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ATX Pentium i430HX Build in Modern Case

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First post, by QBiN

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I wanted to build a late 1996 to 1997 Win95 Pentium as a complete system. I wanted to make it mostly era correct with some liberties taken for convenience. I used a modern ATX case, but I tried to find the slimmest case I could find for a full ATX motherboard. The case is pretty unique as it hides the PSU behind two false 5.25 external drive bays near the front of the case... allowing for a shorter and thinner case than the average full ATX system. Here's the result:

Case: Coolermaster Elite 361
Motherboard: Micronics M55-Hi Plus (i430HX Chipset), salvaged from a recycled Micron PC
CPU: Pentium 200MMX (80503-200)
VRM: 2.8V Intel Standard Votage Regulator Module (needed to provide the 2.8V core to the P55C)
RAM: 4x 64MB EDO 72pin SIMM's (256MB Total)
HDD: 2GB Compact Flash w/ Syba CF-IDE Adapter
CD-ROM: LG GCR-8485B 48x ATAPI
Main Video: ATI 3d Expression+ (Rage II) PCI 8MB
Alt Video: Canopus Pure3D (Voodoo1) PCI 6MB
NIC: 3Com 3c905b-TX
Sound: Onboard Creative Vibra 16C PnP
Other Sound: Creative "Goldfinch" CT-1920 ISA 8MB, connected via 8pin cable to motherboard "Wavetable upgrade" header
Other Sound: JDS Labs O2 Headphone Amp
PSU: Startech 300W ATX1.3 PSU (w/ -5V supply)

OS: Windows 95c OSR2.5

P55%20Case%20Front.jpg
P55%20Inside%20Case.jpg
P55%20Detail%201.jpg
P55%20Goldfinch%20Detail.jpg
P55%20Detail%202.jpg
P55%20Case%20Rear.jpg
fbd7d1e6-da32-48d5-bbad-c752bbcad916.png

So far I've just tested MechWarrior2, DF2:Jedi Knight, and Final Reality on it. All run great. The goldfinch works flawlessly with the standard AWE32 control panel, and WinAmp has no issues playing MIDI files through it.

For the most part it's pretty true to a mid to late 1997 machine except for the case and compact flash HDD... but those just make my life easier and provide a pretty clean implementation. The case is really my favorite bit. I may pick up a couple more for future builds.

Thanks for reading.

Last edited by QBiN on 2015-04-22, 22:41. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 2 of 14, by Skyscraper

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Nice build 😀

The case dosnt take up much space compared to a standard beige box.

New PC: i9 12900K @5GHz all cores @1.2v. MSI PRO Z690-A. 32GB DDR4 3600 CL14. 3070Ti.
Old PC: Dual Xeon X5690@4.6GHz, EVGA SR-2, 48GB DDR3R@2000MHz, Intel X25-M. GTX 980ti.
Older PC: K6-3+ 400@600MHz, PC-Chips M577, 256MB SDRAM, AWE64, Voodoo Banshee.

Reply 3 of 14, by QBiN

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MMaximus wrote:

cool rig and nice specs. did Win95 install without any problem on the CF? I tried on my machine a while ago but it didn't work.

I didn't have any problems, no. I used a Lexar Professional 2Gig CF card. But I did make sure the CF was listed as ATA compatible and I made sure to manually put in the cylinders/heads/sectors in the BIOS as listed by the manufacturer.

Partitioning and Formatting as Fat32 went by with no complaints.

With the ATI Rage-II and Voodoo, I did try flipping back and forth between their respective versions of 3d-enhanced MechWarrior2. I'd played them separately in the past, but never back-to-back on the same system. The 3dfx version truly rules the roost.

Reply 4 of 14, by QBiN

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Skyscraper wrote:

Nice build 😀

The case dosnt take up much space compared to a standard beige box.

Yeah... I have to say, even though it's not retro, the case may be my favorite part of the build. With space being a premium for most people, this case would work for any full size ATX system and provide a significantly smaller footprint.

Reply 5 of 14, by JayCeeBee64

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Very interesting and unique, never seen a case like that before. Does the LG CD-ROM have any way of keeping CDs from falling out?

I also use the Startech PSU for my Socket 7 build, one of the few with -5V supply you can still buy new. And nice to see the Intel P3 cooler being put to good use ^^.

A neat build overall. Cheers 😀

Ooohh, the pain......

Reply 7 of 14, by QBiN

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JayCeeBee64 wrote:

Very interesting and unique, never seen a case like that before. Does the LG CD-ROM have any way of keeping CDs from falling out?

Yes, the CD tray has a pair of very slight tabs on both the left and right sides. It keeps CD's perfectly vertical and aligned in the tray when sideways. Interestingly, the case can be laid on it's side and used as a desktop case. The Cooler Master logo even rotates 90 degrees (think Playstation3-esque) to complete the look.

JayCeeBee64 wrote:

And nice to see the Intel P3 cooler being put to good use ^^.

Yep. Socket 370 coolers fit just fine on Socket7. 😀

Reply 8 of 14, by petro89

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Nice build! And as others have said that is a cool case. I think I may just get one myself 😉

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Reply 11 of 14, by QBiN

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Half-Saint wrote:

Talk about weird PSU placement 😁

Think about it, though... In most newer systems, you wouldn't need -5V and could go with a modular PSU. In my current daily-driver PC (Core i7) I only use one external 5.25 for a DVD burner, even though it's a tower case. In contrast, you could get a really clean modern system in one of these with very little effort.

Reply 13 of 14, by tincup

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Nice build. I like the CM mini cases too. I have a few of the earlier 360 model that differ in that the PSU trades place with the drive bay, leaving you with an extra 5.25 and floppy bay where the PSU is on the 361. Venting the PSU appears to be an issue at first but in practice the cases stay well-aired, especially if fans are installed in the many grille locations.

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