Memory Testing
Each board had to prove its memory compatibility with the following types of SDRAM:
- 2x 64 MByte PC-100, LG Semicon, 7 ns
- 2x 64 MByte PC-100, Toshiba, 8 ns
- 2x 256 MByte PC-100 with Parity/ECC, Samsung, 6 ns
- 2x 32 MByte PC-66, Samsung, 10 ns
- 1x 64 MByte PC-66, LG Semicon, 32 chips, 10 ns
The Samsung PC-66 memory has already proved its quality several times. You will be surprised to hear that this memory worked properly in all boards except the Intel at 66 MHz bus clock, sometimes even at 112 MHz.
Some people may still have PC-66 memory with more than 16 chips; to check if the boards can handle them I used a 64 MB memory module with 32 chips. Some boards did only recognize 32 MB, others didn't even boot up. Of course nobody guarantees you that such kind of RAM works at 100 MHz bus speed, but I think it's quite interesting that some candidates are able to cope with it anyway.
Crossing The 100 MHz Line
Almost every board offers at least 103 and 112 MHz bus clock, most boards also 133 MHz and sometimes 124 MHz. But please be aware that other components are overclocked, too:
| Front Side Bus Clock | AGP Clock | PCI clock | Rating |
| 103 MHz | 68 MHz | 34 MHz | Excellent |
| 112 MHz | 75 MHz | 37 MHz | Cool |
| 124 MHz | 83 MHz | 41 MHz | Venture |
| 133 MHz | 89 MHz | 44 MHz | Crazy |
Let me tell you my opinion. Most PCI cards work fine at up to 37 MHz bus speed, but you do risk killing your timing sensitive devices (like a SCSI card or a network adapter) if you clock them at more than 40 MHz. Something similar applies for AGP cards. Most cards bear 80 MHz or maybe more, but be warned that all new cards (including TNT boards, Matrox G200 and Voodoo Banshee cards) maybe don't even boot up at more than 75 MHz AGP clock.
