Here is what you probably need:
http://tinyurl.com/Intel-SE440BX or http://tinyurl.com/Intel-SE440BX-2
It's one of the most popular choices for a Pentium II system and easy to find too.
Why would you use a modem?

Any bx motherboard would be the way to go. The intel one is probaby the most rock solid of what is already a very reliable board, you also have the bx-3 which is a oem board intel made for the likes of dell or gateway and have either a yamaha or the ensonic/ ceative pci64 on board. Warning about the dell board is its not standard atx power connector but converters can be found.

The Asus Bx boards are also held in high regard. You can always go the cut down zx chipset as well as there is little difference in real terms to a bx board

Yes the Intel board you found on Amazon looks fine; it's from the same seller as the ebay links Dreamer_of_the_past provided btw.

What graphics card are you planning to install in this thing? And what CPU?

I found this graphics card: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007RP9FXY/ref= … &sr=8-9&pi=SL75

here's the cpu i was thinking of: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I4A9CDY/ref= … &sr=8-1&pi=SL75

ahendricks18 wrote:

I found this graphics card: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007RP9FXY/ref= … &sr=8-9&pi=SL75

That TNT2 M64 is one of the lower end cards from that period. It'll work, but the other TNT2 cards will perform much better.

Can you order from eBay? I see a lot of higher end models when I search for "Asus V3800" on eBay. There is even an auction for a TNT2 Ultra.

I would get at least a Geforce 2 (not MX) or Geforce 4 MX if you would like to play Quake 3 at high res.
A Geforce 3 ti200 is another option but perhaps a bit overkill.

Neither: You are in the US, so you can get one of those cheap Voodoo 3 3500's. Which gives you GLide support, which is a major plus for a system from this timeframe.

The parts you've chosen would be fine depending on what you need to do game-wise, but as others have pointed out you may want to select a faster graphics card (or a 3dfx card) depending on what you specifically want. If you aren't meaning to play lots of demanding 3D games, the TNT2 would be fine as-is.

I was thinking of playing games like age of empires 2 and doom. but ill get a better graphics card.

ahendricks18 wrote:

I was thinking of playing games like age of empires 2 and doom. but ill get a better graphics card.

Neither of those should really have a problem with the TNT2 - if memory serves AOE2 is not even 3D (most early RTS games are not), and Doom isn't so demanding that the TNT2 can't handle it. A faster card wouldn't do much for you, however if the price is the same I wouldn't shy away from such. If you went with the GeForce 4 MX you will gain MSAA and video decoding features, which would potentially be advantages. The Pentium II would then become your bottleneck though - there are many newer games that the 4 MX can play as long as you have a fast enough CPU (MX 440 + P4 2GHz will run Halo PC at 800x600 and be playable).

My standards

Video:

GeForce 2 GTS / Ultra
3dfx Voodoo 3 3000 / 3500
Matrox G200 / G400 + 3dfx Voodoo 2

Sound:

Aureal Vortex 2
Creative Sound Blaster Live!

I have a couple Slot P2 266 i think laying around here, would they be worth dumping on a board like that?

Bullmecha wrote:

I have a couple Slot P2 266 i think laying around here, would they be worth dumping on a board like that?

I don't see why not, but it's probably the bare minimum what I would put on a board like that. It's not the fastest CPU in the world, but it will cover many games up to 1999. It really depends on what games you want to run on it. That CPU can handle many great tittles such as Quake II, Need for Speed III, Half-Life, Diablo II, Unreal Tournament and so on.

obobskivich wrote:

Neither of those should really have a problem with the TNT2 - if memory serves AOE2 is not even 3D (most early RTS games are not), and Doom isn't so demanding that the TNT2 can't handle it.

Doom 1/2 are DOS games that don't use 3D acceleration. The video card doesn't matter too much, just avoid Rendition cards. A TNT2 M64 would be fine here, so would be most other cards.
If more modern source ports are meant than the OP could also use a modern system.

I'd say a Pentium 2 rig should look like this:

ASUS P2B
128MB RAM (or 256 if you want)
Geforce 2 GTS or Radeon 7200 AGP - either one should be 32MB
Pentium 2 400MHz CPU
CD-RW drive
10GB HDD
Sound Blaster 16 ISA
145-250W PSU - I'd recommend a Delta or a FSP PSU,those are solid PSUs
a nice beige case.

This is how I think a Pentium 2 system should look. Other people may think something else.

PcBytes wrote:

I'd say a Pentium 2 rig should look like this: […]
Show full quote

I'd say a Pentium 2 rig should look like this:

ASUS P2B
128MB RAM (or 256 if you want)
Geforce 2 GTS or Radeon 7200 AGP - either one should be 32MB
Pentium 2 400MHz CPU
CD-RW drive
10GB HDD
Sound Blaster 16 ISA
145-250W PSU - I'd recommend a Delta or a FSP PSU,those are solid PSUs
a nice beige case.

This is how I think a Pentium 2 system should look. Other people may think something else.

Asus P2B --> Ditto for that one. Any reputable brand BX will do, too, but I always personally like Asus over everything, and P2Bs were legends, especially in stability and reliability.
128MB RAM (or 256 if you want) --> Agreed. Even if that much RAM is not required 99.99% of the time, why not? SDRAMs are just dirt cheap.
Geforce 2 GTS or Radeon 7200 AGP - either one should be 32MB -->It really depends on what you need to play with it. You mentioned Doom, for which we were LAN partying during the times on 486DX33 and 386DX40 rigs with 4MB RAM and 1MB S3 VGA cards, so if you only play Doom and AOE kind of non 3D games, just anything will do starting from a regular generic S3 card. But to have more flexibility for rather late games and an acceptable level of compatibility, I personally suggest nVidia cards like GeForce2 - Geforce4 (from slowest to the fastest: 2 MX, 2 GTS, 2 Ultra, 4 MX, 4 Ti, any of them would do), but not the ATI ones. 32MB is of course ok, but 64 won't do any harm either. You might also choose to go with a Voodoo3 card instead (slower, but it has Glide), or better yet, might want to supplement your selected GeForce with a Voodoo2.
Pentium 2 400MHz CPU --> Very nice choice.
CD-RW drive --> Ok, but anything from a plain CD-ROM to DVD-RW will do, too
10GB HDD --> I don't see why. Just install whatever available, up to 120GB (FAT32 limit under normal conditions), and the closer to 120 GB, the better. Extra HDD space never hurts.
Sound Blaster 16 ISA --> I personally prefer AWE64, but it's a matter of taste really. You can also easly upgrade it with a SIMMSONN and regular 72 pin SIMM module (SB16 allows you to add a wavetable/GM daughterboard, however, which might be a plus).
145-250W PSU - I'd recommend a Delta or a FSP PSU, those are solid PSUs --> Good choice, I never had any problems with FSP and AOpen PSUs (rebranded FSPs actually) but I generally prefer 300W just to be on the safe side.
a nice beige case. --> Matter of taste again, I personally don't see any problem with black cases (very easy and cheap to find).

tayyare wrote:

10GB HDD --> I don't see why. Just install whatever available, up to 120GB (FAT32 limit under normal conditions), and the closer to 120 GB, the better. Extra HDD space never hurts.
145-250W PSU - I'd recommend a Delta or a FSP PSU, those are solid PSUs --> Good choice, I never had any problems with FSP and AOpen PSUs (rebranded FSPs actually) but I generally prefer 300W just to be on the safe side.
a nice beige case. --> Matter of taste again, I personally don't see any problem with black cases (very easy and cheap to find).

You're right about the HDD,but for the PSU I think 300W is kind of a waste of power. I mean a Pentium II won't use more than 250W max.

And right,SDRAM is real cheap. I've got 6 sticks of SD-RAM,with sizes ranging from 16MB (yes 16MB 😁)to 512MB. 🤣

OEM Pentium 2s are common and cheap on eBay.