So, you're in for a tough ride. 😁

If you want the best of 1999 you'll end up with something like the machine in my sig. If you tough it up a bit towards end of 2000 you'll get 1.2GHZ socket A AMD Athlon, but the best motherboard (in my opinion Asus A7V) has no ISA slots...

If you want to run DOS games i recommend a good Slot 1 mobo with ISA support, a top P3 cpu, 256/512MB RAM, SCSI HD, Geforce DDR/Geforce 2 DDR, Voodoo 2 for Glide games, a good ISA soundcard with Wave Blaster header for MIDI, a NIC, and perhaps a SB Live! for windows games.

So basically i described my system. 😅
But you can go in many different directions regarding the hardware.

For older machines i recommend a 486 for that prior 1995 experience.
For the 80's... a XT.

I recommend reading, a lot. Computer magazines are a good source of info, so is this forum. Check out Computer Gaming World archive.

😀 That's a very extensive list! Point 2, just by itself, is a very big project, but I second what sprcorreia has said 😎

IF you have some hardware laying around start building.
IF you'll have to hunt every component down (and therefore have no room for trial and error) start reading.

Also, in my scarce experience , I can advise you not to want every detail figured out before you start enjoying the system (s) you are building. But you must read a lot before you get to work.

I've found out that what works for me is building a system as a base point, and then modifying as needed, or even build a different one. The important is to get started.

You have already succeeded at the most difficult: to decide what games you want to play / things you want to do. So, for instance build that Athlon and then tweak as you go along.

sprcorreia wrote:

So, you're in for a tough ride. 😁

Shiesta! =(

If you want the best of 1999 you'll end up with something like the machine in my sig. If you tough it up a bit towards end of 2000 you'll get 1.2GHZ socket A AMD Athlon, but the best motherboard (in my opinion Asus A7V) has no ISA slots...

I guess the P3 Tualatin CPUs were later as well. I've been looking at a few of them on Ebay, thinking they would've been in 2000. Would you recommend AMD over Intel for this time period? (2000-2001)

If you want to run DOS games i recommend a good Slot 1 mobo with ISA support, a top P3 cpu, 256/512MB RAM, SCSI HD, Geforce DDR/Geforce 2 DDR, Voodoo 2 for Glide games, a good ISA soundcard with Wave Blaster header for MIDI, a NIC, and perhaps a SB Live! for windows games.

I'm having such a hard time finding a full system with similar configurations on Ebay. Do you find it's better to just buy parts individually? What case would you recommend? What do you use?

I recommend reading, a lot. Computer magazines are a good source of info, so is this forum. Check out Computer Gaming World archive.

Thanks for that last tip. I'm seeing some good information around here at CG World's archive. Can I ask how much you spent on your system(s)? I mean, if you were to price your components / the system on Ebay?

Filosofia wrote:

Also, in my scarce experience , I can advise you not to want every detail figured out before you start enjoying the system (s) you are building. But you must read a lot before you get to work.

On one hand, I understand exactly why you say this. But on the other hand, it seems like it would be very difficult to get a complete system setup if you don't have in mind basically what you want to purchase. I mean, I'm having a hard enough time finding suitable systems on Ebay as it is.

I've found out that what works for me is building a system as a base point, and then modifying as needed, or even build a different one. The important is to get started.

What do you start with? Case? CPU+Mobo?

You have already succeeded at the most difficult: to decide what games you want to play / things you want to do. So, for instance build that Athlon and then tweak as you go along.

The ~2000 gaming PC is definitely the first priority. How much would you pay for such a system, whether as a whole or the total cost of the components? The prices on Ebay can vary so much, with what seems to be items of the same quality.

I've purchased a lot of individual parts myself. For my beige Optiplex, I got the base machine with DOS installed on it in 2005. Then I added Windows 98, a Voodoo card, GeForce 2, Gravis Ultrasound...the works. I would definitely shop around on ebay. It's where I get 90% of my hardware. But don't buy the *first* one of a part you want to get, as there's usually a cheaper one. I got my Roland MT-32 for about $40 bucks. Some guys on there charge well over $100 🤣

Some stuff i had since the days, other i bought on ebay, local sellers, friends, etc. I have spent quite a deal of money, now i have too much stuff!

2000 was a year of transition. Less ISA slots on the motherboards....

How many machines do you want to build? 3? 4?

As an example for a Windows 95/98 gaming system (probably 95, for my liking):

Intel Pentium II - 400mhz (compared to my 233mhz at the time)
RAM: 128 MB (compared to my 40MB)

Full Specs:
Processor: Intel Pentium II 400MHZ
Chipset: Intel 440BX AGP
RAM: 128MB
MOBO: EP-61BXA-M EPOX
Hard Drive: WD102AA 10GB
CD-ROM: XM-5702B
Floppy Drive: 3.5”
Video: ATI RAGE XL AGP
USB: 2
AGP slots: 1
PCI slots: 4
ISA slot: 3
OS: Windows 98
Network: 3C90SB-TX 3COM
Other: 2 serial, 1 parallel

Buy It Price: $185.00.
S&H: $42.85
Total: 227.85

Does that seem like a reasonable deal?

This machine would be middleground between your points 1 and 2. I would not pay more then $50 for that. Better chance for good build is to look for mobo+cpu+memory combo you need, and find separately newer PSU and hard disk/flash that do not make 90's noise, unless you really are retro. Case is a luxury. And look around for some old graphics cards people throw away, there will be plenty better then Rage XL. It is not so bad match for PII400 if you are fine with 640x480x16 and some image quality quirks. Otherwise look for something better.

re 6. :

Here is your one-stop shop, if you're not too picky/can edit some parts yourself later, and want a fast fix:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/socaleer/m.html?_nkw= … =&_trksid=p3686

Ok, you may get the parts cheaper yourself, donations/scrap or other sources, but still...

If you don't like the current selection, ask him for specific setups, or just wait for new builds/offers - he churns these out regularily, check the feedback/sold items.... 😁

siberiankiss wrote:

As an example for a Windows 95/98 gaming system (probably 95, for my liking): […]
Show full quote

As an example for a Windows 95/98 gaming system (probably 95, for my liking):

Intel Pentium II - 400mhz (compared to my 233mhz at the time)
RAM: 128 MB (compared to my 40MB)

Full Specs:
Processor: Intel Pentium II 400MHZ
Chipset: Intel 440BX AGP
RAM: 128MB
MOBO: EP-61BXA-M EPOX
Hard Drive: WD102AA 10GB
CD-ROM: XM-5702B
Floppy Drive: 3.5”
Video: ATI RAGE XL AGP
USB: 2
AGP slots: 1
PCI slots: 4
ISA slot: 3
OS: Windows 98
Network: 3C90SB-TX 3COM
Other: 2 serial, 1 parallel

Buy It Price: $185.00.
S&H: $42.85
Total: 227.85

Does that seem like a reasonable deal?

I think it's way expensive. Don't rush your purchase. Be patient, it will pay off.

You can do better for A LOT less but you have to be willing to give it some time. Start by posting on craigslist and searching locally for cheap or free junk systems. Then use eBay and amazon for choice parts such as sound cards that you want/need and the same for certain graphics cards like the voodoo 3 ect.

If you do it right you can build a decent p2 or p3 rig for under $50 without the monitor in most situations. Second you should try to decide on which particular type of system that you want to build first and stick to it to see if you are committed to doing retro because once you got that itch you will never go back. For Dos well I would try hard to get a 486 or a p1 era machine and go from there. The real expensive parts are usually the sound cards for dos systems as they are rare and there are lots of games that are very picky but once you got the right stuff the hard work is usually done. The pentium 1 era machines are easy and cheaper than working with 486 machines but can and do use many of the same parts. Tweaking pentium 1 machines for performance emulation to get fast 386 or slow 486 saves a lot of trouble.

Yamaha YMF719 and for the midi Yamaha DB50XG/DB60XG. For graphics your choices are almost limitless but the premium models are the pci voodoo 3 and voodoo banshie as they are driverless. The other is a Reva 128, search for pci diamond viper 330.

For 1998-2001 you will have it easier and cheaper. I suggest a good socket 370 machine or a socket a. If you are more interested in slot type then slot 1 p2 or p3. For extra geek points then a slot a athlon system but those are rare.

siberiankiss wrote:

Filosofia wrote:

What do you start with? Case? CPU+Mobo? […]
Show full quote

I've found out that what works for me is building a system as a base point, and then modifying as needed, or even build a different one. The important is to get started.

What do you start with? Case? CPU+Mobo?

You have already succeeded at the most difficult: to decide what games you want to play / things you want to do. So, for instance build that Athlon and then tweak as you go along.

The ~2000 gaming PC is definitely the first priority. How much would you pay for such a system, whether as a whole or the total cost of the components? The prices on Ebay can vary so much, with what seems to be items of the same quality.

I start with cpu and graphic card! That's what gamers do! 😀

1 - Realy, I decide what games are going to be played (and the OS )and go about reading magazines for the time and browsing the web, finding what were the hotest gaming rigs back then.

2 - Once the CPU/Graphic card combo is figured out I read motherboard reviews to find a suitable one to accomodate them.

3- Choose memory quantity, HDD size, optical drives, sound card (any PCI branded should be find for this system)

Or you could buy a ready one.
If you are going to start with the 2000's gaming project, you would be mainly thinking 1998-2002 windows 98 games , so buy a mainstream 2003 gaming rig.
THis is just an example: you could start with the cheapest athlon-xp you could find on a VIA chipset, along with a also very cheap MX flavored geforce4. It is possible to get a complete case for €30 or so , but expect more like 50-60€.

jmrydholm wrote:

I've purchased a lot of individual parts myself. For my beige Optiplex, I got the base machine with DOS installed on it in 2005.

Do you ever see anything similar these days when you're searching around Ebay?

Then I added Windows 98, a Voodoo card, GeForce 2, Gravis Ultrasound...the works. I would definitely shop around on ebay.

What Voodoo card do you recommend? What did you go with?

sprcorreia wrote:

How many machines do you want to build? 3? 4?

I want to build three systems at this time:

1. A DOS gaming machine, for 2D gaming, mostly. I'm not sure what I imagine here. I don't know enough (yet) about the sound card and video card intricacies. It's one of the eras that I want to experience on original hardware.

2. A Windows 95 / DOS gaming machine; for late DOS games, early Windows games (early 3D gaming). A Solid PII, like my old Packard Bell, 233 MHz PII machine.

3. A Windows 98 SE machine. I want this to be the dream machine circa 1999-2001 that I was too poor to have back then. A ~1.2 - 1.4 GHz machine, maybe? AMD Duron? PIII? Voodoo 3 or 4 for EverQuest Glide goodness? (EQClassic project.)

At some point, I'd like to pick up an older machine from the 1980s to play some games on. A C64, Apple II or something. I'm not sure.

bestemor wrote:

Here is your one-stop shop, if you're not too picky/can edit some parts yourself later, and want a fast fix: http://www.ebay.com […]
Show full quote

Here is your one-stop shop, if you're not too picky/can edit some parts yourself later, and want a fast fix:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/socaleer/m.html?_nkw= … =&_trksid=p3686

Ok, you may get the parts cheaper yourself, donations/scrap or other sources, but still...

If you don't like the current selection, ask him for specific setups, or just wait for new builds/offers - he churns these out regularily, check the feedback/sold items... 😁

I'm keeping a close eye on this guy. I'm also considering one of the systems he currently has in there. Thanks a ton for the link! Have you purchased much from him?

Two systems that I picked up -- I believe for quite cheap. Please offer suggestions, or critique. 😀

System I:
933 MHz Pentium III Processor
192 MB RAM
20 GB Hard Drive (wiped)
Windows NT Workstation 4.0 COA
Model: GX110, Optiplex
$25.00

System II:
933 MHz Pentium III Processor
256 MB RAM
20 GB Hard Drive (wiped)
Windows NT Workstation 4.0 COA
Model: GX110, Dell Optiplex
$25.00

I picked up both systems for $50 -- shipping and handling was free. Thoughts?

Those will be great 9x machines, fitting desires 2 & 3. You should get a Voodoo card for them. There's nothing quite like 3dfx Descent on a fast machine. Check the PSU before adding any cards to it though. I have a pair of Compaq PIIIs with 130W power supplies. I'm hesitant to run any sort of 3d accelerator with that.

You should also check their bios options and see if you can disable the L1 cache on them. This will slow the operation of the system down immensely, and let you play more of the early timing sensitive DOS games. If you're lucky, this will fill desire 1. Possibly 3 birds with one stone here.

Also, I agree with your sense that a 6502 based home computer would be best for early 80s gaming. They generally out performed the IBM PC until VGA and the soundblaster came around. Although that might be better for another thread. Choosing which 6502 PC to go with is a topic that has spawned a thousand flamewars.

for the early win95/late DOS game machine, I would downgrade the PIII 933 to a PII 333 or so, and leave the ram at 128MB.
for the win98SE gaming machine I'd get a Voodoo 3 and get a slotket (slot 1 to S370 adapter for putting flip chips in a slot 1) and a 1.1GHz tualtin IF it would support it, seemingly unlikely.

for the early win95/late DOS game machine, I would downgrade the PIII 933 to a PII 333 or so, and leave the ram at 128MB.

How come? Are there speed sensitive Windows 95 games?