pappyN4 wrote on 2025-05-12, 23:29:

Was hoping to bring it down to a P200 era for some speed sensitive games. But I think i overshot a bit with disabling the cache.

100x slower is not exactly great scaling try to fiddle with slowdown programs like SlowDos, they have their issues too, but they mostly work and there is multiple of them, so i one dont, you still have some options..

I have a SL2YM Slot-1 Pentium 2 processor in my M748MR mobo, which I can configure from the BIOS as 4x66MHz=266MHz and 4x100MHz=400MHz. Can I switch between the two modes with SetMul or some alternative tool?

vico wrote on 2025-07-14, 02:15:

I have a SL2YM Slot-1 Pentium 2 processor in my M748MR mobo, which I can configure from the BIOS as 4x66MHz=266MHz and 4x100MHz=400MHz. Can I switch between the two modes with SetMul or some alternative tool?

There are some tools like SoftFSB https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/softfsb.html
But it needs to support the PLL chip on your motherboard. And I don't see M748MR mentioned in the file SoftFSB.dat. A SiS 620 based PC-Chips motherboard is rather uncommon...

gerwin wrote on 2025-07-14, 16:20:

vico wrote on 2025-07-14, 02:15:

I have a SL2YM Slot-1 Pentium 2 processor in my M748MR mobo, which I can configure from the BIOS as 4x66MHz=266MHz and 4x100MHz=400MHz. Can I switch between the two modes with SetMul or some alternative tool?

There are some tools like SoftFSB https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/softfsb.html
But it needs to support the PLL chip on your motherboard. And I don't see M748MR mentioned in the file SoftFSB.dat. A SiS 620 based PC-Chips motherboard is rather uncommon...

It's sad to hear but thanks for responding.

I am adding to this thread because I have high hopes to get a competent answer here. 😉
I am unsure if buying an AMD K6-3+ is going to be an improvement for my case of use, which is mostly "slowing down" for DOS.

My situation:
I have an S7 ATX board with Intel TX chipset and a SS7 µATX with SIS 530 chipset. I can already use P233mmx or AMD K6 500.
The SS7 states support for K6-3 and has voltage settings 1.8V and 2.1V (and higher). The S7 has voltage settings of 2.0V and up.

While I do have a Voodoo1 in the TX machine, both machines are geared towards DOS and early windows gaming. I therefore use them with the P233mmx, which Setmul can manipulate well. I can switch the P233 to 133 with an external switch and have the option to turn off external cache in bios.

Here is my question:
If I replace the P233mmx with a K6-3+ or a K6-2+, will I gain any slowdown options over the P233mmx?
Will I lose any slowdown options I had with the P233mmx?
Or asked differently: Which one is better for slowing down?

I realize that I will gain options to increase the speed with a K6-3+, but those would only be of value if the slowdown ability of the P233mmx isn't lost or diminished much. (I have a K6-2 500 already)

ux-3 wrote on 2025-10-18, 15:04:

I am adding to this thread because I have high hopes to get a competent answer here. ;-) I am unsure if buying an AMD K6-3+ is g […]
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I am adding to this thread because I have high hopes to get a competent answer here. 😉
I am unsure if buying an AMD K6-3+ is going to be an improvement for my case of use, which is mostly "slowing down" for DOS.

My situation:
I have an S7 ATX board with Intel TX chipset and a SS7 µATX with SIS 530 chipset. I can already use P233mmx or AMD K6 500.
The SS7 states support for K6-3 and has voltage settings 1.8V and 2.1V (and higher). The S7 has voltage settings of 2.0V and up.

While I do have a Voodoo1 in the TX machine, both machines are geared towards DOS and early windows gaming. I therefore use them with the P233mmx, which Setmul can manipulate well. I can switch the P233 to 133 with an external switch and have the option to turn off external cache in bios.

Here is my question:
If I replace the P233mmx with a K6-3+ or a K6-2+, will I gain any slowdown options over the P233mmx?
Will I lose any slowdown options I had with the P233mmx?
Or asked differently: Which one is better for slowing down?

I realize that I will gain options to increase the speed with a K6-3+, but those would only be of value if the slowdown ability of the P233mmx isn't lost or diminished much. (I have a K6-2 500 already)

The K6-3+ is more convenient to slow down, as all manipulations can be performed on the fly using software.
Pentium MMX has more options for slowing down, and slows down in smoother steps to slower speeds. However, at a minimum, to change the multiplier, you'll have to power down the computer and adjust a jumper/switch. And this is in addition to manually changing the bus speed in the same way.
For most people, the K6-3+'s capabilities in slowing down is sufficient, and the convenience and increased performance are preferable. But if you already have a processor that slows down even better, and you're satisfied with the performance, then you may not need a different one. So the choice is yours.
I'd advise you to first understand your real goals, rather than speculating about running something processor-sensitive. Many people spend years building expensive, super-universal all-in-one systems and only use a fraction of their capabilities. However, for many on this forum, assembling the system is an even more interesting hobby than using it.

Kruton 9000 wrote on 2025-10-18, 21:01:

However, at a minimum, to change the multiplier, you'll have to power down the computer and adjust a jumper/switch. And this is in addition to manually changing the bus speed in the same way.

Not sure if new ways have been found, but would I not have to do that anyway, when I want to disable the external cache?

ux-3 wrote on 2025-10-18, 21:17:

Kruton 9000 wrote on 2025-10-18, 21:01:

However, at a minimum, to change the multiplier, you'll have to power down the computer and adjust a jumper/switch. And this is in addition to manually changing the bus speed in the same way.

Not sure if new ways have been found, but would I not have to do that anyway, when I want to disable the external cache?

For the K6-2+/K6-3+, the external cache has a minimal impact on performance, as the processor itself already has a software-controlled L2 cache. This means you can enable and disable the L1 and L2 caches separately, using SetMul only; even BIOS options are unnecessary. In this case, the cache on the motherboard can be left alone without major losses.
On the Pentium MMX, you can manage the L1 cache more flexibly, but the external cache at best will be controlled through BIOS settings. And impact on PMMX's performance is too significant to ignore.