Well If you have the timings slow on the ram and cache then I can see it to be possible to loose speed.
But for any K6 to perform at its best the motherboard cache plays a good role. Helps memory performance witch we all know is cripple on SS7

bloodem wrote on 2020-08-09, 10:27:

Socket3 wrote on 2020-08-09, 09:16:

In my tests, with 128mb of ram, a K6-3 performs up to 5% faster with L3 cache (on motherboard) disabled [...]

I have to say, I also heard this urban legend multiple times, and have tested this theory on probably more than 10 motherboards, paired with K6-2+ @ 550 / 600 MHz.
And what I found, was that performance is consistently worse with MB cache disabled (albeit, not by much on a K6-2+). So I'm pretty curious to find out in which circumstances the platform is faster with the MB cache disabled, because for gaming... this is definitely not the case, at least not on the motherboards that I tested.

I'll rebuild my rig and post some benchmarks this weekend. I'll start a new thread. I'll be using a low power 400MHz 1.8v K6-3+ running at 2.1v @ 550MHz on a AX58 PRO (VIA MVP3), a voodoo 3 and 128 to 512mb of ram. If I can dig up my (working) asus P5A I'll do some testing on that as well.

I purchased a lot full of these Soyo SS7 motherboards with 512kb cache some years back. From what I have read there is not much of a performance increase after 256kb of motherboard cache.

This old Japanese site had listed 4 different ASUS Ali models with 1MB cache.
https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/hotline/ … 17/newitem.html

Date: April 17, 1999
The description translates:
"4 new models of ASUS motherboards with Aladdin V chipset. The secondary cache capacity, which was 512KB in the conventional model, has been increased to 1MB each. In addition to the regular model without sound function, a model with sound function equipped with CMI8338 sound chip (P5A-B) and Solo-1 sound chip (P5A) is also on sale."

Also the latest manual of P5A states that there is an 1MB cache variant:
https://mbmanuals.retropc.se/manuals/1/p5a-107.pdf

I have never seen someone having one though 🙁

Yes what I have here is a very rare Super Socket 7 Motherboard with the ALi Aladdin V chip-set and 1MB of onboard Cache!!

This video is a complete review of this motherboard, including an in-depth optimization guide!
Some o the tips also apply to other SS7 and ALi motherboards in general.

Finally we have a 600Mhz showdown of K6-2, K6-2+ and K6-3+ processors.
In total 16 different configurations were measured in 12 benchmarks!!

I hope you will enjoy this. Please like, comment, share and subscribe for more!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8W6A-VKroE

You have a very nice motherboard there, but I'm sorry to say that the review was flawed from the start. GeForce FX 5900XT & Super Socket 7 don't mix well together 😀

bloodem wrote on 2021-02-10, 06:59:

You have a very nice motherboard there, but I'm sorry to say that the review was flawed from the start. GeForce FX 5900XT & Super Socket 7 don't mix well together 😀

I do not understand the critique.
The point of the Video was to review this motherboard and mainly check the 512k vs 1MB cache difference. In general all the comparisons are for the CPU performance of different configurations. FX5900XT creates a good CPU limited scenario in win3D, the performance was good at 600Mhz and this was 100% stable.
I have done many testes with different cards. The conclusions for this CPU M/B comparison are the same.

I have so many VGA cards. For me it is very easy to repeat some of the measurements but do not expect different conclusions here. Just improved scores in some Win3D applications.

WHAT 😁 😁
Awesome! Will you upload some info for us please?
Like a bios dump? Close up pictures to see if we can make 512kb to 1024kb our selves 😁
Thanks so much 😀

Would also like to see the WPCredit, if the cache is running at 83MHz or 100MHz as the ALi datasheet says if you use 1024Kb it will run at 83MHz

Hi members, I was lucky enough to find an ASUS P5A 1MB 😁 😁 So they do exist 🐙
The motherboard is unfortunately unstable 🙁
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hW4G5gruYqD3 … iew?usp=sharing

This is strange, my boards are completely stable.
I have even pushed it to 124MHz in the video.
Also sold two of these and so far no complains.

galanopu wrote on 2021-07-08, 07:12:

This is strange, my boards are completely stable.
I have even pushed it to 124MHz in the video.
Also sold two of these and so far no complains.

Wish I had the funds to buy one from you, this board was 70EU.
But it does seem like P5A is a problem board 🙁

Skalabala wrote on 2020-05-05, 10:19:

luckybob wrote on 2020-05-04, 19:35:

That ASUS P5-A board *WITH* the onboard sound has 1mb onboard cache where the non-sound versions seem to have 512kb.

I have not seen any of these 🙁 My one P5AB has sound but 512Kb.
I have seen a photo a few years ago of I think it was P5A with 1Mb cache.

Did you ever have sucess with this?

Also, side question, wonder how hard jt would be to add sound to my p5a boards.

Maybe it was based on a soundcard that way popular and cheap? Could steal the parts from it? And scavanage the ports from a dead mobo…?

Anyway, I’ve embarked on the same mission as you to try to upgrade the cache on both my p5a mobos.

Looks like 4ns chips are the way to go but I can’t find them, and can’t get clear answers on if my 1.06 needs special mods. My 1.04 already has 1mb and a tag chip. Which is another thing I want to upgrade. Maybe a lower ns higher but tag? But which one? I have no idea…

bloodem wrote on 2020-08-09, 10:27:

Socket3 wrote on 2020-08-09, 09:16:

In my tests, with 128mb of ram, a K6-3 performs up to 5% faster with L3 cache (on motherboard) disabled [...]

I have to say, I also heard this urban legend multiple times, and have tested this theory on probably more than 10 motherboards, paired with K6-2+ @ 550 / 600 MHz.
And what I found, was that performance is consistently worse with MB cache disabled (albeit, not by much on a K6-2+). So I'm pretty curious to find out in which circumstances the platform is faster with the MB cache disabled, because for gaming... this is definitely not the case, at least not on the motherboards that I tested.

you’re right, that advice has become a legend around here. And it needs to stop. But it is true in some cases. The problem is it’s not true in all cases. So we need to stop giving that advice. Some setups will see improvement, but many won’t.

My one P5AB has sound, I am sure the P5A would have used the same chip.
The board is packed away at the moment. But it is a popular chip. Think it is CMI8330.