ShaBLAMM! NiTro-VLB
Encyclopedia
The ShaBLAMM! NiTro-VLB was a computer system that used a QED
R4600
microprocessor
implemented on a VESA Local Bus
peripheral card and designed to function when connected to a host computer system using an Intel i486. The NiTro-VLB conformed to the ARC
standard, and was produced and marketed by ShaBLAMM! Computer
as an "upgrade" card for accelerating Windows NT
.
) from the IA32-based 486. Further, as a "parasitic" or "symbiotic" coprocessor
, the NiTro-VLB was designed to co-opt the host 486 processor from running, and used four megabytes of the host 486 motherboard's system memory as a DMA
buffer (although the NiTro-VLB required its own separate DRAM
main memory, in addition to any memory installed on the host 486 motherboard).
This type of "parasite"/"host" upgrade card configuration, in which an entire motherboard and processor are implemented on an expansion card designed to connect to a host motherboard's expansion slot. However, such configurations are rare among computer systems designed to run Microsoft Windows
.
processor, running at 100 MHz, was rated at 73.8 SPECint92 and 63 SPECfp92 (which are similar figures to the first-generation Pentium running at 66 MHz). Faster and costlier versions were designed to run at 133 MHz or 150 MHz.
Quantum Effect Devices
Quantum Effect Devices was a company originally named Quantum Effect Design, incorporated in 1991. The three founders, Tom Riordan, Earl Killian and Ray Kunita, were senior managers at MIPS Computer Systems Inc....
R4600
R4600
The R4600, code-named "Orion", is a microprocessor developed by Quantum Effect Design that implemented the MIPS III instruction set architecture . As QED was a design firm that did not fabricate or sell their designs, the R4600 was first licensed to Integrated Device Technology , and later to...
microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
implemented on a VESA Local Bus
VESA Local Bus
The VESA Local Bus was mostly used in personal computers. VESA Local Bus worked alongside the ISA bus; it acted as a high-speed conduit for memory-mapped I/O and DMA, while the ISA bus handled interrupts and port-mapped I/O.-Historical overview:In the early 1990s, the I/O bandwidth of...
peripheral card and designed to function when connected to a host computer system using an Intel i486. The NiTro-VLB conformed to the ARC
Advanced RISC Computing
Advanced RISC Computing is a specification promulgated by a defunct consortium of computer manufacturers , setting forth a standard MIPS RISC-based computer hardware and firmware environment....
standard, and was produced and marketed by ShaBLAMM! Computer
ShaBLAMM! Computer
ShaBLAMM! Computer was a startup computer company, founded in the early 1990s, which manufactured MIPS-based upgrade cards for systems running Windows NT.ShaBLAMM!'s main product line was the ShaBLAMM! NiTro-VLB line of upgrade expansion cards....
as an "upgrade" card for accelerating Windows NT
Windows NT
Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
.
Characteristics
The NiTro-VLB is notable for various unique characteristics among personal computer accessories. For example, although the system was marketed as an "upgrade" for computers already using a 486 processor, the NiTro-VLB was in fact of an entirely different architecture (specifically, the MIPS architectureMIPS architecture
MIPS is a reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by MIPS Technologies . The early MIPS architectures were 32-bit, and later versions were 64-bit...
) from the IA32-based 486. Further, as a "parasitic" or "symbiotic" coprocessor
Coprocessor
A coprocessor is a computer processor used to supplement the functions of the primary processor . Operations performed by the coprocessor may be floating point arithmetic, graphics, signal processing, string processing, or encryption. By offloading processor-intensive tasks from the main processor,...
, the NiTro-VLB was designed to co-opt the host 486 processor from running, and used four megabytes of the host 486 motherboard's system memory as a DMA
Direct memory access
Direct memory access is a feature of modern computers that allows certain hardware subsystems within the computer to access system memory independently of the central processing unit ....
buffer (although the NiTro-VLB required its own separate DRAM
Dram
Dram or DRAM may refer to:As a unit of measure:* Dram , an imperial unit of mass and volume* Armenian dram, a monetary unit* Dirham, a unit of currency in several Arab nationsOther uses:...
main memory, in addition to any memory installed on the host 486 motherboard).
This type of "parasite"/"host" upgrade card configuration, in which an entire motherboard and processor are implemented on an expansion card designed to connect to a host motherboard's expansion slot. However, such configurations are rare among computer systems designed to run Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
.
Specifications and benchmarks
The NiTro-VLB's QED R4600R4600
The R4600, code-named "Orion", is a microprocessor developed by Quantum Effect Design that implemented the MIPS III instruction set architecture . As QED was a design firm that did not fabricate or sell their designs, the R4600 was first licensed to Integrated Device Technology , and later to...
processor, running at 100 MHz, was rated at 73.8 SPECint92 and 63 SPECfp92 (which are similar figures to the first-generation Pentium running at 66 MHz). Faster and costlier versions were designed to run at 133 MHz or 150 MHz.