love it!! 😲

Richo wrote:

love it!! 😲

Thanks. I've got the benchmark results at home, will upload them later 😀

I had this exact same build just a few moths back, just w/o an ssd and pimpin lighting 😎

Going from 640x480 @ 30fps in 1997 to 1024x768 @ 60fps in 1998 is pretty bonkers (well ok Unreal runs at ~51 but its close enough 🤣 )

I think the Pentium II 450 and Voodoo 2 SLI is a classic combination that lots of people go for 😀

Here are the benchmarks results comparing against the 1997 build with Pentium II 300 and Riva 128.

DOS 320 x 200:

DOS 640 x 480:

Windows:

Power draw:

Deleted

Very interesting... I have a very similar machine, but with a G400 instead of G200. The P2-450 + V2SLI combo was my dream PC since I saw a review of the Alienware Area51 in a PCGamer issue from 1998.

PhilsComputerLab wrote:

What amazed me is just how much faster this machine is compared to the 1997 time machine that I built previously. We don't see these kind of performance leaps these days.

Yes, not only there were big leaps of performance from one year to the next in terms of CPUs, but also with VGAs since the introduction of 3D accelerators, in particular the original Vooddo Graphics and Voodoo2. It was amazing for me at the time how games that were unplayable slideshows in SVGA resolutions suddenly became silky smooth by adding a simple card. I'm no 3dfx fanboy, but I consider the Voodoo & Voodoo2 the most significant improvement in terms of (consumer oriented) graphics ever made.

EDIT: Also, are those power draw results watts used from the wall? If so that would confirm my suspicion that P2 based SLI builds don't really use that much power and a modern power supply with around 20A on 5V and 3.3V lines should be more than enough to run it.

TheMobRules wrote:

EDIT: Also, are those power draw results watts used from the wall? If so that would confirm my suspicion that P2 based SLI builds don't really use that much power and a modern power supply with around 20A on 5V and 3.3V lines should be more than enough to run it.

Yup, they are from the wall going into the PSU of the PC.

Using a Deschutes Pentium II rather than a Klamath helps. The Pentium II 300 is the worst and can add another 20 W or so. While I didn't test a V2 with the Pentium II 300, with a Riva 128 and also a Quadro 2, I had zero issues I must say. I only use modern PSUs in my endeavours.

Question phil!

What card is the PROMISE? is it a PROMISE sata 300 tx2 plus?

tabm0de wrote:

Question phil!

What card is the PROMISE? is it a PROMISE sata 300 tx2 plus?

Yes that's the one. I believe the 150 series has got Windows 98 support.

Sadly it's seems my need driver, if I boot up win98 from another disk it ask for drivers 🙁

And hier a video showcasing this machine 😀

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI-cApEjMDY

Beautiful build. Wonderfully executed - love it!

I really do like the mix of old and new. I think the YouTube comment comparing it to putting an old engine in a new car is a bit disingenuous. Aside from it just being a plain ol' bit of fun and an enjoyable deviation from the beige box formula present on many retro YT channels, I see it more as giving an old, hard working family [of hardware] a nice holiday or retirement in a five star resort. Nice and clean power delivery, a luxury hotel to stay in and other modern creature comforts. Some people see it as the pinnacle of crimes against retro hardware, but I'd say that's destroying old hardware for fun or out of stupidity or lack of knowledge.

I've been somewhat nervous about my own project as I'm waiting for things to arrive, thinking it won't turn out how I imagined it but seeing this video showed it can be done, it can look great, it can perform great and will still have the heart and spirit of the hardware inside.

A big thumbs up here.

That's it, just follow your own ideas and vision, ignore the haters 😁