486-GVT © 199? First International Computer
The FIC 486-GVT (often appearing in later revisions as the FIC 486-GVT-2) is a classic "workhorse" motherboard from the mid-1990s. It is highly representative of the transition period in 486 design, where manufacturers were attempting to maximize performance using the reliable VIA "GMC" (Green Motherboard Chipset) architecture.
Chipset: This board is built around the VIA VT82C486A (Northbridge) and the VT82C482 (Buffer/Data path) chipset. This "GMC" (Green Motherboard Chipset) series was specifically designed to support the newer, power-efficient "SL-Enhanced" 486 processors, including the Intel DX4 and the AMD 5x86 series.
Architecture: It is a Socket 3 board (ZIF socket) featuring a Baby AT form factor. It is particularly well-regarded for its support of both 30-pin and 72-pin SIMM slots, making it a very flexible platform for users migrating from older 386/486 systems who wanted to reuse their existing 30-pin RAM.
Expansion: The board typically features a mix of 6 x 16-bit ISA slots and 2 x 32-bit VESA Local Bus (VLB) slots. The VLB slots were the "secret sauce" of the GVT series, allowing high-performance VLB-based graphics cards (like the Cirrus Logic 5428) to run without the bottlenecks of the standard ISA bus.
Memory/Cache:
RAM: Supports up to 96MB–128MB of FPM (Fast Page Mode) DRAM.
Cache: Features sockets for 64KB, 128KB, or 256KB of L2 cache (usually in 28-pin DIP format), which was critical for maximizing the performance of 100MHz+ 486 processors.
"Green PC" Philosophy: As the G in "GVT" suggests, this board was part of the "Green PC" movement of the early 90s, featuring built-in power management (SMM - System Management Mode) that allowed the motherboard to spin down hard drives and enter low-power modes—a novelty for home PCs at the time.