My votes: Intel 430TX (Though I don't own one) and ALi Aladdin V. The Aladdin V is "super socket 7" and takes all CPUs that physically fit the socket.

Intel 430TX from me as well. It's what I currently have (ASUS TX97-XE/P166MMX) and have been enjoying for many years 😀

430HX, though the TX is a close second.

VIA MVP3, being using it for years for DOS. AGP slot is a must for me.

i430HX is my favourite too. Not because of performance, it is just the "cool factor" 🤣

I have been using an ASUS TX97-e for a while now and it's been rock solid. So for now I would have to say 430TX.

for non socket 7: intel chipset
for super socket 7: i prefer the Ali V chipset

Performance: HX->TX->VX for the intel chipsets but in real life i can't notice a big difference. VX and TX can cache 64mb max, HX can do 512mb with the right amount of Cache/TAG.

I have lots of Asus s7 boards and they all run nicely but in my current s7 build i too use a TX97-E. If you prefer the atx layout the TX97-XE is also nice. A good HX board: Asus p/1-p55t2p4

Super socket 7 i run the Asus P5A: atx layout, supports every socket 7 cpu from p90 to k6-3+ and has an agp slot. It can do atleast 128mb cached or a lot more with a k6-3 cpu without a performance hit.

I prefer Asus boards but there are many good other boards. Since you will be running a non mmx cpu you can pick almost any board, but i would atleast pick an intel chipset. With a super 7 board you can always change your mind and build a much faster system later on.

super 7: VIA MVP3
socket 5/7: I'm partial to the i430 but I'm willing to experiment

SIS 5598

meljor wrote:

Super socket 7 i run the Asus P5A: atx layout, supports every socket 7 cpu from p90 to k6-3+ and has an agp slot. It can do atleast 128mb cached or a lot more with a k6-3 cpu without a performance hit.

Ain't the maximum cacheable DRAM area of ALi V 512/1024MB ? 😕

https://www.anandtech.com/show/72/3

Ain't the maximum cacheable DRAM area of ALi V 512/1024MB

Only 128mb with external TAG.

"One of the most important features the Aladdin V chipset boasts is the internal L2 cache the chipset features, more specifically the M1541 chip has an integrated 16K x 10-bit Tag RAM as well as 16K x 2 L2 cache SRAM, both of which decrease cost and increase performance somewhat. The most important reason for including the Tag RAM on chip is to make using the 100MHz bus speed possible."

But as we already know, something gone wrong and early north bridge revisions didn't had it integrated or perhaps is was broken, so manufacturers had to use external instead. Performance drop should not be very significant though, when 128mb full cached vs 256mb half-cached is compared, but it will increase with more RAM added.

I really don't have a favourite. But I see highlights for most of them, especially if it's about the particular boards I've accumulated.

i430FX: Very classic, early Edo era 😁 Fits old Socket5/7 CPUs so well... And my FIC PT-2003 supports an interesting memory type: it has a COAST module for cache. It took me a while to find an 512kiB piece but it's kind of complete now. Yesterday I downloaded a newer BIOS for it too because it couldn't cope with the K5 I wanted to try in it.

i430HX: It has the cool factor and the ability to cache an anachronistic amount of RAM. I have a DTK board with this chipset and it was a surprise how it could outperform the TX+SDRAM combo in certain benchmarks. I found a Jetway J656HXA too which perhaps supports MMX CPUs, has 6 slots for SIMMs and one for Coast module(?) but I couldn't find a manual for it. Unfortunately nothing's printed on it apart from the FSB and multiplier settings (with a typo). I'd be grateful if someone helped with this one.

i430TX: I have an Acorp 5TX29 which can run some MMX233s at 292MHz. And I've even found 32MB 50ns EDO for 83MHz and tight timings - though it could use more to run the Event Horizon demo. I could pop in a bigger SD module any time but that 83MHz EDO is fun.

ALI Aladdin 5: My choice for Super Socket 7. I have unpleasant memories about my Lucky Star 5MVP3 from its time so I was steered to the other way. Acorp 5ALI61 is a real Swiss army knife and my main SS7 test board, it can take anything a (Super) Socket 7 could, ranging from P75 and FPM memory up to K6-3+ and PC100 SD + AGP cards. Okay, it can't accommodate a COAST module 😁

As for Aladdin V revisions, I've never seen a 'new' one with full range cacheability. Nor my 5ALI61 nor P5A-B can deal with >128MB properly. But a K6-3 or 2/3+ can alleviate this problem.

alvaro84 wrote:

I found a Jetway J656HXA too which perhaps supports MMX CPUs, has 6 slots for SIMMs and one for Coast module(?) but I couldn't find a manual for it. Unfortunately nothing's printed on it apart from the FSB and multiplier settings (with a typo). I'd be grateful if someone helped with this one.

Jetway also comes branded as J-Mark, maybe this is the one:

https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/motherboards/J/J … m-J-656HXA.html

The Serpent Rider wrote:

Only 128mb with external TAG. […]
Show full quote

Ain't the maximum cacheable DRAM area of ALi V 512/1024MB

Only 128mb with external TAG.

"One of the most important features the Aladdin V chipset boasts is the internal L2 cache the chipset features, more specifically the M1541 chip has an integrated 16K x 10-bit Tag RAM as well as 16K x 2 L2 cache SRAM, both of which decrease cost and increase performance somewhat. The most important reason for including the Tag RAM on chip is to make using the 100MHz bus speed possible."

But as we already know, something gone wrong and early north bridge revisions didn't had it integrated or perhaps is was broken, so manufacturers had to use external instead. Performance drop should not be very significant though, when 128mb full cached vs 256mb half-cached is compared, but it will increase with more RAM added.

Thanks, I ordered Gigabyte GA-5AA for cheap. I have Atrend ATC-5000 430TX too.
Is it possible to check how much RAM is cacheable by a software? 😕

PARKE wrote:

Jetway also comes branded as J-Mark, maybe this is the one:

https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/motherboards/J/J … m-J-656HXA.html

Thank you, it seems to fit my board! Then it probably has no MMX voltage setting but has an onboard+COAST option for cache. I don't know how much memory it can cache, though. I'll test it soon.

Edit. Did so. Unfortunately it's no good. It performed surprisingly bad in numerous benchmarks, up to 25% worse than another HX board. Then I realized that it was because of the defunct cache. I tried to set the jumpers by the manual, relax its timings from the BIOS setup, even replace the tag chip (the bulk of it is soldered) but none of these attempts helped. I've even installed a COAST module and set the jumpers to COAST only. Then it showed 256k of cache on the post-POST screen and could boot up DOS with himem (not with UMBPCI) but died on almost any program I started. I couldn't even check the cache with speedsys because that froze too.

So I won't see how much RAM it can theoretically cache because in reality it's zero. So much for the board.

RiP wrote:

The Serpent Rider wrote:

Only 128mb with external TAG. […]
Show full quote

Ain't the maximum cacheable DRAM area of ALi V 512/1024MB

Only 128mb with external TAG.

"One of the most important features the Aladdin V chipset boasts is the internal L2 cache the chipset features, more specifically the M1541 chip has an integrated 16K x 10-bit Tag RAM as well as 16K x 2 L2 cache SRAM, both of which decrease cost and increase performance somewhat. The most important reason for including the Tag RAM on chip is to make using the 100MHz bus speed possible."

But as we already know, something gone wrong and early north bridge revisions didn't had it integrated or perhaps is was broken, so manufacturers had to use external instead. Performance drop should not be very significant though, when 128mb full cached vs 256mb half-cached is compared, but it will increase with more RAM added.

Thanks, I ordered Gigabyte GA-5AA for cheap. I have Atrend ATC-5000 430TX too.
Is it possible to check how much RAM is cacheable by a software? 😕

No.

For the i430TX it's simple 64MB
For the ALi Aladdin V it depends on the M1541 revision. Look at the chip on the board, specifically at the second last line on it (immediately above "TAIWAN"). The last letter of that line determines the stepping. If it's an "E" it's the old kind and can cache max 128MB of RAM, if it's a "G" it's the new kind and can cache all the memory you can throw at it.

For what it's worth, with a non-MMX Pentium these super socket 7 chipsets aren't the fastest options. They are focused on high bus speeds, but at lower speeds, clock for clock their performance is slightly worse than the last non 'super' generation. Years back I did a benchmark of all the So7 chipsets I could get my hands on with a Pentium 100, as that was the only CPU that every single board would support. The best two performers (neck and neck shared first place) were the ALi Aladdin IV+ and the i430TX. The Aladdin V wasn't far behind, but behind it was. So if you don't intend to use the 100MHz FSB of the Aladdin V, just stick with the i430TX.
Also: if you intend to be even remotely period-correct, the cacheable limit is a non-issue. A P54C puts you in 1996, maybe early 1997 at latest. Back then you were running Windows 95 with 32MB of RAM, of if you had a high-end workstation you might have NT with 64MB. These limits only became an issue when people wanted to start upgrading their old machines with cheap SDRAM in 1999 and later. With a late K6-2 it's a different story - that 128MB limit on early Aladdin V chipsets meant that these things were generally shipped at or near their limits in 1999.

I have one board with the i430TX chipset(Tekram) and was pretty surprised by its speed. The SiS5591 chipset, if I recall the name correctly, is even faster though.

As already pointed out, the MVP3 And ALi V boards are not as speedy at the same lower clockrates from what I can remember which seemed like a total letdown when I rediscovered these "relicts".

I have the ALi based running at 124 mhz though and with a PMMX233@310mhz it is a very nice system.
The MVP3 can be run at 133 but is barely faster than at 112 due to the cache not making it at top speeds. If one would replace the tag(with <8ns) and the sram chip(with 3.5ns) it could be a legitimate 133mhz system.