Re: Dell Dimension 466i Restoration/Build

Posted on Yesterday, 14:36

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

I wouldn't be so sure about the BIOSes. There is a chance the board would be similar to something else out there, but almost all the Dells I've worked with had their own custom mobos, and almost all (if not all) had Phoenix BIOS. Which pretty much means no luck modding it. Granted, I don't have as …

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Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

Posted on Yesterday, 14:11

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by Tali

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Got this tank: Now that's a sexy case if there ever was one Nice board with a clean lay-out, thanks to the integrated south bridge. No need for a heatsink I presume? Congrats. :) No idea yet, I'm still waiting for the board to arrive. Guess, we'll see when it does. But the SPAX didn't have a …

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Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today

Posted on Yesterday, 07:42

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by Tali

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Hi! Normally I do not post in this thread (that's something I should probably change), but over the last couple years I've acquired quite a few interesting examples. This one isn't particularly special in itself, just a motherboard I need for a project. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ …

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Re: Dell Dimension 466i Restoration/Build

Posted on Yesterday, 07:28

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by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Dells were always "the most generic of generic", except of the forced incompatibility with some hardware... but somehow, having worked as an admin and head of IT, I just LOVED them. Probably because each and every Dell I've ever had the pleasure working with was simple, tough, reliable and not …

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Re: Asus P2B-DS Build

Posted on 2021-01-14, 20:17

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

I've actually reused the case also, it now houses a HTPC (I use that term loosely, it is powerful enough to run Steam to stream Cyberpunk from Sorceress across 100km from another town via a VPN :), and the blue lighting is just icing on the cake. Works well that the mobo has blue accents, and the …

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Re: A couple (or, perhaps, quite a bit more) rigs for all ages

Posted on 2021-01-14, 20:07

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by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Them MIDI mountains, those just keep growing! https://i.imgur.com/yWNCPS1.jpg Seriously, got that Roland MPU-105 finally. Works fine, looks almost like new. Except the missing rubber feet (something easy to solve), it even had its original wall wart. Knowing myself, and having an opportunity to snag …

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Re: Asus P2B-DS Build

Posted on 2021-01-13, 20:15

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by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Is that Antec Three Hundred I spy in this build? Loved that case, it used to house Assassin before I moved it into Define R6... and long before it was called that. Brings back memories... Come to think of it, it was the first case I used that wasn't an El Cheapo, and wouldn't house El Cheapo …

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Re: A couple (or, perhaps, quite a bit more) rigs for all ages

Posted on 2021-01-13, 18:42

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Yay! Ordered a board for Crusader! Gigabyte ga-586stx, same as that ASUS SPAX chipset (sis5582), except with no onboard audio and other surprises. Should be able to get it up and happily running with GUS Extreme. Also ordered some replacement fans for that 5950 Ultra by ASUS (for the Athlon).

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Re: A couple (or, perhaps, quite a bit more) rigs for all ages

Posted on 2021-01-09, 12:10

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Of the answer to both is true, I can plug anything at the end of that TOSLINK cable and enjoy nice digital sound from one of the most compatible cards out there, minus the hiss. Very interesting. On paper, the CMI8330 has some amazing capabilities, so I'm looking forward to seeing how your approach …

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Re: A couple (or, perhaps, quite a bit more) rigs for all ages

Posted on 2021-01-09, 09:34

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Unfortunately I have little time to finish working on Assassin, and even Seer needs a few touches. But I have another project in progress now. I've ordered a TTL TOSLINK/Optical converter (for 16 USD I'm not going to bother building my own), and I will try to see how clean the signal off of that C- …

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Re: Slot 1 Pentium II Windows 95 Build - In Progress

Posted on 2021-01-09, 09:06

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

On a more serious note, I am actually using PATA SSDs on most of my retro rigs. Such a thing exists? Why are we all using pata/sata adapters then? They do, even if the manufacturers aren't the most widely known nor trusted. Ever heard of KingSpec? Sounds like knock off Kingston to me. Yet there …

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Re: A couple (or, perhaps, quite a bit more) rigs for all ages

Posted on 2021-01-06, 13:17

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Assassin says "Hi!"

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Re: A couple (or, perhaps, quite a bit more) rigs for all ages

Posted on 2021-01-05, 16:27

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Yep, got the package. Need to test if either card works, naturally, but that will wait. Assassin is next in line, afterwards I check these. And yes, I do expect both to work, but I also expect the fans on the GPU to require replacement. Still, tests first.

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Re: Building retro gaming PC 1999

Posted on 2021-01-05, 09:30

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

So for DOS that is awesome, while for Windows, unless you want 3D effects, anything is fine. Well, YMF 7x4 cards do have Sensaura, when VxD drivers are used. That gives you A3D 1.0 support as well as EAX 1.0 and EAX 2.0 emulation. In my experience, EAX compatibility is hit and miss, and doesn't …

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Re: Building retro gaming PC 1999

Posted on 2021-01-05, 08:02

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Not much to add, other than you may be more interested in easy underclocking, rather than overclocking. Try to find a board with BIOS-controlled FSB, so that you can easily drop your 600MHZ down to below 450. There are some DOS games that don't work on 450+ but are quite fine at 300. Also, if you …

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Re: A couple (or, perhaps, quite a bit more) rigs for all ages

Posted on 2021-01-04, 15:14

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Another pack of "things" just cleared the customs. Some time this week I'll get it. I've also acquired a brand new Samsung LCD for my other home, and, since it's not retro tech, I'd normally skip on this info. However, this particular model has got my attention for more than the "normal" reasons. …

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Re: Slot 1 Pentium II Windows 95 Build - In Progress

Posted on 2021-01-04, 14:55

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

[...]But nowadays we have SSDs that work faster than RAM on a 486.[...] How old are your SSDs? :D Today's fastest NVMe SSDs match or exceed the memory speed even for late Pentium 4 platforms (in sequential read/writes, anyway - but even in 4k random reads/writes we are talking about 3 GB+/s). :-) I …

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Re: Slot 1 Pentium II Windows 95 Build - In Progress

Posted on 2021-01-04, 08:52

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Always a pleasure to see a "Slot machine", and in a modern case too! :) Regarding stuttering, does it occur "randomly" or in a specific spot? May be a wild guess here, but what I've noticed with a much newer (but still hopelessly retro system) is that game programmers sometimes think "faster is …

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Re: Post your 'current' PC

Posted on 2021-01-01, 17:32

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by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Being immeasurably bored during this lockdown version of New Year, I figured I've never posted in this thread... Some of you may already be acquainted with my little Sorceress, but, if not, here goes. As befits a proper mage, she's not the youngest girl on the block. But that doesn't detract from …

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Re: A couple (or, perhaps, quite a bit more) rigs for all ages

Posted on 2020-12-23, 09:54

by

by Tali

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Good article. Lots of good memories with NC as well. As for P3 - I have been messing with that stuff recently as well. Dumped the other day bunch of info in another thread. Slot cartriges were cool for sure. Well, to me Slot 1 was a Pentium II affair, I view slot on P3 pretty much like Super 7 for …

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