VOGONS


First post, by zwrr

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Hello everyone, I saw someone selling a motherboard. It looks very well made. I can’t identify the CPU model. Maybe it’s 386DX-40 or 486DLC?

Characters printed on the motherboard:
Manufactured BY IBM
MODEL 486ZX
MADE IN USA

There is a CACHE sticker on the motherboard chip. I checked the motherboard information of this company on theretroweb and could not find the same one.

The seller claims that the motherboard is working normally and you can see on the self-test screen that the Post string is:
30-0100-006305-10101111-121291-OPSXSLC-F

No information can be found based on the Post string.

Can anyone provide the manual and other information for this motherboard?

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Cyrix 486DLC-40, 386-VC-H, 16MB, GD5422, ES1868F


Intel 486DX4-100EW, VI15G, 16MB, WD90C33, ES1868F


AMD5x86-133, HIPPO-15, 32MB, S3 Vison 964, ES1868F


K6-3+ 500, T2P4, 128MB, Millennium II, Voodoo 2 12MB, SoundBlaster AWE32


Reply 2 of 11, by Vynix

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Looks like an Alaris board of some kind..

Proud owner of a Shuttle HOT-555A 430VX motherboard and two wonderful retro laptops, namely a Compaq Armada 1700 [nonfunctional] and a HP Omnibook XE3-GC [fully working :p]

Reply 3 of 11, by rasz_pl

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Rwolf wrote on 2024-02-13, 15:56:

Great find. Sticker on OPs board chipset says CACHE Computers, model on the side states ASSY 81403, over that 81404, bios identifies as Cache Computers 80403. This makes it Model 403 or 404. Highest model in theretroweb is 348, so would be nice it this board was uploaded there.
Its definitely 16bit bus like model-345.

Open Source AT&T Globalyst/NCR/FIC 486-GAC-2 proprietary Cache Module reproduction

Reply 6 of 11, by zwrr

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Thanks for your help,
From your replies and observations of the motherboard, I believe it is a variant of the Cache Computer MINI 386SX (Model 345), perhaps made for IBM, and by looking at the 50 MHz motherboard crystal and CPU pin count, I believe this It's a 386SX-25, which makes me hesitant, I was expecting to get a 386DX-40.

Cyrix 486DLC-40, 386-VC-H, 16MB, GD5422, ES1868F


Intel 486DX4-100EW, VI15G, 16MB, WD90C33, ES1868F


AMD5x86-133, HIPPO-15, 32MB, S3 Vison 964, ES1868F


K6-3+ 500, T2P4, 128MB, Millennium II, Voodoo 2 12MB, SoundBlaster AWE32


Reply 7 of 11, by Thermalwrong

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Nooo, that's a 486 SLC, a 16-bit version of the IBM Blue Lightning CPU. I've got a mainboard with the 32-bit version 486DLC from some ambra LPX computer and it's got the same heatsink.
You can tell it's 16-bit because of the PLCC co-processor socket.
Another clue in the BIOS string: "30-0100-006305-10101111-121291-OPSXSLC-F"

The name 'Cache Computers' seems a little ironic but the 486SLC should have 1KB or 8KB of cache on the processor which makes it far quicker than a 386SX. You should run speedsys on that computer to see if the first 1KB/8KB/16KB memory accesses are much quicker.
Check around the BIOS options too, my 486DLC has options to select 2x or 3x multiplier. Given the 50MHz crystal for 25MHz bus speed, having the chip run at 50 or perhaps 75mhz (less likely) would make sense.

Edit: Actually, please run some kind of CPU ID utility maybe from Dosbench. I really can't tell what CPU is there from the pin1 notch and the package shape...

Reply 8 of 11, by zwrr

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Thermalwrong wrote on 2024-02-14, 03:01:
Nooo, that's a 486 SLC, a 16-bit version of the IBM Blue Lightning CPU. I've got a mainboard with the 32-bit version 486DLC from […]
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Nooo, that's a 486 SLC, a 16-bit version of the IBM Blue Lightning CPU. I've got a mainboard with the 32-bit version 486DLC from some ambra LPX computer and it's got the same heatsink.
You can tell it's 16-bit because of the PLCC co-processor socket.
Another clue in the BIOS string: "30-0100-006305-10101111-121291-OPSXSLC-F"

The name 'Cache Computers' seems a little ironic but the 486SLC should have 1KB or 8KB of cache on the processor which makes it far quicker than a 386SX. You should run speedsys on that computer to see if the first 1KB/8KB/16KB memory accesses are much quicker.
Check around the BIOS options too, my 486DLC has options to select 2x or 3x multiplier. Given the 50MHz crystal for 25MHz bus speed, having the chip run at 50 or perhaps 75mhz (less likely) would make sense.

Edit: Actually, please run some kind of CPU ID utility maybe from Dosbench. I really can't tell what CPU is there from the pin1 notch and the package shape...

You're right, as you can see from the picture, the CPU has 100 pins, so it can't be a 486DLC, and considering the words OPSXSLC in the POST string, there's a good chance it's a 386SX or 486SLC or 486SLC2?

I've paid for it and everything will be revealed once I get it.

Cyrix 486DLC-40, 386-VC-H, 16MB, GD5422, ES1868F


Intel 486DX4-100EW, VI15G, 16MB, WD90C33, ES1868F


AMD5x86-133, HIPPO-15, 32MB, S3 Vison 964, ES1868F


K6-3+ 500, T2P4, 128MB, Millennium II, Voodoo 2 12MB, SoundBlaster AWE32


Reply 9 of 11, by MikeSG

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CPU is 100% an IBM 486SLC judging by the "IBM" and "486" motherboard labels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_386SLC#IBM_486SLC

Double the L1 cache compared to other 486 upgrade CPUs (TI, Cyrix)

If it's an "SLC2" then the clock is doubled as well. Without clock doubling it's still at a miniumum 2x faster than the standard 386sx CPU.

Reply 10 of 11, by zwrr

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MikeSG wrote on 2024-02-14, 07:39:
CPU is 100% an IBM 486SLC judging by the "IBM" and "486" motherboard labels. […]
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CPU is 100% an IBM 486SLC judging by the "IBM" and "486" motherboard labels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_386SLC#IBM_486SLC

Double the L1 cache compared to other 486 upgrade CPUs (TI, Cyrix)

If it's an "SLC2" then the clock is doubled as well. Without clock doubling it's still at a miniumum 2x faster than the standard 386sx CPU.

I got the motherboard and tested it, it has a 386SLC processor installed, it has 8KB L1 Cache, the processor generates a lot of heat, and my fingers can't put it on the heatsink for a long time.

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Cyrix 486DLC-40, 386-VC-H, 16MB, GD5422, ES1868F


Intel 486DX4-100EW, VI15G, 16MB, WD90C33, ES1868F


AMD5x86-133, HIPPO-15, 32MB, S3 Vison 964, ES1868F


K6-3+ 500, T2P4, 128MB, Millennium II, Voodoo 2 12MB, SoundBlaster AWE32