More phots:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-02, 15:06:

The AWE64 will work and sounds great with default Win95b included drivers but you dont get all the
Additional programs and feature of the sound card. So it is best to install the Sound Blaster software.
Link: http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?file … d=9&menustate=0

That's not the correct driver CD for the CT4520.

This is.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2021-07-02, 16:06:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-02, 15:06:

The AWE64 will work and sounds great with default Win95b included drivers but you dont get all the
Additional programs and feature of the sound card. So it is best to install the Sound Blaster software.
Link: http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?file … d=9&menustate=0

That's not the correct driver CD for the CT4520.

This is.

Thanks. I was not sure which one would work with the CT4520.

I have been using the Acorp motherboard with Pentium 75mhz and it is working well but I think I am
Going to swap it out for the “FIC PT-2006” with more motherboard cache and RAM

I am going to use this FIC motherboard with Pentium MMX 200mhz and 512kb motherboard cache. Has a 128mb RAM stick too.
This is a high end Win95 era motherboard.
https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/motherboards/F/F … um-PT-2006.html

I have never tested this used motherboard so I hope it works.
Cross your fingers.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-13, 11:03:

I have been using the Acorp motherboard with Pentium 75mhz and it is working well but I think I am Going to swap it out for the […]
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I have been using the Acorp motherboard with Pentium 75mhz and it is working well but I think I am
Going to swap it out for the “FIC PT-2006” with more motherboard cache and RAM

I am going to use this FIC motherboard with Pentium MMX 200mhz and 512kb motherboard cache. Has a 128mb RAM stick too.
This is a high end Win95 era motherboard.

I always considered the 430VX chipset Intel's lower end offering for 1996 given the decreased memory limits (128MB/64MB cacheable vs. 512/512 on the 430HX), no parity/ECC and absence/reduction of performance features present in the HX. It also lacks SMP (though of course that's irrelevant in single-CPU boards).
I don't think the board offers any OC settings either. It's still a decent board but would you really call it high end?

Doornkaat wrote on 2021-07-13, 12:13:

I always considered the 430VX chipset Intel's lower end offering for 1996 given the decreased memory limits (128MB/64MB cacheable vs. 512/512 on the 430HX), no parity/ECC and absence/reduction of performance features present in the HX. It also lacks SMP (though of course that's irrelevant in single-CPU boards).
I don't think the board offers any OC settings either. It's still a decent board but would you really call it high end?

The VX doesn't support UDMA, does it?

Unless I'm missing something, the 430TX chipset is better than the VX in every way. Going for the HX makes sense if more than 64MB RAM is needed, but in most cases, a Win95 system would not benefit much from that.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2021-07-13, 12:30:

Doornkaat wrote on 2021-07-13, 12:13:

I always considered the 430VX chipset Intel's lower end offering for 1996 given the decreased memory limits (128MB/64MB cacheable vs. 512/512 on the 430HX), no parity/ECC and absence/reduction of performance features present in the HX. It also lacks SMP (though of course that's irrelevant in single-CPU boards).
I don't think the board offers any OC settings either. It's still a decent board but would you really call it high end?

The VX doesn't support UDMA, does it?

Unless I'm missing something, the 430TX chipset is better in every way.

Thanks for the info guys. Good to know.
This is all the motherboards I have on hand. I do have some Intel 430tx motherboards some where but they are lost in boxes in my Garage
Right now. So these motherboards are all I could find.

The Intel 430tx is a NEWER motherboard form 1997 but I wanted more of a 1995 motherboard.
This VX motherboard is from 1996.

I am using right now the “Acorp VX Chipset” motherboard and it works fine and has a good bios.
Good enough for Win-95 DOS gaming. This FIC PT-2006 motherboard is just the best VX motherboard I could find
In my stock of Socket 7 motherboards.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-02, 15:06:

This motherboard has some limitations Limitations are: 75 thru 200mhz Socket 7 CPU. Up to 64mb EDO ram Up to 8gb IDE hard drive. […]
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This motherboard has some limitations
Limitations are:
75 thru 200mhz Socket 7 CPU.
Up to 64mb EDO ram
Up to 8gb IDE hard drive. ( Will work with larger capacity hard drives but bios is limited to 8gb capacity volumes )
Up to 512kb motherboard cache.

Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system.

I have a question though, that CPU limit you mention, does it mean there are Socket 7 boards not compatible with intel 233 MMX CPUs?
I often see the 233s somewhat relegated, as if they where not better than a 200. Is that so or it just that the 200s seem to be *much* more available than the 233s?

Thanks.

Top CPU of a generation often goes for twice to four times the price of the next one down, so there's a case of "just not worth it". 200MMX will still be fast on MMX required software and 233MMX will still be too slow on PII required software. However, there were some boards top out at 200 for power reasons, and some won't run MMX at all due to no split plane voltages. There are a few boards where the power would be okay and the stated max is 200, because the only official multipliers given are 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3... with no acknowledgement that 1.5 works as 3.5 for CPUs capable of it.

Edit: looking closer at the board, it looks like one of those with linear voltage regulators. Those tend to top out lower than a switch mode supply. Look up the part numbers on the parts attached to the heatsinks and figure out if new ones are easy to get and inexpensive. If the answer is yes, then try fast and overclocked CPUs while keeping an eye that these don't get too hot, if the answer is no, stick to original recommended/supported CPUs.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2021-07-13, 12:30:

The VX doesn't support UDMA, does it?

Unless I'm missing something, the 430TX chipset is better than the VX in every way. Going for the HX makes sense if more than 64MB RAM is needed, but in most cases, a Win95 system would not benefit much from that.

Neither 430HX nor 430VX support UDMA but realistically it's not an important feature with Socket 7 systems imho.
TX performs about on par with 430HX and both outperform 430VX. I prefer the 430HX because it feels like a high end offering while I think it really shows that Intel was abandoning Socket 7 when they released the 430TX. I don't think they really tried with that chipset.
But as long as you don't need more than 64MB cacheable I would say the choice between 430TX and 430HX is mostly down to preference.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-13, 12:44:

Thanks for the info guys. Good to know. This is all the motherboards I have on hand. I do have some Intel 430tx motherboards som […]
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Thanks for the info guys. Good to know.
This is all the motherboards I have on hand. I do have some Intel 430tx motherboards some where but they are lost in boxes in my Garage
Right now. So these motherboards are all I could find.

The Intel 430tx is a NEWER motherboard form 1997 but I wanted more of a 1995 motherboard.
This VX motherboard is from 1996.

I am using right now the “Acorp VX Chipset” motherboard and it works fine and has a good bios.
Good enough for Win-95 DOS gaming. This FIC PT-2006 motherboard is just the best VX motherboard I could find
In my stock of Socket 7 motherboards.

It's a nice motherboard for a Pentium (MMX) system.
My comment was mostly in regards to the high end status of the chipset. I think of it more as mid-tier of 1996. Certainly not bad compared to most of the competition though.
If you're intentionally going for a 1996 motherboard you may want to keep in mind the Pentium MMX were released in 1997.

AngryByDefault wrote on 2021-07-13, 13:19:

Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system. […]
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Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system.

I have a question though, that CPU limit you mention, does it mean there are Socket 7 boards not compatible with intel 233 MMX CPUs?
I often see the 233s somewhat relegated, as if they where not better than a 200. Is that so or it just that the 200s seem to be *much* more available than the 233s?

Thanks.

The 233MHz Pentium MMX are a bit faster than the 200MHz variants. The 200MHz variant is more avaliable because it was obvioulsy cheaper when they were new and because originally the MMX didn't release in a 233MHz variant. That was introduced in the second stepping.

There are some compatibility problems:
Not all Socket 7 boards support MMX Pentiums to begin with because not all Socket 7 boards have split voltage support.
Many people don't realise that even though their board does not officially offer a 200MHz setting (66MHz FSB * 3.5) the second stepping of MMX Pentiums will use a 3.5x multiplier when using the Pentium's 1.5x setting.
[Edit: Both already answered by BitWrangler.]
There is an issue with some multipliers not being avaliable on some Socket 7 boards becuase the Pentium MMX needs the BF signals pulled high in order for them to be registered as "high" while Pentiums only need BF signals to be pulled low to register as "low". I think it's possible to mod any board with a single resistor somewhere on the socket pins so the board actively pulls the BF signals high. (I have only recently read about this in a thread here so I'm not 100% sure I explained this right.)

AngryByDefault wrote on 2021-07-13, 13:19:

Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system. […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-02, 15:06:

This motherboard has some limitations Limitations are: 75 thru 200mhz Socket 7 CPU. Up to 64mb EDO ram Up to 8gb IDE hard drive. […]
Show full quote

This motherboard has some limitations
Limitations are:
75 thru 200mhz Socket 7 CPU.
Up to 64mb EDO ram
Up to 8gb IDE hard drive. ( Will work with larger capacity hard drives but bios is limited to 8gb capacity volumes )
Up to 512kb motherboard cache.

Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system.

I have a question though, that CPU limit you mention, does it mean there are Socket 7 boards not compatible with intel 233 MMX CPUs?
I often see the 233s somewhat relegated, as if they where not better than a 200. Is that so or it just that the 200s seem to be *much* more available than the 233s?

Thanks.

Yes. I think many Intel 430TX motherboards support AGP and 233mhz CPU. But older motherboards don’t. Many top out at 150mhz or 200mhz CPU’s.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-13, 13:58:

AngryByDefault wrote on 2021-07-13, 13:19:

Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system. […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-02, 15:06:

This motherboard has some limitations Limitations are: 75 thru 200mhz Socket 7 CPU. Up to 64mb EDO ram Up to 8gb IDE hard drive. […]
Show full quote

This motherboard has some limitations
Limitations are:
75 thru 200mhz Socket 7 CPU.
Up to 64mb EDO ram
Up to 8gb IDE hard drive. ( Will work with larger capacity hard drives but bios is limited to 8gb capacity volumes )
Up to 512kb motherboard cache.

Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system.

I have a question though, that CPU limit you mention, does it mean there are Socket 7 boards not compatible with intel 233 MMX CPUs?
I often see the 233s somewhat relegated, as if they where not better than a 200. Is that so or it just that the 200s seem to be *much* more available than the 233s?

Thanks.

Yes. I think many Intel 430TX motherboards support AGP and 233mhz CPU. But older motherboards don’t. Many top out at 150mhz or 200mhz CPU’s.

No 430TX-based motherboard supports AGP.

humm... I need to start learning fast about this FSB and mutiplier thingy before I start blowing boards and micros up... I never gave it, nor to overclocking, the slightest attention so far... Thanks for the info. (bookmarked!)

Doornkaat wrote on 2021-07-13, 14:12:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-07-13, 13:58:

AngryByDefault wrote on 2021-07-13, 13:19:

Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system. […]
Show full quote

Great post, it should give a great starting point for anyone wanting to build a rather painless system.

I have a question though, that CPU limit you mention, does it mean there are Socket 7 boards not compatible with intel 233 MMX CPUs?
I often see the 233s somewhat relegated, as if they where not better than a 200. Is that so or it just that the 200s seem to be *much* more available than the 233s?

Thanks.

Yes. I think many Intel 430TX motherboards support AGP and 233mhz CPU. But older motherboards don’t. Many top out at 150mhz or 200mhz CPU’s.

No 430TX-based motherboard supports AGP.

Oh, I must have confused the 430tx with the bx440.

I am going to add a 5.25 floppy drive.

There is no info about the PS/2 motherboard connector pin out in the manual. So I am going to try this.
Cross your fingers.

Does it run like a Cadillac?

SBLive wrote on 2021-07-19, 12:09:

Does it run like a Cadillac?

This one is more like a Ford Taurus.