*BSD News Article 11228


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From: scott@craycos.com (Scott Bolte)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Subject: VLB or not to be. This is a 50MHz question
Message-ID: <1993Feb15.144456.6327@craycos.com>
Date: 15 Feb 93 14:44:56 GMT
Organization: Cray Computer Corporation
Lines: 54


	VESA Local Bus system with a 486DX-50 cpu? The VESA spec only
	allows for a 40MHz cpu.  But time and again I see references to
	Local Bus slots with a 50MHz cpu. So I have been wondering how
	they do it.

	+ I've read the articles posted to this newsgroup.
	+ I've talked to local computer sales critters, both the clueless
	  and clueful.
	+ I've talked to half a dozen mail order supply houses.

	And I was still unclear about local bus... Then I exchanged
	mail with Julian Elischer. He explained that with a DX-50 chip
	the local bus will run at half speed.

	Now that I have an explanation I'll still looking for empirical
	evidence.

	The gory details... I would like to get a 486DX-50 based ISA
	system with two local bus slots. To start with, one of the
	slots will have an Ultrastore SCSI-2 Bus Master controller.  I
	am hoping that the Ultrastor 34f is close enough to the 14f
	that it will work with the 14f driver Julian made available
	last month. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

	Later, after many months of saving, I hope to buy a large, high
	quality monitor and an S3 based 928 graphics card.  (An Actix
	card most likely; unless Amancio has come up with some other
	blazingly fast X port. :-)

	So in the short term I can verify whether or not the local bus
	SCSI controller works. If it does, in spite of not conforming
	to the true VESA spec, I would accept the system. But I am
	concerned that months down the line, long after the
	30-day-$$$-back-guarantee has expired, I'll find that the
	graphics controller does not work.

	If you have experience that you can share, either for or
	against 50MHz VLB, I would love to hear from you.

		Thanks,

		   Scott
___________________________________________________________________________
Scott Bolte                 scott@craycos.com               +1 719 540 4186
Cray Computer Corporation, 1110 Bayfield Drive, Colorado Springs, CO  80906
	     As anyone here will tell you: I speak for myself.

			*** Celebrate Diversity ***
-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
Scott Bolte                 scott@craycos.com               +1 719 540 4186
Cray Computer Corporation, 1110 Bayfield Drive, Colorado Springs, CO  80906
    As anyone here will tell you: I speak for myself.