Need help to improve the support of 486/586/686 class CPUs in CPU-Z \ VOGONS

Need help to improve the support of 486/586/686 class CPUs in CPU-Z

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First post, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-15, 17:23

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Hello guys,

CPU-Z turns 20 this year, and to celebrate that birthday I decided to improve (add, in some cases) the support of 486, 586 and 686 class processors. I work on that project for three months now, and get a beta version ready. I’m asking the help of the Vogons community to test that the beta version, gather the bugs, errors, suggestions and remarks, and very generally give me your opinion.

Some preliminary notes :

Minimal requirements for OS and CPU :
the new version is separated from the classic CPU-Z, and is built with Visual 6.0 in order to work on Windows 95. 386 class processors are supported in theory, but only a few 386 users run windows 95, so I did not get very deep into that, except for 486DLC/SXL.

New features :
- support the processors w/o the cpuid instruction.
- CPU clock speed is reported on processors w/o TSC.
- New INT/FPU benchmark (monothread). The bench test runs for fixed time of 10 seconds on all machines (5 seconds w/o FPU). To get consistent results under Windows 9x, please don’t move the mouse during the test.
- Report on-board caches : well, at least partially and only on mainboards with PCI (see below for more information about that).

What you can do to help : (updated 04/15/2020)
Of course report any information that seems wrong or only partial. However I’m looking for some specific returns :
- Ti486SXLC.
- Cyrix 486DRx2.
- IBM BL3 (aka DLC3), 486SLC/SLC2.
- Please post your benchmarks results for CPUs that are not listed yet, so I can complete the reference table.

In order to generate a report : from the Tools button at the bottom of the application or from the about tab (Save reports as .TXT), then please send your file to : cpuid@gmx.com. You can also join a screenshot if you think it can be useful (missing or wrong logo for example).

Official version : https://download.cpuid.com/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.03-win9x.zip
Beta version : https://download.cpuid.com/betas/cpuz_w95.zip

Big thanks in advance.

Last edited by CuPid on 2021-09-21, 16:06. Edited 5 times in total.

I need a vacation.

Reply 1 of 452, by kixs

Posted on 2019-08-15, 18:12

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Nice... I will run it on a few of my systems later tonight...

Requests here!

Reply 2 of 452, by kixs

Posted on 2019-08-16, 01:40

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As promised reports for:

Cyrix 486DLC-40
PODP5V83 - it doesn't show motherboard cache size - it's Gigabyte GA-486AM/S with 256KB cache
Ti486SXL2-66 - reports as a regular DLC
IBM 486BL3-100 - reports as 486DX - doesn't matter if math copro is installed or not

Also adding some screenshots (I didn't took photos of POD):

Requests here!

Reply 3 of 452, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-16, 07:09

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Thanks a lot kixs.

I need a vacation.

Reply 4 of 452, by kixs

Posted on 2019-08-16, 11:33

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Does it help?

I don't notice anything special in the reports.

BTW:
Ti486SXL2-66 is in PGA132 format.

Only POD showed correct cpu frequency. Regular DLC didn't show anything.

Requests here!

Reply 5 of 452, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-16, 12:18

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Yes definitely, I can even say that you made my day 😀

I'm currently fixing the Cx486SLC/DLC and Ti486SXL/SXLC detection issues (except for the socket however, the SXL exists in PGA 132 and 168 and I don't know how to detect that).

But concerning the BL3 I'm very confused, the CPU should be seen as a Cyrix 486 (and the difference between the IBM and the Cyrix is made with the support of MSRs), but not as a 486DX. That means that some tests failed on it, and I don't know why. Note that the clock speed is wrongly reported at 87.9 MHz, but applying the BL3 ratio does well result in 99.62 MHz (in case you had a doubt 😀)

I need a vacation.

Reply 6 of 452, by agent_x007

Posted on 2019-08-16, 14:44

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Great project !

Is it based on CPU-z for Win98 ?
Because it crashed when detecting my Core i7 980X under Windows 98 SE 😒

Would be great to have a CPU-z with Windows 3.11 - "Me", with hardware detection that actually works with non-standard configurations.

Reply 7 of 452, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-16, 15:19

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agent_x007 wrote:
Great project ! […]
Show full quote
Great project !

Is it based on CPU-z for Win98 ?
Because it crashed when detecting my Core i7 980X under Windows 98 SE 😒

Would be great to have a CPU-z with Windows 3.11 - "Me", with hardware detection that actually works with non-standard configurations.

cpuz for win98 was a recompilation with Visual 2005. It supported win98, but not win95.
This one should work on WinME, but win 3.11 is still another story, it requires very old tools (VC++ 1.52) and would probably require another driver (.386).

You got a crash with that version ? what kind of crash is that, a BSOD ?

I need a vacation.

Reply 8 of 452, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-16, 16:19

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kixs wrote:
Does it help? […]
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Does it help?

I don't notice anything special in the reports.

BTW:
Ti486SXL2-66 is in PGA132 format.

Only POD showed correct cpu frequency. Regular DLC didn't show anything.

I've updated to fix the issues that I could fix : http://download.cpuid.com/betas/cpuz_w95.zip

The Cyrix/Ti SLC/DLC/SXL/SXLC distinction should work better, and clocks should be reported.
The chipset on your POD system is an UMC UM8881F, and I did not find any relevant information or datasheet that would explain the register mapping. UMC docs seem to be a rarity.

I need a vacation.

Reply 9 of 452, by agent_x007

Posted on 2019-08-16, 16:24

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CuPid wrote:
You got a crash with that version ? what kind of crash is that, a BSOD ?

Yes. It was driver crash (xxxxxxx.sys [IIRC ?], sorry I don't remember the exact numbers it was a while ago).

I figured it wasn't "ready" to see a Westmere class CPU working under Windows 98.
I switched to AIDA64 and it worked fine : LINK
I did use rLowe patch for full RAM capacity (not sure if it could cause CPU-z to crash ?).

Last edited by agent_x007 on 2019-08-16, 16:29. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 10 of 452, by hasnopants

Posted on 2019-08-16, 16:28

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This is great!

I dont think I can help with anything but benchmark reference with my systems. I will try to do that this weekend on my Win 95 P1 233 MMX machine.

Current Systems:
DIP40|8088|640K|HERCULESGB102|PCSPKR
DIP40|V20|640K|VGA|ADLIB/TNDY/COVOX
S7|P233MMX|128M|S3ViRGEDX/DM3D|SB16
S370|P600MMX|256M|SIS630/DM3DIIX2|SBLIVE!5.1
S775|P43.4|2G|6800GS|SBAUDIGY

Reply 11 of 452, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-16, 16:40

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agent_x007 wrote:
Yes. It was driver crash (xxxxxxx.sys [IIRC ?], sorry I don't remember the exact numbers it was a while ago). […]
Show full quote
CuPid wrote:
You got a crash with that version ? what kind of crash is that, a BSOD ?
Yes. It was driver crash (xxxxxxx.sys [IIRC ?], sorry I don't remember the exact numbers it was a while ago).

I figured it wasn't "ready" to see a Westmere class CPU working under Windows 98.
I switched to AIDA64 and it worked fine : LINK
I did use rLowe patch for full RAM capacity (not sure if it could cause CPU-z to crash ?).

Most likely the app tries to read a MSR that is not supported by the Westmere, and this generates an exception.
On NT/2000/XP the exception is handled, and the program continues. But on Win98, no exception handling, and it crashes.
If you still have the system up & running, I can try to find out the faulty MSR, if the problem is well due to that.

I need a vacation.

Reply 12 of 452, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-17, 21:50

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Would anyone have a system with one of these cpus for a quick detection test ?
- Intel DX4 in 2x mode.
- NexGen Nx586.

Thanks in advance.

I need a vacation.

Reply 13 of 452, by kixs

Posted on 2019-08-18, 00:54

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Adding report:
- Intel DX4 in 2x mode

and photos:
Intel DX4 in 2x mode at 66Mhz bus (133Mhz)
PODP5V83 @83Mhz missing photos
PODP5V83 @33Mhz (1x multi)

Sorry, I don't have any Nexgen hardware (yet).

I'll retest PGA132 cpus with the updated CPU-Z later...

Requests here!

Reply 14 of 452, by feipoa

Posted on 2019-08-18, 06:37

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I just so happen to have a nexgen pf110 system out that i was working on. It has win95c and nt3.51 on dual boot. Is nt3.51 supported?

Plan your life wisely, you'll be dead before you know it.

Reply 15 of 452, by hasnopants

Posted on 2019-08-18, 06:53

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Report attached from my win 95 pentium 1 233 mmx system. Hope it helps.

Reply 16 of 452, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-18, 08:57

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Thank you for your feedback.

@hasnopants
The Voodoo is not detected, and memory timings are missing. So yes, it definitely helps, thanks.

@feipoa
NT3.51 should be supported in theory, but I never tried. In the worst case one or several functions entry would be missing and the program should complain at startup.

@kixs
I may have to stop reporting multipliers on POD, I assumed 2.5x, but w/o the fan the multiplier drop is not detectable. Just curious, does the CPU restore its 2.5x multiplier without restarting the system if you replug the fan ?
And same for DX4. I was somehow expecting that the model number would change (like on AMDs), but no.

I need a vacation.

Reply 17 of 452, by jaZz_KCS

Posted on 2019-08-18, 09:37

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I could try it out on a system having on-board cache and using PCI, if that is still neccessary. IIRC reports from systems not showing correct values is still required?

Reply 18 of 452, by CuPid

Posted on 2019-08-18, 10:06

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jaZz_KCS wrote:
I could try it out on a system having on-board cache and using PCI, if that is still neccessary. IIRC reports from systems not showing correct values is still required?

Yes, any input is welcome, especially if something is wrong or missing.
On-board cache is only reported when the chipset is recognized (and a doc is available), and atm the program supports only a couple of chipsets, so there is room for improvement.

I need a vacation.

Reply 19 of 452, by feipoa

Posted on 2019-08-18, 11:05

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Attached is the report for a NexGen PF110 running Windows 95c. Currently posting using Opera 8.53 from the NexGen system, so hopefully the files will submit properly.

The attachment NEXGEN-W95.PNG is no longer available

The attachment w95c_Benchmark.jpg is no longer available

The attachment NEXGEN-W95.txt is no longer available

I should point out that IDON.COM needs to be set for CPU-Z to run properly, otherwise you receive this error:

The attachment w95c_error_for_no_IDON.jpg is no longer available

You can learn more about IDON.COM and IDOFF.COM at http://www.cpu-world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31984 and to a lesser extent, here: Help getting my NexGen system online

Plan your life wisely, you'll be dead before you know it.

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