Aladdin Motherboard FAQ

Author: Tom Yurick
The Aladdin motherboard is used in 10th Anniversary and Holiday XL systems. Following are some facts about the Aladdin motherboard, some of which are difficult or impossible to find out from regular sources. Most of this information is the result of my own experience and has been verified on my system.

How can I tell if I have the Aladdin motherboard?
Systems that use the Aladdin motherboard will display a BIOS version message at bootup that ends in "BR0T" (B R zero T). For example, 1.00.03BR0T

What kind of memory does the Aladdin motherboard use?
The Aladdin uses either Fast Page Mode (FPM) or Extended Data Out (EDO) 72 pin non-parity 60 nanosecond standard SIMMS with tin contacts. It supports 4, 8, 16 or 32 MB SIMMS in two banks of 2 sockets each (total of 4 sockets), giving a maximum memory capacity of 128 MB. You must add SIMM modules in pairs. It's important to use tin contacts because the SIMM slots use tin contacts. If you use SIMMS with gold contacts, the reaction between the metals can cause pitting, corrosion and possible memory errors.

NOTE: It has been reported that some Aladdin motherboards have gold SIMM sockets. It would be wise to carefully check the sockets on your motherboard to ensure that you purchase SIMM modules with the correct contact material.

Can I upgrade the Level 2 pipeline burst cache on the Aladdin?
No, the Aladdin motherboard is an OEM motherboard. The Level 2 cache chips are soldered to the board, rather than mounted in sockets. There is no provision for upgrading the Level 2 cache.

Who makes the Aladdin?
The Aladdin is manufactured by Intel Inc. It is an OEM version of the retail motherboard known as the Zappa. There are some small differences between the two motherboards, including the number of PCI slots and cache upgradablity.

What is the chipset used in the Aladdin motherboard?
The Aladdin uses the Intel Triton 430FX chipset. This includes the 82371FB (PIIX) PCI ISA IDE Accelerator, which is a multi-function PCI device implementing a PCI-to-ISA bridge function and an PCI IDE function. It provides two independent high performance bus-mastering PCI IDE interfaces capable of supporting PIO Mode 3 and Mode 4 devices for up to 16 MB/sec transfers. Support for ATAPI devices is provided in the system BIOS. The system BIOS also supports Logical Block Addressing (LBA) and ECHS on both IDE interfaces. When used in conjunction with a special driver the IDE interface operates as a PCI bus master for optimum performance in a multi-tasking environment. One such driver is provided by Intel for the Windows 95 environment. You may be able to get the Intel bus mastering driver from Gateway. You may also be able to get an updated version of the Intel bus mastering driver v2.85 on the web, but it isn't supported by Gateway. I use it with no problems though. You can learn more about the 82371FB (PIIX) at http://www.intel.com/design/pcisets/datashts/290550.htm.

Some of the new 3D video cards need a PCI slot that supports PCI v2.10. What do the Aladdin slots support?
The Aladdin PCI expansion slots accept PCI bus mastering cards, and fully comply with the PCI 2.10 specification.

I've heard about Pentium Overdrive upgrades that require a "Socket 7". What type of processor socket does the Aladdin have?
The Aladdin has a Socket 5 processor socket. According to Gateway 2000, however, it meets the minimum Socket 7 specifications in the 10th Anniversary systems. Refer to the Overdrive Processor FAQ page for additional details.

What is the fastest Pentium CPU that the Aladdin will support?
The Aladdin will allow up to a P5 133 (133 Mhz) standard processor. A faster Overdrive Processor can be installed, however. Refer to the Overdrive Processor FAQ page for additional details.

I've heard about overclocking. Can you overclock an Aladdin motherboard?
No. To my knowledge, you cannot overclock the Aladdin motherboard. There has been one report from a member that he has overclocked a P5 100 Mhz to 120 Mhz on an Aladdin motherboard, but that it will not overclock to 133 Mhz. This information has not been confirmed on my system, but may be true.

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