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S3 VLB Cards at 50MHz

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First post, by Anonymous Coward

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Does anyone know if there is an S3 based card that can handle 50MHz with 0ws?

"Will the highways on the internets become more few?" -Gee Dubya
V'Ger XT|Upgraded AT|Ultimate 386|Super VL/EISA 486|SMP VL/EISA Pentium

Reply 1 of 5, by HighTreason

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Nope.

But if it helps, I know the Diamond Stealth 64 (Trio 64, 1 or 2MB) cannot as I have one and tested it... If you find one I'd be interested to know what it is. I think Orchid might have made one that they alleged would run at 50MHz, but I am not sure anymore if it was an S3, I just remember running into it when looking for the Trio 64 so I suspect it either was an S3, or was mislabeled by the owner.

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Reply 2 of 5, by Anonymous Coward

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I did not have good luck with my S3 Trio64 based Hercules Terminator 64/DRAM either.

Apparently most S3 805p cards will do 50MHz.

How much slower is the 805 than the Trio32 or Trio64 in DOS?

I found this list on newsgroups, but I think it was written before the last generation of VLB cards came out:

The below are the list of peripherals which can work at true 50MHz
external bus-speed. The graphic cards and I/O cards can be in any
combination with each other and with the m/b.

1. S3 805p 1 or 2 Mb (70ns).
2. Cirrus Logic 5426 (70ns), 1 or 2 MB.
3. Western Digital 1Mb WD90C33
(*)4. Diamond Stealth 64 DRAM
5. Diamond Viper (Weitek 9000) VLB
6. Hercules Dynamite Pro VL D601
7. Trident CXI-9400 (switch jumpers to 50MHz)

* It is reported that Diamond Stealth 64 which comes only with 1 MB
DRAM (loose pack) could not run at 50MHz. The soldered 2 MB can
version run at 50MHz.

Peripherals which will not work at 50MHz ext. bus-speed reliably.
1. ATI Xpression (max. 40MHz)
(@)2. S3 805p using >= 80ns DRAM (unstable)
(#)3. Promise 2300+ EIDE
4. Genoa Phantom ET4000/W32p (2Mb 45ns). (max. 40MHz)
(#)5. Diamond Stealth 32 (ET4000/W32p) ***
6. Cardex Challenger (ET4000/W32p)
(#)7. TsengLab ET4000/W32p OEM **

@ - Monitor changes color and hangs.
- Runs well erratically, and hangs at windows.

* Not all the chipsets for these cards seem to work at 50MHz. Some have
reported that it works whilst some reported it doesn't. The cards marked
"***" at the end of it means that there are very few or no success stories.
My advice is to dump these cards and look for something else. Also, be wary
of the chipsets used on these cards.

"Will the highways on the internets become more few?" -Gee Dubya
V'Ger XT|Upgraded AT|Ultimate 386|Super VL/EISA 486|SMP VL/EISA Pentium

Reply 3 of 5, by PeterLI

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I have an IBM with 805 integrated in the MOBO and it works fine @ 33MHZ. I never benchmarked though but Windows 3.11 and SVGA games appear to run flawlessly.

Reply 4 of 5, by RacoonRider

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When I first tried S3 805 it seemed ultimately fast, way faster than any Cirrus or Trident cards I owned back then. It definitely should be a solid performer.