I would use the Intel DX4-100 CPU over the AMD variants. I'm not sure the DMA settings make a difference (choose one that is not conflicting with your sound card). Also i think the bus speed will depend on what CPU you decide to use. As for the environment i would use pure DOS (a clean installl of MS-DOS 5.0 or higher should do it 😀).

Sorry i can't be of much help but definitely use the Intel CPU 😎

vlask wrote:

1]which CPU i should use to have comparative results and big chance to get most VLBus cards running

Any of the CPUs you listed should work fine in your board. VLB cards don't care much about the CPU as long as the bus speed is within specifications (20-40 MHz).

vlask wrote:

2]How should i set jumper for VESA WAIT STATE CONFIGURATION - 0 wait states or 1 wait states 3]How should i set BUS SPEED CONFI […]
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2]How should i set jumper for
VESA WAIT STATE CONFIGURATION - 0 wait states or 1 wait states
3]How should i set
BUS SPEED CONFIGURATION - <= 33MHz or > 33MHz (this refers to cpu frequency or bus speeds?)

These jumpers affect VLB bus timings. The default settings (<= 33MHz, 0 WS) are faster, but you probably will have to change to the slower settings (>33MHz, 1 WS) if you run a 40 MHz bus speed and/or problematic VLB cards.

vlask wrote:

4]How should i set
DMA CONFIGURATION - DMA 1 or DMA 3?

This only matters if you set the parallel port to support ECP mode in the BIOS setup.

If you wan't to test PCI, than use the DX4 or AMD-133 (these were made after PCI debut, so they would be 'historically' matched). Intel and AMD 486 are very compatible. There's almost no difference except speed and cache size (unlike Cyrix). DX2-66 is the strongest pre-PCI CPU and I would choose that one for a VLB setup. If you want to compare VLB and PCI cards choose either DX2-66 or DX4. But there aren't many chips, that were featured on both PCI and VLB (S3 Vision series, probably a version of Trio64, Weitek 9100, Mach32 and the first edition of Mach64, CL-GD543x, ET4000 W32p, an OTI and Paradise chip?)

Ok, mobo is working, had some problems with cpu speed - one jumper on wrong pins and had nice underclocked 486 to 66MHz. Had to find better jumper settings page. Have there 32MB mem, thats enough for anything in DOS (and 64MB modules i have didnt worked there). Think i will stay with intel DX4 100 then. Now another question - can you check bios settings? Dont wanna realise after testing 50+ cards, that i had something wrong set in bios. Thx.

vlask wrote:

Now another question - can you check bios settings? Dont wanna realise after testing 50+ cards, that i had something wrong set in bios.

The jumper settings are perfect.

vlask wrote:

6]if anyone wanna test in any other software, tell me.

3DBENCH and VIDSPEED were popular DOS video card benchmarks back then (See attachments below).

InfoWorld used Vidmark to test VLB and PCI cards:
VLB Comparison (1993)
PCI Comparision (1994)
Unfortunately I can't find the software...

Isnt better test with corrected 3Dbench version? It has one FPS less on Matrox Millenium PCI - 62 old vs 61 corrected one, but you can compare it to the never systems.

Results are strange. Looks like a CPU is bottleneck here. But i think i seen 16FPS on Quake 1, when testing it before with Matrox Millenium II 8MB. So dunno why now i have only 9fps (as i see scores, it was maybe pcpbench). Have to try that card again,or maybe i should run memtest on mine brain....

Oak OTI087 is Dos chip on Diamond Viper Cards.

Very interesting to see. Looks like PCI is beating out the VLB boards all around. For me, the ideal card would be a Virge PCI.

There's not much difference between VLB and PCI using the same chipset. Seems both buses have the required bandwidth (though the ASUS does have only one VLB slot so adapters won't fight over the bus). Do you have any S3 86x/96x VGAs to benchmark - these came for both PCI and VLB?

GL1zdA wrote:

There's not much difference between VLB and PCI using the same chipset. Seems both buses have the required bandwidth (though the ASUS does have only one VLB slot so adapters won't fight over the bus). Do you have any S3 86x/96x VGAs to benchmark - these came for both PCI and VLB?

Nope, don't have. Its hard to find 86x/96x for VL-Bus. Of course i have em, but only for PCI.

http://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/vlasks-collection/43-s3

Wow, great collection. Oh, you even have a AccelEclipse with CD-RAM. Most people take this module and sell it separately because they think it's a regular SIMM... I own one without the CD-RAM and unfortunately it won't boot on my Alpha.

Would it be possible to benchmark the ELSA Winner 2000 (968) and Metheus Premier 928 (928). This would fit nicely in the gap between 805 and Virge.

Do you plan to display photos of cards from other users? If so, I could send you some nice ones.

GL1zdA wrote:

Wow, great collection. Oh, you even have a AccelEclipse with CD-RAM. Most people take this module and sell it separately because they think it's a regular SIMM... I own one without the CD-RAM and unfortunately it won't boot on my Alpha.

Would it be possible to benchmark the ELSA Winner 2000 (968) and Metheus Premier 928 (928). This would fit nicely in the gap between 805 and Virge.

Do you plan to display photos of cards from other users? If so, I could send you some nice ones.

Accel i bought from one company as used profesional card 😁 Didnt even known what i ordered from them, till i got it by post. They send me both accels + that elsa winner 2000 card for about 60$. Too bad that Accels wont work on mine testing mobo with Via KT133a - so i cant compare em with other cards. But they barely make 30fps in GLQuake 640x480x32b on Dual P3 450MHz.

Can try Elsa winner, cant Metheus Premier - last time i checked, metheus wont bootet (it never - found him in one scrapyard). Wanted to try him again with this asus mobo, but cant find him 😒 (probadly is lying somewhere in mine work between about 50-70 untested cards).

About displaying other collections, been thinking about it. With new web system i think that its possible, but havent checked yet uploading images. So far its one man web and i realized that im even too lazy to update all mine cards (also have some more photos from palcal). So think its probadly possible, but only when others collectors will do articles and photos by themselves. And keep in mind that i have no profi webhosting, its actualy hosted on pc from old free stuff i found in job and its on our company internet line, which is pretty slow in western terms or internet. Been thinking about profi hosting and mine own domain, but dont think its needed now (not enough visitors) and dunno which one hosting provider choose ....

Ok updated results with 4 more cards. Requested S3 Vision 968 and S3 928 (after some magic with jumpers i found why Metheus didnt worked). Added also Trident TGUI9440 VLB and Cirrus Logic 5428 ISA, so you can compare results with fastest ISA card i have so far.

Thanks for the results. It seems prove what's in the FAQ. The OTI and old Cirrus Logic suck. I thought the 928 will be better than the 805...

GL1zdA wrote:

I thought the 928 will be better than the 805...

Well think that main difference is in maximum supported memory size... And 928 could be faster in windows and higher resolutions with more colors. Aint gonna try it, only someone crazy could use in this time 486 for Windows machine..., so benchmarking VL-Bus in Win seems to me like a total waste of time.

vlask wrote:

GL1zdA wrote:

I thought the 928 will be better than the 805...

Well think that main difference is in maximum supported memory size... And 928 could be faster in windows and higher resolutions with more colors. Aint gonna try it, only someone crazy could use in this time 486 for Windows machine..., so benchmarking VL-Bus in Win seems to me like a total waste of time.

486 would be my choice for a Windows 3.11 PC. It should be possible to find 3.11 drivers for most of these cards.