iisi & L2 cache

[beachycove]

Does anyone know if the angle adapters (pds-pds/ pds-nubus) for the IIsi have L2 cache onboard? Or to put the question differently, is it possible to get L2 cache on a IIsi?

 

[Unknown_K]

The PDS to Nubus have a few chips, one is an FPU. I think the others are just for interfacing between the two different connections.

 

[Charlieman]

The IIci cache slot supports L2 cache cards and accelerators. The IIsi PDS slot accepts a NuBus adapter, IIsi PDS enhancements (including accelerators), and, most gloriously, adapters that use IIci cache slot cards.

You want and need the IIci cache slot adapter (plus an accelerator), or a IIsi specific accelerator. Any other upgrade will be disappointing.

 

[Unknown_K]

Actually a IIsi running OS 6.08 with a Nubus adapter and a good video card makes for a nice system.

While you can spend the money to stuff a pricey accelerator into a IIsi, a IIci would be a much cheaper way of doing the same thing plus you can expand it cheaper with memory and other Nubus cards.

 

[beachycove]

Yes, the point is to alleviate the tedium of the long winter nights by souping up a System 6 machine. It turns out that I have no IIci, but I do have a IIsi in nice shape.

Having said that, I may just find myself a IIci to play with, since, as has been said, it is so much easier to deal with — but that IIsi adapter would be a welcome addition to the pile should anyone have one to offer for sale.

 

[trag]

Does anyone know if the angle adapters (pds-pds/ pds-nubus) for the IIsi have L2 cache onboard? Or to put the question differently, is it possible to get L2 cache on a IIsi?

There was at least one right-angle adapter built which had an FPU and cache on board. However, the resulting slot was just a PDS pass-through. That adapter did not have the IIci adapted slot on it.

 

[Scott Baret]

Actually, you're better off adding a video card to your IIsi or IIci. When I was buying my MacBook yesterday, the salesman told me that it used Vampire Video and I told him that I was familiar with that from the old IIsi. He smiled and said "yes, it's just like the IIsi".

By not having to rely on the RAM for video, the Mac will experience a big time performance boost.

 

[TylerEss]

Plus, the IIsi adaptor for IIci cache cards is very hard to find, because they're rare and people like to use them to but a Turbo040 in their SE/30s.