First post, by Wolven
- Rank
- Newbie
Hello.
Here's a teaser for my current build project. It looks like a mess right now as I've not gotten a case for it yet. Nor do I have a test bench, so all the parts are just floating around...
Motherboard: MSI KM2M Combo-L
CPU: AMD Duron 900
RAM: 2x 512MB DDR333
GPU: Gainward Geforce4 MX-440 SE
Sound: Sound Blaster Live!
I have Windows 98 SE installed and it's working fine. I even got sound in MS-DOS mode, though I have some issues with the mouse and keyboard.
After battling with sound in DOS on a VIA KT600 based motherboard in my previous build, I must say I've very pleased with the comparability of this board. And I'm loving the red PCB. I love it so much that I chose the rather underwhelming MX-440 GPU to compliment it, just because it's red too. That and the fact it is passively cooled. (I really hate the whine of tiny fans) While being a budget CPU, I have very fond memories of the Duron 900. It was the first CPU I had which nearly hit the magic 1 Ghz mark with an overclock. I didn't manage to get it all the way to 1 Ghz, but very close. The old Duron 900 I had is long gone, but maybe I'll manage to push this one to 1 Ghz.
As you can see in this picture, I have ghetto mounted a 120mm fan to the CPU cooler. I have the original 60mm fan for it, but the sound it makes... 😵 Not quiet sure how to mount the 120mm properly yet, but I hope to figure it out when I get a case.
I'm running the OS off this Compact Flash card and I'm pleasantly surprised how fast the install runs and boots off the card. It's only 8GB, but it's plenty for running Windows 98. Probably for holding the games I want too, as most of them will likely be DOS games. So I'll probably ditch the HDD once I assemble the build properly.
My first time owning a Sound Blaster Live! I remember drooling over these back in the day, before I went and bought the Audigy some years later, which is currently in use in my other build.
The MX-440 might not be a true Geforce 4 and its performance lackluster compared to other cards from the same time, but it sure looks pretty and it's silent. As mentioned I'll be using this build mostly for DOS games, so the card is plenty powerful to do that.
Here's the case I plan to use for the build. It's not in my possession yet, as I'm waiting for it to be shipped to me. I've never been a fan of beige cases, (sorry beige retro lovers) so I think this case will suit me and my project fine.
That's it for now. I hope you're liking the build so far. I'm having tons of fun building it. I'll post more as the build progresses and include some glamour shots of the components.
