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8bitbubsy
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Joined: 28 Sep 2011
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Location: Norway
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 Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:05 am Post subject: CD-ROM IDE port vs. IDE port on motherboard |
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Hi,
I have this 486 computer with only one IDE port, so my CD-ROM is on slave and my HDD is on master. Would the CD-ROM<->HDD read/write be faster if I connected the CD-ROM to the IDE port on my Sound Blaster AWE32 card instead?
I always wondered what was the point with those sound card IDE ports... was it so that you could operate a CD-ROM in case you used two hard-drives in your single-IDE-port system?  |
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Mr T
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Joined: 14 Jun 2002
Posts: 16689
Location: England
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| Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:12 am Post subject: Re: CD-ROM IDE port vs. IDE port on motherboard |
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| 8bitbubsy wrote: | Hi,
I have this 486 computer with only one IDE port, so my CD-ROM is on slave and my HDD is on master. Would the CD-ROM<->HDD read/write be faster if I connected the CD-ROM to the IDE port on my Sound Blaster AWE32 card instead?
I always wondered what was the point with those sound card IDE ports... was it so that you could operate a CD-ROM in case you used two hard-drives in your single-IDE-port system? |
The 'IDE' port on the soundblaster is not for hard drives, it is used to connect a front audio panel to the card.
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8bitbubsy
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Joined: 28 Sep 2011
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Location: Norway
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| Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:14 am Post subject: Re: CD-ROM IDE port vs. IDE port on motherboard |
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| Mr T wrote: | | 8bitbubsy wrote: | Hi,
I have this 486 computer with only one IDE port, so my CD-ROM is on slave and my HDD is on master. Would the CD-ROM<->HDD read/write be faster if I connected the CD-ROM to the IDE port on my Sound Blaster AWE32 card instead?
I always wondered what was the point with those sound card IDE ports... was it so that you could operate a CD-ROM in case you used two hard-drives in your single-IDE-port system? |
The 'IDE' port on the soundblaster is not for hard drives, it is used to connect a front audio panel to the card. |
I've connected a CD-ROM to the IDE port of several sound cards back in the day, and it worked fine. And I don't mean the four-pin CD-ROM audio cable, I really mean the IDE cable.
Quote from wikipedia:
"Several Sound Blaster 16 boards provided an additional IDE interface to computers that had no spare ATA-ports for a CDROM, though the additional drive interface typically only supported one device rather than two, it typically only supported CD ROM drives, and it usually could not support additional hard drives". |
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evasive
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Joined: 06 May 2001
Posts: 36479
Location: Netherlands, Breda
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| Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 12:50 am Post subject: |
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Indeed and you need to make sure it is an actual IDE interface and not one of the earlier proprietary interfaces:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_AWE32
So, what exact CS4*** model do you have and does it indeed say "IDE/ATAPI" next to that 40 pin connector?
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Hardware Junkie
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Joined: 25 Jan 2001
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| Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 6:13 am Post subject: |
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| 8bitbubsy wrote: | | Would the CD-ROM<->HDD read/write be faster |
Technically yes. If you have two IDE devices on their own IDE channel, alone, and set to 'master', they would operate faster.
| Code: | | Also on AWE32 was a Panasonic/Sony/Mitsumi CD-ROM interface (to support proprietary non-ATAPI CD-ROM drives), the Wave Blaster header and two 30-pin SIMM slots to increase sample memory. Later Sound Blaster AWE32 revisions replaced the proprietary CD-ROM interfaces with the ATAPI interface. The Sound Blaster AWE32 supported up to 28 MB of additional SIMM memory. A maximum of 32 MB could be added to the Sound Blaster AWE32 but the synthesizer could not address all of it (4MB of the EMU8000's address space was reserved for sample ROM). |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_AWE32
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Karlsweldt
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Joined: 12 Nov 2003
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| Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 6:41 am Post subject: |
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True notations about that "IDE" port on sound cards! Some were proprietary, some were true IDE ports. Many required a specific driver file! The port must be classed as ATAPI compatible. Same too for the optical drive. Having an optical drive on the same data ribbon as a hard drive will slow the ATA rate of the hard drive. Typical "486" motherboards rarely had higher than an ATA 66 rating. An optical drive of that vintage may have only half the ATA rating. Newer IDE optical drives "younger" than year 2000 may reach up to ATA 100.
You could always add an IDE port card to a 486, so you have more flexibility. But set that card as "secondary" so as not to conflict with the on-board feature, or disable the on-board feature and set the card as primary, both ports active. Likely the add-in card will be a higher ATA speed.
It is not advised to use an 80-wire data ribbon on older 468 systems. Set the drive according to its status, using any device header. With the 80-wire data ribbon, each header is dedicated to a specific use.
ATA/IDE specs:
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8bitbubsy
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Location: Norway
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| Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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Ok I see, thanks a lot for the good information, guys. 
My 486 system is an Intel DX4-100MHz one from 1995, and the motherboard has write-back cache support (yes, the DX4 CPU is the late revision one with write-back cache support). Sadly there's no VLB/local bus, so everything in the system is 16-bit ISA... Even the onboard Cirrus Logic GD5434, which in most configurations runs on a PCI (!) bus.
I also use a 6.4GB HDD in it, as long as 104MB RAM (8MB on-board, 96MB in slots). I fitted an RJ45 10mbit network card in it, it brings back wonderful nostalgic memories surfing the net from within Windows 95, as well as lurking in my favorite IRC channels. The machine is only used for fun, e.g. nostalgia and hobby.
My AWE32 is a CT3600 fitted with amazing 2 megabytes of sample bank RAM. It says "IDE Interface" near its IDE port.
Picture of a CT3600 card: http://www.amoretro.de/wp-content/uploads/creative_sound_blaster_32_pnp_ct3600.jpg |
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Roach412
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Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 2477
Location: Milwaukee - Wisconsin
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| Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:00 am Post subject: |
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ahh....good ol' memories of 486's and AWE cards.
while i personally never had a 486(skipped from 386 to a pentium, because my parents were ballers) i vividly remember going to friends' and doubling up on the keyboard for some epic 1 vs 1 gaming.
i remembered wanting a new AWE32 so bad. Never was able to get one, but jumped into the sound foray when the Live! cards initially released.
pretty sure i have a few old ISA cards that i've collected, and definitely 2 or 3 PCI soundblasters stored away.
thinking back, i can't believe how long our 386 lasted and was "viable". 
-Roach
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Karlsweldt
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Joined: 12 Nov 2003
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| Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 10:41 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | surfing the net from within Windows 95 |
Surprising that you could even connect to any Web site!
The minimal browser status for IE is version 8.. but there are other browsers that may allow 'legacy' OS versions access. But then the issue of an antivirus or firewall program..
With those older 486 systems, some could accept up to a 133 MHz CPU.. sometimes called the "586" by AMD. But the socket for the CPU had to be newer than the version 4 or 5. And core plus I/O voltage supplies needed to be 3.3 volts. For older systems, the standard 30-pin SIMMS were default in 1 meg versions. But 4 meg versions might work. Later models of the 486 system could accept either 30-pin or 72-pin SIMMS, but not together!
"Way back when", in the mid 1990s, a 72-pin 16-meg SIMM could cost over $100.00 per module!!!!! 
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evasive
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Joined: 06 May 2001
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Location: Netherlands, Breda
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| Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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That would be the 5x86 I think... the 586 being the pentium...
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