Winmodem for Pentium 100

[ProtoCube]

My dad wants to replace his 33.6 modem with a 56k one. He bought a winmodem, but when he installed it, he found out it required an MMX cpu, which he doesn't have (he has an old Pentium 100). He doesn't want to spend too much (i.e. for a hardware modem), but is a Pentium 100 even fast enough for any winmodem? If so, can anyone recommend one that will work?

 

[AndyHui]

All WinModems rely on a concept called Host Signal Processing, where the CPU does all of the work. A Pentium 100 is too slow for all currently available WinModems.

Most manufacturers recommend a Pentium 200MHz or above, and ideally an MMX capable processor.

Your dad either needs to upgrade his processor, or return the 56K WinModem for a hardware modem.

 

[ProtoCube]

Thanks - that's what I needed to know.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

you can still use winmodem on p100, but it will connect at around 28K only.

 

[yg17]

eitehr buy an external serial port modem, or if you have an ISA slot (you probably do on that old computer) try to find a ISA modem, those are not winmodems

 

[ProtoCube]

OK, ISA - thanks. I was having trouble finding hardware modems, or even figuring out which modems were hardmodems, as they usually don't say on store sites, and pricewatch doesn't seem to have a catagory for them.

Now another related question - I might end up needing to get a 56k modem myself, and I have a PII 266. Would a winmodem work OK on that? I'd prefer a PCI modem, so I can still use it when I put a new system together.

 

[AndyHui]

A WinModem should be fine on a Pentium II 266, but be prepared for dropouts if your CPU usage suddenly jumps when loading things.

 

[ProtoCube]

Well let me ask this: how would I go about finding a PCI hardware modem, and how much more should I expect to pay over a winmodem? And can anyone recommend a good one?

 

[stingbandel]

wow, that's weird. I install winmodem (lucent chipset) on my dad's P120. It works pretty good. Connecting at 43 something



I think you can try Intel modem. it only costs you around $15 shipped and it's pretty good. I highly recommend you that one.





Darno

 

[skriefal]

A Lucent-based winmodem would probably be fine on a P100, since Lucent uses a real DSP instead of slow host-based processing. Just look for "Lucent chipset" when searching for a winmodem. This may be the same as "Conexant chipset", as I think Lucent may have sold their modem chipset business...

 

[Dan]

ProtoCube: Post something in the "For Sale/Trade" forum. Just indicate that you're looking for an ISA 56K modem for a P-100 system. I guarantee you'll get some responses.

Be prepared to send your money first, since you're relatively new here. I'm very active in that forum so, if I can help you out, just let me know.

 

[bendixG15]

whoever said an ISA modem is NOT a winmodem is mistaken.
I have a 56k ISA modem and itis a winmodem
Have been using it for years and it usually connects at 50k
If you buy an old ISA modem, make sure you get drivers for your operating system or
that your OS has the drivers.

 

[ProtoCube]

I'm leaning toward just getting a couple Lucent/Conexant-based modems as skriefal suggested, for example the one on this page, which specifically says it'll work on a P90 or better.

I'm more inclined toward this one, as it has cheaper shipping and I've dealt with NewEgg before, but I'm not sure if this is what I'm looking for - I'm a bit confused by the fact that it says it's a Conexant modem, but then it says it has a Rockwell chipset - but if you look at the picture you can clearly see the chip says "Conexant". Opinions?

 

[skriefal]

<< I'm a bit confused by the fact that it says it's a Conexant modem, but then it says it has a Rockwell chipset >>



I believe I was incorrect in stating that Lucent == Conexant. I should have instead stated that Lucent == Agere. Oops.

 

[ProtoCube]

Yeah I figured that out - Lucent=Agere, and Rockwell=Conexant. And the Lucent is the one that's not so CPU-dependant.

 

[RSMemphis]

Not sure if you are still looking for opinions, but I had a winmodem running on a Pentium 133 for a long time.
I never heard of any that require MMX??? Whassup with that?

 

[ProtoCube]

Well apparently, some winmodems are just about entirely host-based and have inefficient drivers, requiring a faster CPU (but who knows why they need MMX - maybe it?s just a way of specifying minimum CPU speed?), and others like the Lucent that have a built-in DSP and better drivers can work on even a fast 486 (or so I?ve read).