This says you can't use EDO RAM with that motherboard

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=# … sus/nD4-BVixD64

The link is too long to click so you'll have to copy and paste it.

EDO works on my VLB board. Up to 8MB as ive noticed, other wont.

I think it needs 8x36 Parity modules. I bought one 32MB parity module and it works perfectly.

I found this on Ebay. According to the manual and what I've found online, it should work.

Hasn't this one already been discussed to death? If the motherboard manual (or sometimes chipset) explicitly says you can use EDO, then you can use it. Otherwise, it's a bad idea. Some boards that don't support it have no problems, others slowly exhibit signs of instability, while others still won't boot up at all. Be warned that even chipsets that officially support EDO sometimes only do so in certain revisions, so you can't make sweeping generalizations like "SiS496 and UM8881F work with EDO".
Additionally there is no performance benefit whatsoever for using EDO RAM in a 486 board. The only way it is a useful feature is if FPM DRAM is not available.

Anonymous is right, I don't see why you'd use EDO on anything lower than a Pentium. I think Intel's first EDO chipset was the 430FX?

Been in talks with the seller, he admits that he didn't think of the FPM and EDO RAM issue. Also he doesn't have any other SIMMS laying around, so I guess I gotta buy some FPM DRAM on Ebay.

Anonymous Coward pretty much summed up the 486 EDO RAM story. My only small bit to add is that sometimes certain EDO/FPM RAM sticks work, while others do not. This symptom becomes more pronounced when you start working with fast cache/RAM timings and a bus at 40 MHz+. It is always a good idea to have pairs of different FPM and EDO RAM around for testing purposes.

On a slightly modified note, I wonder what the lifetime of the SIMM slots are? I figure if they have had RAM in and out often enough, the spring effect of the contact might get worn. It would only take one contact point to be flakey. On a few boards, I've noticed that RAM didn't work in the first SIMM, but would work fine in SIMM 3, for example.

If you were from my city or country, I would give you several 8MB FPM sticks for free. Unfortunately, international posting here in Russia is not only red tape, it ruins such items most of the time. That's why ebay refused to work in Russia for so long.

Received the 32MB FPM memory from the Ebay seller today and the system booted straight up. Installed Windows 98 and good to go. Just need get the rest setup now 😀