FPM and EDO memory compatability

[debs3759]

I've been reading up to try and find an answer but still don't know. The 486 motherboard I recently bought was made in '94, when the best 72-pin SIMMs were FPM. In '95 EDO hit the market. The BIOS was upgraded to the latest, which is dated 09/24/1996 (Phoenix BIOS 4.04). Should I expect it to run EDO memory or not? EDO is mostly cheaper than FPM

[weldum]

The chipset defines when you can use EDO or FPM, not the BIOS.
So, technically you can't use EDO on your motherboard, unless the chipset supports it.

[debs3759]

Thanks. Not what I wanted to hear, but I did suspect that. Shame, as I only have 32 MB FPM, and it's more expensive than EDO.

[frag_]

Most of the 486 motherboards do not work with EDO.
Some on certain chipsets (e.g. UMC 8881F) can work.
But bios support is necessary.
Simple rule: if manual do not mention EDO support then it's bad news.
In case of 486 EDO is not faster than FPM.