Kittyboy wrote on 2025-05-14, 23:55:

I've read 512mb ram is the limit that both MS-DOS 6.22 and Win98se prefer?

No, I have W98SE systems with 1GB and WMe with 2GB.

It's a long time ago I set then up and can't remember any real problems.

red-ray wrote on 2025-05-15, 10:03:

No, I have W98SE systems with 1GB and WMe with 2GB. […]
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Kittyboy wrote on 2025-05-14, 23:55:

I've read 512mb ram is the limit that both MS-DOS 6.22 and Win98se prefer?

No, I have W98SE systems with 1GB and WMe with 2GB.

It's a long time ago I set then up and can't remember any real problems.

I believe my VIA Apollo chipset limits me to 1GB, I've read as high as 4GB with updated BIOS, I already have the latest (1006 002 beta) BIOS installed. Hoping for more member feedback, I will soon be elevating my game to testing powerful graphic cards. It helps to incrementally introduce upgrades/updates for troubleshooting purposes. My current base setup is now running stable with 512MB memory, I will step-up to 1GB and see how things go first, then start with the graphic improvements.

Kittyboy wrote on 2025-05-14, 23:55:

As I understand, FC-PGA CPUs are Celeron Coppermine with slower FSB and smaller cache, 100/256 vs 133/512?

The Pentium 3 definition is a bit different.
There are two production processes involved: 180 nm and 130 nm:
-Coppermine 180 nm / 1.6v > 1.75v / 128kb & 256kb cache / 500MHz > 1.13GHz
-Tualatin 130 nm / 1.45v > 1.5v / 256kb & 512kb cache / 900 MHz > 1.4GHz
Both Coppermine and Tualatin come in Celeron (smaller cache) and Pentium 3 (larger cache) versions.
FCPGA and FCPGA2 -only- refers to the package of the chip: FCPGA2 has a metal heath spreader which the FCPGA lacks. All Tualatins and some Coppermines have this heath spreader.

The last two Aopen motherboards that you mention support Tualatins according to the online manuals but I am not sure if they support the 1.4GHz "S" versions.

Kittyboy wrote on 2025-05-15, 10:46:

I believe my VIA Apollo chipset limits me to 1GB

OK, I guess I "cheated" by using a motherboard that supports 8GB, it now had 8GB and am wondering what Windows 98SE will make of it, I would try it, but it no longer had the W98SE installation.

PARKE wrote on 2025-05-15, 11:39:

The Pentium 3 definition is a bit different. There are two production processes involved: 180 nm and 130 nm: -Coppermine 180 nm […]
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Kittyboy wrote on 2025-05-14, 23:55:

As I understand, FC-PGA CPUs are Celeron Coppermine with slower FSB and smaller cache, 100/256 vs 133/512?

The Pentium 3 definition is a bit different.
There are two production processes involved: 180 nm and 130 nm:
-Coppermine 180 nm / 1.6v > 1.75v / 128kb & 256kb cache / 500MHz > 1.13GHz
-Tualatin 130 nm / 1.45v > 1.5v / 256kb & 512kb cache / 900 MHz > 1.4GHz
Both Coppermine and Tualatin come in Celeron (smaller cache) and Pentium 3 (larger cache) versions.
FCPGA and FCPGA2 -only- refers to the package of the chip: FCPGA2 has a metal heath spreader which the FCPGA lacks. All Tualatins and some Coppermines have this heath spreader.

The last two Aopen motherboards that you mention support Tualatins according to the online manuals but I am not sure if they support the 1.4GHz "S" versions.

It is all so confusing to me. My first thought was exactly what you state regarding the FCPGA differences having to do only with the heat spreader. But there seems to be another important reason/feature for using the adaptor for Fast "S" CPUs on a board Coppermine board?

Attached is a link. I do not quite understand the info?

https://biosupdate.runboard.com/t4

If you really want to do it "properly" there are Intel guides for designing a "universal s370" motherboard.

Ie ppga, fcpga and fcpga.

Kittyboy wrote on 2025-05-15, 12:48:

It is all so confusing to me. My first thought was exactly what you state regarding the FCPGA differences having to do only with the heat spreader. But there seems to be another important reason/feature for using the adaptor for Fast "S" CPUs on a board Coppermine board?

The other difference between Coppermine and Tualatin is that several pin-outs were changed by Intel and that is where the adapters or the do it yourself modding come in. That does not only apply to the "S" versions but to all Tualatins - they are not out of the box compatible with Coppermine and older Pentium II boards.