ZorRAM vs. Busters

[kolla]

I wish some enterprising individual would make a new Buster Rev.12 to fix all the lame bugs and limitations and make it faster....single DMA busmaster sucks (not to mention, it would be nice if Zorro 3 was faster.

One can dream

[magnetic]

HammerD
I'm jeoulous of your classic a4k setup! I used to have a amiga tech 4000T w phase ppc and cybervisionppc but sold it when I got into pegasos. Boy i'd love to have that thing back! how is the ZoroRam board compared to say a DKB 3128 >?

[alexh]

how is the ZoroRam board compared to say a DKB 3128 >?

Erm, the same? Cept DKB 3128 works in all Amiga's regardless of buster?

[amigakit]

Compared to the DKB3128, the new ZorRAM is cheaper than many DKB3128s sold second hand on Ebay.  ZorRAM is also available in 256MB version and available new with warranty.  ZorRAM uses SDRAM technology rather than SIMMs

[strim]

Guys, any comment on Buster 7 compatibility?

[mboehmer_e3b]

Guys, any comment on Buster 7 compatibility?

Yes, only one: get a Buster 11 :-)

We haven't tested with Buster 7 - I think I have at least one crouching around in my spare part stuff, but Buster 7 is definitely outdated. My spare part is just for historical interests :-)

Michael

[strim]

Yes, only one: get a Buster 11 :-)

We haven't tested with Buster 7 - I think I have at least one crouching around in my spare part stuff, but Buster 7 is definitely outdated. My spare part is just for historical interests :-)

Ok, I will acquire one, but I'm not sure if it will work in my A3000 (16MHz model).

Now my A3000 is equipped with ZorRAM, Deneb and A3640. This configuration is completly stable since I downgraded from Buster 9 to 7.

[Zac67]

A Buster 11 will reportedly not work at 16 MHz! According to Dave Haynie, it was neither designed nor tested for that speed.
You'll need to upgrade to 25 MHz (which I would've done long ago) - but why change anything when it's working fine?

[HammerD]

Yes, only one: get a Buster 11 :-)

We haven't tested with Buster 7 - I think I have at least one crouching around in my spare part stuff, but Buster 7 is definitely outdated. My spare part is just for historical interests :-)

Michael

Hi Michael, you mention V10 Deneb firmware on your site in the FAQ? I assume this will come out at some point soon?

Also, I have two ZorRAM cards - how do I tell if they are affected by the Buster 9 problem?

Not that it really matters for me, my three A4000 systems have Buster-11.

Is there any remote possibility of making a buster-12 ? Fix the stupid bugs and faster would be nice.  I mean, it can't be too complex of a chip nowadays...

[strim]

A Buster 11 will reportedly not work at 16 MHz! According to Dave Haynie, it was neither designed nor tested for that speed.
You'll need to upgrade to 25 MHz (which I would've done long ago) - but why change anything when it's working fine?

Actually A3640 is clocked at 25MHz, but I don't know if Buster is using the same clock signal. If it is then my problem is solved :afro:.

Upgrading to Buster 11 does have some sense, because Buster 7 does not support DMA, and DMA is always a nice thing (especially with slow CPUs).

[Zac67]

Actually A3640 is clocked at 25MHz, but I don't know if Buster is using the same clock signal. If it is then my problem is solved :afro:.

Sorry, missed that. The A3640 runs the board at 25 MHz, so it should be fine with the Buster 11 - but you should keep it in the back of your head in case you remove the '040 one day.

[HammerD]

HammerD
I'm jeoulous of your classic a4k setup! I used to have a amiga tech 4000T w phase ppc and cybervisionppc but sold it when I got into pegasos. Boy i'd love to have that thing back! how is the ZoroRam board compared to say a DKB 3128 >?

Both my ZorRAM cards (I have two - one 128MB and one 256) work fine.

They aren't very fast because of Zorro 3 limitations, you'll max out at around 10MB/sec.  But it's nice to have nonetheless.  Better than trying to find a used DKB3128 which is next to impossible.  

As for my setups, yes they are nice.  I have actually three systems near identical setups, all with CS PPC's, two 233MHz versions and one 200MHz version upgraded to 366MHz

And a CD32/SX32, but I have to admit that doesn't get much use

[X-ray]

So a ZorRAM has same read and write speed as a DKB3128?

[Karlos]

So a ZorRAM has same read and write speed as a DKB3128?

Well, I would expect that the limiting factor is going to be the bus in both cases.

[X-ray]

So all things being equal....they are equal (if you know what I mean)?

[Karlos]

So all things being equal....they are equal (if you know what I mean)?

I expect so. Except you can get ZorRAM new...

Actually, one difference I observed when the showconfig output was posted was that several ZorRAM modules together formed a single contiguous block of memory, IIRC your experiments with the DKB seemed to have holes in the address range.