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Date:      Thu, 14 Dec 1995 14:07:49 -0800
From:      "Alan D. Trombla" <alan@trickler.uu.silcom.com>
To:        wes@intele.net
Cc:        questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Upgrade - CPU, clock?
Message-ID:  <199512142207.OAA01240@trickler.uu.silcom.com>

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>From: Barnacle Wes <wes@intele.net>
...
>> 
>> Questions:
>> 1.  What is the fastest chip I can plop into my ZIF socket with no other 
>> changes?  
>
>A DX4/120, depending on how configurable the motherboard is.  Do you have
>the documentation for the motherboard?  If so, check the cpu speed jumpers
>and see what settings it will allow.

Am I correct in assuming that a DX4/120 has (external) bus speed of 33MHz?

My manual (probably written pre-DX4) has 3 sets of jumper settings for:
    1.  486DX/DX2
    2.  486SX
    3.  487SX/Overdrive
Although there is no listing for DX4 CPUs, wouldn't a DX4/120 be (from
the motherboards point of view) the same as a DX2/66 ?

>Beware that FreeBSD has problems with *some* Cyrix and AMC cpus.

Can anyone give me a list?

>> 2.  Can I just change the crystal to get a 50MHz system?  If so, will
>> my ATI GUP handle the faster bus?  (There are no other VLB boards.)
>> Is my memory (assuming it *is* 70ns) fast enough?
>
>Sure.  It'll probably result in a dead system, but you can do that.
>I know several people who immediately upon recieving DX/2-66s at work
>changed the clock to 40Mhz.  Result: system locked up after 5-6 minutes.
>A cpu fan on the 486 extended this to 15-20 minutes before locking up.

I mean, of course, change the crystal *and* put in a 50MHz CPU

>Also, the VL-Bus is very critical about timing; setting the bus speed
>above 33 Mhz may make your periperhals stop working.  If your mother
>board has switches for VL-Bus at system clocks above 33 Mhz, it'll
>probably just divide the system clock by two, resulting in a 20 or 25
>Mhz VL-Bus.  Depending on your video and disk I/O, this may actually
>slow the system.

The motherboard supports 486DX50 (manual: "To change the CPU speed you
must change the oscillator", meaning cahnge the crystal?).  So it
should support a 486DX2/100 (at 50Hz)?  Is there such a thing?

Thanks for your help,
Alan

Alan D. Trombla--------------------------------------alan@iplab.ece.ucsb.edu




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