28 Oct
2001
28 Oct
'01
1:16 p.m.
They have been
designed from the start to be forward- and backward-
compatible.
The 64-bit has a slot where the end of the 32-bit
connector is located, and
the
correct connector does not have a wide end. All
the 32-bit connectors I've
seen
have been the correct size (and I've seen a
lot of them). A 64-bit PCI card
in
a 32-bit slot steps down to 32-bit transfers. A
66MHz card in a 33MHz slot
steps
down to 33MHz.
That wouldn't work too well when you need 99% of the bandwidth. The few
64-bit
cards I've seen up close don't seem to have a wide enough slit to allow them to
be plugged into a short PCI slot. The standard references to features such as
this one seemed quite iffy. I wish I could justify a current copy of the
standard. I just returned one to the local library, which had to get it on ILL. Perhaps that one wasn't firewire, but it was
ADAPTEC. The FC is what has me
buzzed up right now and I've seen no 64-bit slots in motherboards offered
recently. I hadn't even considered an Apple product, and it may take a while
for me to accept that notion. I've certainly never seen a high-bandwidth card
of any sort for sale that wasn't a 64-bit card. The abundance of 64-bit cards
against the dearth of motherboards with 64-bit PCI slots is what I've been
focusing on. Surely ADAPTEC and others are selling their products into
something with full 64-bit capacity.
Look for boards with Serverworks or 760MP chipsets. I know Tyan, Asus, and
MSI have these boards. Get a Serverworks chipset if you want to use a PIII,
and a 760MP if you want an Athlon.
These are dual processor boards, but you don't have to populate both sockets
if you don't need two processors.
There are quite a few motherboards with 64-bit slots, and they've existed for
a while. I don't know why you haven't seen them.
ALPHA boards aren't relevant any longer, are they?
I think so. The Alpha will be around for a while, with EV7 on the way, what some people think. Compaq announced the
Alpha would be winding down, not
stopping dead in its tracks.
Yes, but they're controlled by someone else, now, and they're a fickle
master.
I'd put no faith in that statement at all. From my experience HP has a much better understanding
of both the enterprise
computing market and the value of solid operating systems.
For example, HP
is still supporting MPE, both with upgrades and new hardware.
--
Eric Dittman
dittman(a)dittman.net
Check out the DEC Enthusiasts Club at http://www.dittman.net/