🚀 go-pugleaf

Are there any 486 motherboards that use (PS/2 ?) 36-bit memory modules ?

I'm looking for ways to replace or upgrade my home 386 computer to a 486
with 16Meg of memory (for 32-bit O/S).

By employing 2 banks of 9-bit SIMM's, most 486 motherboards are optimized
for 8M of memory (or 32M). To get 16M, one must put 4M SIMM's into a single
bank. There is no interleave, but luckily, the cache system can cover up
the problem somewhat. Doesn't that sound stupid anyway !

On the other hand, if the boards were designed for 36-bit SIMMs, four 4M
(1Mx36) modules would yield 16M with 4-way memory interleave ! I find
36-bit modules more flexible and suitable for 386DX and 486. But they are
not widely used in clone systems, why ?

Theory aside, how do 16M, one-bank machines fare in real life with real
applications ?

Thanks for any information you can provide.

Thye-Lai Tung
ttung@td2cad.intel.com