4DMS HL3G-L4-VI © 199? EFA Corp.
This board represents EFA's transition to the SiS 496/497 platform, which became the industry standard for 486 PCI boards due to its excellent balance of cost, performance, and stability. Like the Abit AB-PV4 and Chaintech 4SPI, the 4DMS was designed to provide a reliable path for users to migrate from VLB to PCI without needing to replace their entire 486-based system.
Chipset: SiS 85C496 (Northbridge) / 85C497 (Southbridge).
CPU Support: Socket 3. Compatible with the standard range of 486SX, DX, DX2, and DX4 processors.
Expansion: 3x PCI slots / 4x ISA slots.
Memory: 4x 72-pin SIMM sockets (typically FPM/EDO DRAM).
Form Factor: Baby AT.
Cache: 256KB of L2 cache (usually in DIP sockets).
Unique Feature: The "HL3G" designation often referred to EFA's specific revision level that included better support for the AMD Am486DX4-100 and early Am5x86-P75 chips, which required specific jumper configurations for the 3.3V power supply.
The SiS Reference Design: The 4DMS is a quintessential example of the "SiS 496 Reference Design." Many generic motherboards from 1995–1996 used almost the exact same layout as this EFA board. If you have an unbranded motherboard in your collection that looks like an Abit PV4 but has a different silk-screen, it is likely an EFA-OEM board.
EFA vs. Tier-1: EFA was a massive manufacturer for the OEM market. While Abit and Chaintech marketed themselves to hobbyists, EFA boards like the 4DMS were found inside millions of pre-built "White-box" computers sold by local PC shops. This makes the 4dmshl3g a key entry for your database if you want to represent the "actual" hardware that was on desks in 1995, rather than just the enthusiast boards.