actually the midi port of the awe64 in my configuration is set to 300h, have you tried the correct port?

what about native awe synth? this can be checked with the DIAGNOSE.EXE program

I set the MIDI port to 330, which is what I always use, but I got no General MIDI at all.

Now, I haven't tested AWE synth using DIAGNOSE.EXE, but I could not get it working in X-Wing's SETMUSE program. It seems the MIDI data is being sent to the EMU8000, but I don't hear anything.

Also, I've downgraded the CPU of this test box to a Cyrix C3. Since the Pentium II is too fast for the AdLib music in the Collector's CD-ROM edition of X-Wing, I decided to stick in a 1GHz Cyrix C3 on a slotket. The CPU is has been HEAVILY underclocked all the way down to 133MHz(at least, that's what the BIOS says). And yet, the computer is STILL too fast for the AdLib sound option unless I disable the internal cache of the C3. However, at this point, my games become choppy, and for whatever reason, I can't set the FSB speed to anything other than 66MHz on the computer. If I go for anything faster, the BIOS automatically sets the FSB speed back to 66MHz. The multiplier is also locked to 2X when this CPU is supposed to have a 10X multiplier. What's the problem here? I'm trying to speed up the CPU so I can get better performance with the internal cache disabled, but the BIOS is not letting me adjust the multiplier and it keeps setting the FSB speed down to 66MHz.

I know these problems. That's why I ended up with three different PCs 😀

I've got 6 different computers for all my MS-DOS and Windows 9x stuff, including one Pentium III(hybrid Windows 9x/MS-DOS), one AMD Athlon(Windows 9x), one 386SX(early MS-DOS stuff that doesn't work well on faster computers), one Pentium 1(MS-DOS), one Pentium II(MS-DOS, used exclusively to test my SoundBlaster Live! with DOS games) and this Cyrix C3-based computer I'm currently working on.

Now, if I can just figure out how to get SBLink to work on my YMF744 and ESS Maestro-2. Both sound cards always use Distributed DMA. When I try to use SBLink on the YMF744, the computer crashes and I don't know how to get the SBLink on the ESS Maestro-2 to work.

Ace wrote:

.....and this Cyrix C3-based computer I'm currently working on.

Now I want to build a C3 rig as well, but my attic still isn't done yet.
I'm FINALLY done putting all the extra metal closets (dunno the proper English word, sorry 🤣) together and I got the new desk ready, though it's not like I had foreseen it to look like, but NOW...I got to put ALL the boxes with hardware BACK........AAAAAHHHHHHHRRRGG!!!!!1111

No time tomorrow, got a birthday party of my little niece (kid parties aren't exactly my thing...but I promised to be there...oh well, I'll just hold my breath 🤣).

Bit of an overdue update on the Cyrix build. I've decided on the final setup for this bad boy, which is the following:

-Cyrix C3 1GHz underclocked all the way down to 133MHz(according to the BIOS, at least. For some reason, I can't get this CPU to run any faster. If I bump up the FSB speed of the motherboard, it resets back to 66MHz. This CPU performs VERY well with its cache disabled, though most of my DOS games are a bit choppy with the cache disabled, so I'd need to speed up the CPU)
-64MB of RAM
-80GB hard drive(I know it's overkill, but it was the smallest I found lying around)
-Matrox Millennium II graphics card
-Yamaha YMF744 sound card hooked up through SBLink(I actually wired my SBLink cable wrong when I first put the cable together, and this was why the computer would crash when using the YMF744 through SBLink. Oops!)
-Soyo SY-6BA+ motherboard with Intel 440BX chipset
-Sony 24X CD-ROM drive
-OS is Windows 95 OSR2.5 set to boot into MS-DOS 7.10(as this is a test box, I had to install Windows 95 as some DOS drivers for my sound cards rely on the Windows drivers)

Now, I want to know something: my YMF744 works wonders under DOS, but it doesn't work well with Doom. When I boot Doom, the game crashes while loading. I don't remember the exact error message, though. However, if I play the game without sound effects, it works perfectly fine. This issue actually affects many of my PCI sound cards under DOS.

Also, I posted about this in the Marvin section of the forum but never got a response: why does my YMF744 have an obnoxious ringing noise in the right audio channel whenever I use it under Windows? This doesn't happen under DOS at all, which I really don't understand.

Lastly, is there some way to get the XG synth on the YMF744 working under DOS? Or will I have to hook up my CM-300 to the YMF744 for General MIDI?

Now to find a nice Socket 7 motherboard for my AMD K6 and/or a good 486 motherboard where I can fit a 486DX4.

I'd like to see some bencmarks of the C3 at 133MHz... like speedsys, 3dbench and Norton Sysinfo 😀

@Ace: Is your C3 unlocked?
And what core is your C3? Ezra or Nehemiah?

I'm not entirely sure what core my C3 runs on. I know for a fact it's supposed to use a 10x multiplier, however, the BIOS on my Soyo motherboard locks it at 2x multiplier. I guess this means the CPU's multiplier is unlocked? It's meant to run on a 100MHz FSB, just so you know.

DonutKing wrote:

I'd like to see some bencmarks of the C3 at 133MHz... like speedsys, 3dbench and Norton Sysinfo 😀

Heh... just a while ago, I was trying to remember what programs you guys were using to benchmark your classic PCs. I'll be sure to benchmark the C3 both with cache enabled and with cache disabled.

Strange that the BIOS locks it at 2x, but otoh it might open the possibility for great underclocking potential if C3 still has a working 2x multiplier 😉

the same goes for my K6-III+, I can't set the multiplicator below 2,0

Well, it looks like my Soyo motherboard's BIOS is full of s***, as SpeedSys reports the CPU running at 667MHz. With cache, SpeedSys ranks the C3 in my computer as equivalent to a 300MHz Pentium II. Without internal cache, SpeedSys ranks the C3 a little lower than a 50MHz 486DX2.

By the way, does anyone have the latest BIOS for the Soyo SY-6BA+ motherboard? I keep finding things for the Soyo SY-6BA+ III or IV, but not the plain Soyo SY-6BA+.

schlang wrote:

the same goes for my K6-III+, I can't set the multiplicator below 2,0

You can actually, but it'll interpret the 1.5x multi as 3.5x (just like it will interpret 2x as 6x), or atleast it should, just like the MMX chips.

Ace wrote:

Well, it looks like my Soyo motherboard's BIOS is full of s***, as SpeedSys reports the CPU running at 667MHz. With cache, SpeedSys ranks the C3 in my computer as equivalent to a 300MHz Pentium II. Without internal cache, SpeedSys ranks the C3 a little lower than a 50MHz 486DX2.

667Mhz sounds like you're using a 1Ghz part with a 100Mhz FSB instead of the usual 133Mhz FSB.
The 133FSB part would need a FSB of 89Mhz to be run at 667Mhz...odd...

My C3 is made for a 100MHz FSB and it has a 10x multiplier. SpeedSys shows the external clock running at 77MHz. Does that mean the motherboard is running with a 77MHz FSB? If so, then all I have to say is WTF. That doesn't seem right at all.

Ace wrote:

My C3 is made for a 100MHz FSB and it has a 10x multiplier. SpeedSys shows the external clock running at 77MHz. Does that mean the motherboard is running with a 77MHz FSB? If so, then all I have to say is WTF. That doesn't seem right at all.

Yup, that definitely falls into the WTF category 😜

On a more serious note, have you considered trying to update the BIOS? Or at least check if the C3 is officially supported by your board?

I did, but came up with absolutely nothing good. I keep seeing things about the Soyo SY-6BA+III and Soyo SY-6BA+IV, but not the plain Soyo SY-6BA+. Unless the one I have is one of those models? I don't even know which one mine is.

Sounds kinda like your board is a SY-6BA+I 🤣

I have a feeling the board I have is either an SY-6BA+III or SY-6BA+IV. Thing is, I don't know what's the difference between the two boards. Hell, I don't even know what BIOS version is on my motherboard. I do think the date on it is from some time in 2000.

EDIT: Looks to be neither of the two as they support up to 150MHz FSB. My Soyo SY-6BA+ only goes up to 133MHz FSB.

EDIT 2: Upon further research, it appears my motherboard is a Soyo SY-6BA+III. I looked at pictures of both the SY-6BA+III and SY-6BA+IV and noticed the SY-6BA+III looks just like my SY-6BA+, but with a heatsink on the northbridge, which my SY-6BA+ lacks. It almost looks like someone removed the original heatsink. Speaking of which, does the 440BX northbridge absolutely need a heatsink?

Ace wrote:

...Speaking of which, does the 440BX northbridge absolutely need a heatsink?

I'm not sure. So far all BX boards I ever saw (which are many dozens) came with a northbridge heatsink, so I'm inclined to believe they are better off with a heatsink.
What I found somewhat odd is that Intel's replacement chipset (the i815, not counting the i810/i820 series) often did not include a heatsink, even though they were specified to run at 133Mhz.

Btw, if you run your BX at 66Mhz (which is not likely) then a heatsink is not needed, as LX also never came with a heatsink.

Thinking back to the 667MHz clock speed my Cyrix C3 is running at, considering the CPU has a 10x multiplier, the Soyo motherboard I have should be running with a 66MHz FSB. How would I go about unlocking the multiplier of a Cyrix C3? I remember some place saying to use some kind of conductive material to bridge some jumper points on the bottom of the CPU. The question is: which ones?

I need this C3 to be fast enough to run X-Wing, TIE Fighter and Doom without stuttering, but slow enough for AdLib music to work with the Collector's CD-ROM edition of X-Wing(on fast computers, using AdLib music causes the game to stutter or have severe slowdown).