VLB Video Cards and SIS 461 chips

Michael McClane

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Dec 15, 1993, 5:49:30 PM12/15/93

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What success has anyone had with VLB video cards and motherboards with
SIS 461 chipsets. I had minor success with a #9 GXE until it died, and
can't get an Actix Ultra-VLB+ to work. All my system does is beep at me.

Thanks,
Mike

Doug V Tran

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Dec 16, 1993, 9:54:06 AM12/16/93

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>Thanks,
>Mike

From what I been able to gleam, the S3 928 has problems with the SiS
460&461 chipset. Therefor, cards like the Actix Ultra and #9 won't
work.

Doug Tran
Digital Designs

Sanjay Aiyagari

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Dec 16, 1993, 11:23:09 AM12/16/93

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In article <digdug.7...@pv6f02.vincent.iastate.edu>,

Doug V Tran <dig...@iastate.edu> wrote:

>From what I been able to gleam, the S3 928 has problems with the SiS
>460&461 chipset. Therefor, cards like the Actix Ultra and #9 won't
>work.

But the S3 928 seems to be the only choice for good video performance under
OS/2. And I had heard that Opti's Local Bus chipset is no good. So does
there exist a local bus board that works with the 928 and which works well in
general? (I know that I should stick with 2-slot designs because the 3-slot
designs have problems).

Does SiS have other chip sets available that work with the S3 928? (I would
assume that they are feverishly working on them if they don't have one out
yet.) This worries me because I had heard that SiS was the only chipset to
consider when buying a local bus motherboard. Now I find out that it won't
work with the only video chip I can consider.

I would think a lot of people here have local bus boards with local bus video
cards. What are the combinations that work?

Sanjay

michael schievelbein

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Dec 16, 1993, 5:20:07 PM12/16/93

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My motherboard has the SIS chipset on it and I have had NO problems on it.
You might want to check IRQ conflict on IRQ2 with your card and other
item on the motherboard.. had that problem once....

Michael Schievelbein
TEAM OS/2

Doug V Tran

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Dec 16, 1993, 10:21:40 PM12/16/93

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Card Chip BIOS/ChIPSET
---------------------------------------------------------------
Actix VLB Ultra+ 2MB S3 928 AMI/UMC
Cheetah VLB 1MB CL GD5428 AMI/OPTiSLC and Opti492

Anybody care to add on?

Doug Tran
Digital Designs ("Where the Real Support Begins")
(515) 296-0256

hken...@mercury.ncat.edu

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Dec 18, 1993, 12:23:57 PM12/18/93

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In article <2eq21d$e...@tune.cs.columbia.edu> san...@news.cs.columbia.edu (Sanjay Aiyagari) writes:
>In article <digdug.7...@pv6f02.vincent.iastate.edu>,
>Doug V Tran <dig...@iastate.edu> wrote:
>But the S3 928 seems to be the only choice for good video performance under
>OS/2. And I had heard that Opti's Local Bus chipset is no good. So does
>there exist a local bus board that works with the 928 and which works well in
>general? (I know that I should stick with 2-slot designs because the 3-slot
>designs have problems).
>
>Does SiS have other chip sets available that work with the S3 928? (I would
>assume that they are feverishly working on them if they don't have one out
>yet.) This worries me because I had heard that SiS was the only chipset to
>consider when buying a local bus motherboard. Now I find out that it won't
>work with the only video chip I can consider.
>

I just spoke with actix tech support about this matter. The tech guy said
there was a problem with sis chipsets and s3 boards vlb (805 and 928),
However with new sis boards and new actix boards the problem is resolved.
He could not tell how one would know if you are getting a new sis chipset
board, or a new s3-928 board. If you are buying sis chipset and s3-928 is
said to make sure that you buy the board and video card from the same
vendor. Will sis take these boards back no way. I tried that through my
vendor.

Another tip I heard is make sure the motherboard is vesa version 2 or
higher. Hay, how do you know this, also? Well don't buy a used motherboard
with an sis chipset :-). You will have problems. Mine will lockup really
bad with s3-928 vlb cards. Even had to low level format the scsi drive!

Watch out if try it.

Helen

hken...@ncat.edu

Michael McClane

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Dec 19, 1993, 8:59:30 PM12/19/93

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Well I started this thread so I guess that I should give an update. Actix
sent me a new bios that was to fix the problem. It didn't! The vendor is
sending me another video card. To my knowledge, they are brand new. What
ACTIX told you makes sense, try the two together and if they work buy
them. Not the solution to the problem though. As soon as I get the new
card, I'll let you know.

The Sixth Replicant

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Dec 20, 1993, 12:48:57 PM12/20/93

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Michael McClane (mrm...@afterlife.ncsc.mil) wrote:
: Well I started this thread so I guess that I should give an update. Actix

I have been having the same problem with a #9GXE lvl10 VLB on my Nice
Super-EISA motherboard. I was told by a tech support guy at #9, that
the rev E S3928 fixed the problem. How do you know what rev you've got
? Apparently the S3 logo changed for rev E. If the chip has a roman
font S3 on it, it's rev E. If it has a logo with three stacked S's
sort of waving like a flag, it's rev D or older. I will be getting an
upgrade at some point and we'll see whether that fixes my problem. I
was getting bad interference with my SCSI controller (1542B).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc Neuberger m...@sbcs.sunysb.edu

Knut Radloff

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Dec 19, 1993, 7:27:53 AM12/19/93

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mrm...@afterlife.ncsc.mil writes in article <1993Dec15.2...@afterlife.ncsc.mil>:

>
> What success has anyone had with VLB video cards and motherboards with
> SIS 461 chipsets. I had minor success with a #9 GXE until it died, and

I'm using a #9 GXE Level 11 with a SIS 460 chip without problems.
The first #9 I got had eeproms wich were erased everytime I installed
the #9 drivers. Getting a #9 with normal eproms solved the problem.
What kind of problem did you have with the #9 ?

bye knut

--
Knut Radloff * kn...@krhh.hanse.de * voice & fax: ++49-40-8119484

Knut Radloff

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Dec 20, 1993, 12:51:30 PM12/20/93

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dig...@iastate.edu writes in article <digdug.7...@pv6f02.vincent.iastate.edu>:

>
> In <2eq21d$e...@tune.cs.columbia.edu> san...@news.cs.columbia.edu (Sanjay Aiyagari) writes:
>
> >In article <digdug.7...@pv6f02.vincent.iastate.edu>,
> >Doug V Tran <dig...@iastate.edu> wrote:
>
> >I would think a lot of people here have local bus boards with local bus video
> >cards. What are the combinations that work?
>
> Card Chip BIOS/ChIPSET
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> Actix VLB Ultra+ 2MB S3 928 AMI/UMC
> Cheetah VLB 1MB CL GD5428 AMI/OPTiSLC and Opti492

#9 GXE Level 11 2MB S3 928 AMI/SIS 460 ATQ
(version with EPROM
not eeprom !)

hken...@mercury.ncat.edu

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Dec 23, 1993, 8:13:54 AM12/23/93

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In article <756409...@krhh.hanse.de> kn...@krhh.hanse.de (Knut Radloff) writes:
>>
>> Card Chip BIOS/ChIPSET
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>> Actix VLB Ultra+ 2MB S3 928 AMI/UMC
>> Cheetah VLB 1MB CL GD5428 AMI/OPTiSLC and Opti492

> not eeprom !)

>
>--
>Knut Radloff * kn...@krhh.hanse.de * voice & fax: ++49-40-8119484

Does this mean that new s3-928 cards will now work with old SIS vlb
chipsets?

Thanks

Helen

hken...@ncat.edu

Doug V Tran

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Dec 27, 1993, 9:40:35 AM12/27/93

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In <1993Dec23.1...@mercury.ncat.edu> hken...@mercury.ncat.edu writes:

S3 chips had a problem with the SiS chipset(460 & 461). However, S3
has fixed the problem. Well, Actix cards no longer has this problems
anyways.

Michael McClane

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Dec 27, 1993, 5:36:45 PM12/27/93

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The only way to be sure that it works is to try the card with the
motherboard. I know from personal experience.

Mike