit out CD's at full rotating speed). ESS onboard sound replaced by Soundblaster 16.

Unsure what to do with this machine, really. Already have a bunch of PIII's in the lockup, but I want to like this :c

Probably should try some of the other benches and compare the two.

Haha! Glad to know there was some improvement 😀
IMHO the most exceptional thing you can do with this system is playing DOS/Windows games that use the ATI CIF API, which are not that many to begin with.
I only played Tomb Raider with it and it runs great at 640x480@30fps most of the time, with some drops to 20 in very specific areas. It's the best period correct way of playing this game without having a Voodoo card.
The driver I suggested you is the last one that supports ATI CIF while still keeping decent OpenGL and Direct3D performance so you should be able to run it without any issues.
Aside from that there is no much use for it, it's an OK system I guess but nothing exceptional... Mine is used for DOS gaming, but I'm using a P200 MMX (allows better speed control using setmul), a Diamond Stealth 2000 2MB video card (better for DOS games, but I can still switch between it and the onboard ATI in the bios) and an ISA Aztech 2320 for sound.

Did the research and found this board is quite upgradeable. Voltage and multiplier can be set via switches, theoretically allowing a K6-III+ 550. This plus the V2 I've finally got the cable for, could make a capable machine.

eBay fantasy pricing means lockup for now, though. $400+ for a 550 is outrageous. Seems cheaper to buy a complete system and ship across the world than the CPU alone.

PIII/750 desktop brother will sort gaming for now. (all go no show though)