Re: How well do you like your RamFast card?

[fmlin@netcom.com (Fist of Fury)]

In article <9311090821.AA04080@clarknet.clark.net> ncp@gnh-starport.UUCP writes:
>The only thing I hate about my RamFAST is that I'm forced to turn on the IRQ
>option on my TWGS and that a few apps/NDAs slow down because of interrupts or
>something due to the RamFAST sticking around.  I was also at first

I can run with IRQ off on mine...  But if I want to play MODs or synthLab
songs, I need to turn it on.  Maybe your GALs are too old.  (Richard got
all the latest GALs I believe, but he needs to have his IRQ on too... go
figure)

>dissapointed by the speed, thanks to a lot of the hype surrounding the card,

It is simply the fastest SCSI card there is.  On PCT's benchmark programs,
it reports similar speed (~10ms avreage seek, <3ms track to track)... etc.

>but I dismissed most of that later because I realized a big part of my problem
>was that I couldn't run Minstrel and verify my hard drive at the same time
>without the music slowing down.  Boot up for me is kinda slow, but I'm hoping

Disk access always generate interrupts...

>an upgrade to a meg of cache will fix my problem - I have over two megs of

What you need is less extensions.  :-)  Read my other post about how to
cut down Sound CDev's boot time.

>sounds, and cutting those out cuts boot time in half (!) and I hope the meg of
>cache will help.  Lastly (at first I thought it was one thing :) ), I found

1mb of cache wouldn't help much at boot time...

>that some 3200 color pics don't display well or not without a lot of banding
>with the RamFAST in the system.

I don't think it's due to RamFAST.

>The only card I've had a chance to compare this to was an old Rev. C SCSI
>card.  And while the RamFAST beats this thing hands down in disk access (must
>be ten times faster), all the other stuff gets on my nerves - those things
>didn't happen while I had my short stint with the Rev. C.  If the interrupts
>are really the problem, then if an update comes out, I'd like the option for
>slightly slower disk access in trade for fixing the other stuff or getting the

I think if turn the DMA mode of in the RamFAST menu, interrupts are less 
frequent.  You might also be able to turn with IRQ off...  Try it, I dunno
for sure though.

>faster disk access, all by (at least with the TWGS) changing the IRQ swtich in
>the TWGS control panel.  Are you listening Sequential (Jawaid, others)? :)
>
>Also, does anyone know what's different about the 3.01c ROM?  I've had some
>mysterious crashes, and I'm hoping that 3.01c will fix some tragic bug from
>3.01b.

Hey, send me your 3.0.1b if you don't need it.  :-)  I'm running "anicient"
3.0h.

-- 
frank m. lin
fmlin@netcom.com