ShaBLAMM! NiTro-VLB


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.

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 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.
This is a 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. Such configurations are rare among computer systems designed to run Microsoft Windows.

Specifications and benchmarks

The NiTro-VLB's QED R4600 processor, running at 100 MHz, was rated at 73.8 SPECint92 and 63 SPECfp92. Faster and costlier versions were designed to run at 133 MHz or 150 MHz.

Sales

Initially, the NiTro-VLB system was priced at $1,095 for a 100 MHz card with no main memory, $1,995 for a 100 MHz card with 16 MB of main memory and a copy of Windows NT, and $2,595 for a 150 MHz card.