old 486 Hippo VL+

[trefrog]

Hippo VL+ Motherboard Spec

I have an old computer that needs an upgrade to run windows98. I'm pretty sure I know what to do. I'm looking for a 486DX2-66 (currently DX-33) and a matching set of 4Mx9 ram (currently 20MB). I just wanted to find out 2 things:

1: Is this the best CPU I should be looking for?
I don't want to end up with something for a different socket or something. Also, it says 'overdrive socket' printed on the board, but from what I've been looking at, I don't think it actually supports the overdrive, despite what the spec sheet says. Pretty sure that would mean 2 sockets, one for an SX (?) type chip and then a separate overdrive socket... this old info is a litle hard to find and sort thru... I probably don't want the overdrive anyway right? Isn't the DX2 is supposed to be better than any overdrive setup?

2: What specific modules am I looking for in RAM?
Same as above, don't want to get something that doesn't work just because I don't know this old hardware. It doesn't need more ram to run windows 98 min sys req, but if I can max it out for cheap, I will.

I have some pictures of the CPU and ram if you want to see those.

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, See if the clock speeds are printed on the board. If you can get up to the correct speed, you might be able to run a DX-4. They triple the clock speed where the DX-2 only doubles it. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[DayLaPaul]

If you're baller enough, get a Pentium Overdrive chip for it. Otherwise get a dx2/4 or even an AMD or Cyrix if the voltages work. Actually the dx4 would probably be cheaper and faster than the Pentium Overdrive, but not as pimp.

 

[Pretty Cool]

Personally, I would only upgrade if people gave me the parts for free. Take that back, it is not even worth the trouble as my old 48MB/166mhz ran 98, although sluggishly. How old is that system anyway, close to 15 years??? To be honest, when you find people giving away parts for systems 4-5 times faster than your ideal 100mhz, maybe it is time to scrap the idea and move on.

 

[0roo0roo]

yup. old parts are worth so little in terms of the performance they give people wont bother selling them. plus they are rare..so if sold they are expensive as only people who really have special purposes for em would really bother. u can get a frys combo mb+cpu ecs m/b and 2.5ghz celeron or something similar from amd for 70 bucks each week. mhz isn't everything but that frys combo is 37x the mhz of a 486dx2 66 u are not gonna get that 486 for 37x cheaper. u are going to get horrible bang for buck unless u get donation. and even then its dog slow. maybe use it as command line linux machine but thats about it. its far beyond the point of upgrade. heh, and 486dx2 66 was one of my first comps. it was sad...sad sad sad. i had it in the early days of mp3. lets just say it could only play mp3 back at 1/4 quality in mono. thats #@% slow.

 

[0roo0roo]

and btw, the correct os for 486 woulda been win 3.11
i mean seriously, my old ass linksys wrt-54g router has a 200mhz cpu and runs a firmware based on linux

 

[trefrog]

I see nobody really 'answered' my questions...

So the overdrive is better? I can probly get all these parts for super cheap from ebay if i'm not lucky enuf to find them locally. I don't really care if it's way outdated and it sucks. I only want to use it to connect to my Line6 POD 2.0. my main motherboard has the memory range locked up for the oldschool joystick port.. so I can't use a sound card with one unless it uses a different setting. I only really 'need' 33MHz more to get 98 to run. 95 is so fugly.

I thought about setting it up without a monitor and somehow connect to it thru parallel cable like remote desktop or maybe even *gasp* a trojan (properly contained of course), just so I can control and up/download patches to my POD.

Did u check out the spec sheet link above?

Here's those pics, just cuz...

 

[scoobyx13x]

LOL, I would have had tons of parts for you, but I threw them away a few weeks ago while I was cleaning out my box of old PC stuff. Sorry.

Try yard and garage sales.

 

[F1shF4t]

hehe i have the exact chip that ur looking for in storage in another town lol, i dont think i trashed the cpu but i took appart the whole comp and trashed that.
Its a 486 DX2 66mhz.

 

[Pretty Cool]

Looks like you still want to spend money on this computer.

1. Those 2-sockets were for systems that shipped with an SX CPU without a coprocessor. So, if you wanted a coprocessor, you would buy a another cpu and put in that other socket. Thus, you had 2 cpu's, even though the SX would then be disabled. This is what Intel did to cater to the price-sensitive buyers before they introduced the Celeron. Most likely, that motherboard does support the Overdrive. Those were cpu's with the Pentium instruction set that fit into the regular 486 socket, though they were not a fast as the real thing.

So, what the fastest cpu for that board? Who knows? I doubt if anybody here has ever owned that motherboard, yet alone heard of that brand to give you a definitive answer. Anyway, if it is newer 486 board, it might support the Cyrix or AMD, though most of these cpu's have been discarded ages ago. Without the voltage and multiplier info, there is no way to tell for sure.

AMD 5x86
Cyrix Cx5x86

2. I believe they used to be called Fast-Page RAM. They can still be found in some laser printers that use generic modules. The specs say the maximum is 32MB, even though there is a chance it may not be accurate.

 

[0roo0roo]

meh yea, the sx was trash. it had no fpu or something. made it useless for games. and yea, overdrive was a special pentium retail kit that let you use it in a 486 mb for "upgrade", never mind your 486mb was dog slow and full of old components, but for some it was worth it. generally over priced as most things intel of those days. so very few anandtech type people would have bothered with such a thing.

 

[0roo0roo]

http://www.cpu-collection.de/?tn=0&l0=co&l1=Intel&l2=Pentium+OverDrive

 

[trefrog]

Ok. So the spec says it supports DX2, up to 66... but where it says '66 (internal)' - could that mean with overdrive only, like an OD that sees it as a 33, but doubles at 66? but on the other hand, there appears to be no such thing as a DX2-33. the board itself has the extra row of pins... which leads me to believe it does support the 'Pentium Overdrive'... and from what I'm seeing on that page, the ODs upgrade xxMHz Intel 486 based systems, where xx is never equal to 66. looks like mine is considered a 33MHz system, hence the word '(internal)'.

So it looks like the PODP5V83 is the highest I could go, though the '83MHz' throws me off. But it makes so much sense. My board came out in 1993 (good year) if i remember right. I think it's stamped on the board. the PODP5V83 came out in 1995 (not so good year), so it just makes perfect sense to market to those who bought the VL 33 class boards.

Thanx for bearing with me on the internal dialog. I'll be updating that page again soon. This is officially my newest project.

 

[trefrog]

This is all assuming of course that I can get a hold of any of this old junk for nothing or next-to-nothing.

 

[Maxspeed996]

I'll say something to my buddy , he's got a stack , and I mean a STACK of dell dual processor boards in his garage , he lives at the salvage yard that my uncle is in charge of for the local university. He's got more p3 era and earlier hardware than intel does. I'll point him torwards this post for you. Maybe you can make a deal.

 

[Pretty Cool]

That 66 means it supported 66mhz fsb. Prior to the DX-2 series, all cpus had a multiplier of 1. Intel realized it was much too difficult to keep increasing the cpu speed that way, so they introduced the multiplier concept. So, that motherboard supported an Intel DX66mhz processor with a fsb of 66mhz, but that chip was expensive for that era, so not many people had one. If I remember correctly, that chip was the last cpu to have a multiplier of 1. Intel's first cpu's with the multipliers included sx-2's without an fpu, and dx-2's with an fpu. These type of processors used a 25 or 33mhz fsb and eventually reach a multiplier of 3.

 

[GrammatonJP]

Like the VW commerical, chuck it out the window

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Pretty Cool
That 66 means it supported 66mhz fsb. Prior to the DX-2 series, all cpus had a multiplier of 1. Intel realized it was much too difficult to keep increasing the cpu speed that way, so they introduced the multiplier concept. So, that motherboard supported an Intel DX66mhz processor with a fsb of 66mhz, but that chip was expensive for that era, so not many people had one. If I remember correctly, that chip was the last cpu to have a multiplier of 1. Intel's first cpu's with the multipliers included sx-2's without an fpu, and dx-2's with an fpu. These type of processors used a 25 or 33mhz fsb and eventually reach a multiplier of 3.

There were also some "DX-4" chips that ran at 25Mhzx4 (100Mhz), and I think also 33Mhzx4 (133Mhz). I definitely had a DX4/100-based system at one point. Don't think they made them for very long, as they were starting to transition to the Pentium II around that time.

 

[440sixpack]

Originally posted by: GrammatonJP
Like the VW commerical, chuck it out the window

[German accent]
Time to unpeemp ze 486
[/German accent]

 

[trefrog]

Maxspeed996: wicked. maybe i'll bite

GrammatonJP: lol. the point is, I have a nice new computer... that doesn't work with my POD. plus, i got the 486 for free. something to play with. I might even get a good $30 for it if i don't end up donating it to some kid's parents. but for now, I'm using it. (plus I can't get MSN messenger (among many other programs) to work on it, windows 98 would be a 1000% improvement. I don't mind spending a few bucks on it. I already bought a 2nd hand mouse and parallel cable for it. I even took the time to rig the parallel cable for DCC. It's officially a project. if I do happen to receive a better computer for free, then this one's definitely out.

so what does this all mean? what's the best CPU I can reasonably get on this thing? i could play it safe and get a DX2-66, or I could 'take a risk' and try something more: pentium overdrive?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...=8787013482&ssPageName=ADME:B:TB6:CA:2
auction just ended. could have been a good deal if not for the shipping cost. there's also alot of crap there that i wouldn't use. RAM size isn't guaranteed either. plus, i'm not ready either.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...6865163970&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:12
is this the kind of ram i should be looking for? looks like it

 

[CrispyFried]

what socket number is it? if its 3 then the amd 5x86 133 would be ideal, runs at 133 with a 33 mhz bus, 160 with a 40 mhz bus. I had one that ran at 160 flawlessly.

needs a voltage adapter for other sockets.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: trefrog
so what does this all mean? what's the best CPU I can reasonably get on this thing? i could play it safe and get a DX2-66, or I could 'take a risk' and try something more: pentium overdrive?

The DX2-66 will definitely work (as will a DX2-50 if you can find one). From the link you gave above describing the board, it sounds like a Pentium Overdrive (75Mhz, maybe?) would work.

There is a slim chance that a DX4-100 or DX4-133 would also work in that board... but that would definitely be questionable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...6865163970&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:12
is this the kind of ram i should be looking for? looks like it

That's the right type, but you said you wanted to up it to 32MB, so you need to find sets like that but with 4MB modules.

 

[trefrog]

CrispyFried: I'll try to find out what socket number it is.. is there an easy way to tell?

Matthias99: oh. 4MB total, not 4 each. thx. would they have to have the same ns delay as my other 4? any other restrictions?

 

[OSX]

Best way to accellerate it? 9.55 meters per second squared.