From: 	Bob Williams
Sent: 	Friday, June 20, 1997 12:40 PM
To: 	news@xlr8yourmac.com
Subject: 	MP feedback

Hi,

When I first got my Newer card, I had the same type of experience as you.
After some fiddling, I began to think it was the cache, but the card was
not stable even with no cache installed. Finally, two months later, Newer
picked up on this fact--apparently missing it when I mentioned it
earlier--and had me send the card back for a replacement. The new card
works flawlessly without a cache, just as Newer said it should. I'm running
7.6.1. The card also worked flawlessly with an 8.0 beta.

Apparently, this card is *real* picky about caches.... I've tried two
TechWorks caches, and the MacGurus 1MB cache (the first one to do so,
actually--it was a test). However, I think the MacGurus cache did not work
because of the faulty card. From what I've been able to gather, it is best
to use 6-8ns cache, and the MacGurus cache was 8 (the TechWorks was 11).
Newer tech support has stated that for an MP 8500, they recommend no larger
a cache than 512 KB. He said that the larger the cache, the greater the
chances of one processor flushing something the other needed--"stepping on
each other's feet" as he put it. He also said that he did not believe their
own cache would work that well (a Kensington rep said the same thing,
though they were working on a faster cache... that was in February or so).

I tried a cache from PowerLogix, but my machine failed to boot with it, no
matter what processor card I was using. I am currently waiting for their
new cache to come as a replacement. It *should* work without problems,
according to PowerLogix (but then again, they are completely befuddled as
to why the first two caches (of the same design) they sent me did not work).

My machine's memory consist of the two interleaved stock 8 MB DIMMs and two
interleaved TechWorks 16 MB DIMMs, for a total of 48 MB of interleaved
memory. Cachless, it is absolutely rock stable.


Regards,
Bob

--
Robert E. Williams, Jr. | mailto:williar2@muohio.edu
Macintosh Developer     | mailto:bobw@macconnect.com
Enterprise Software     | http://www.muohio.edu/~williar2/
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