You don't play games with them, you don't fiddle with their innards - what do you (intend to) do with them?

The answer to that question will probably go a long way towards telling you which to keep. Without that, others will just say what *they* would keep, which is nice, but none too relevant for you.

Interesting to note the same systems in your sig but with different VGA configurations. Before making any pronouncements I'd be interested to know what case they are in, what motherboard they are based upon and what sound card(s) they have- particularly as the older two are so close in age and specs that you can mix&match (as you already seem to have done).

I'm guessing you want to keep at least 1 you can pull out from time to time, rather then dedicate alot of space to multiple PC's?

I cant think of any benefit of the PII vs the PIII. The P2 is already too fast for older dos games but holding you back on newer games that the P3 can run. (Assuming both have isa)

Glide gaming can only be done with a Voodoo unless your happy to go down the emulation (Nglide) road.
Where as D3D is well covered but many many cards.

This will cover you for dos AND windows gaming. if its just windows gaming go with the Athlon but keep the Voodoo and you can switch between the 2 cards when you do want to have a fiddle.

If any of these PC's have sentimental attachment, go with that, many people here have regretted selling something and spent more on getting it back, even if it isn't the necessarily the best.

The voodoo 3 PCI is the most rare video card in the bunch by some margin. You can buy an MX 440 for 20$ on ebay, and a radeon 9100 runs about the same. I would keep system 2 with the voodoo 3.

Move the Voodoo 3 PCI to the P3 system and keep that.

I'm going to break rank here and suggest keeping the PII. The reason being, it's the closest to the old skool. MANY of the games that will run on a P3 will run on modern hardware. Or at least, not so long ago hardware. So if you find that you're hankering for something XP era or before that won't run on Windows 7 or 10, you can probably fetch a P4 easily enough for a while before it becomes "that PC I should never have sold."

If you're honestly sure that you'll never care about old games again, then the PII is still kind of the most interesting. (Although I do love the P3 as well.)

All very personal bias, of course, so lay hands on each box and imagine it gone, then keep the one that gives you the greatest feeling of loss. (You can also pack a motherboard into a box and tuck it away pretty easily. Just saying.)

SirNickity wrote:

I'm going to break rank here and suggest keeping the PII. The reason being, it's the closest to the old skool. MANY of the games that will run on a P3 will run on modern hardware. Or at least, not so long ago hardware. So if you find that you're hankering for something XP era or before that won't run on Windows 7 or 10, you can probably fetch a P4 easily enough for a while before it becomes "that PC I should never have sold."

If you're honestly sure that you'll never care about old games again, then the PII is still kind of the most interesting. (Although I do love the P3 as well.)

All very personal bias, of course, so lay hands on each box and imagine it gone, then keep the one that gives you the greatest feeling of loss. (You can also pack a motherboard into a box and tuck it away pretty easily. Just saying.)

There is nothing a fast PII runs better than a slow PIII either performance-wise or compatibility-wise though.. Rule of cool is a valid concern, so if you want to keep a Slot-1 system for a) being more old school, b) for being the only option with ISA slots, then go for it by all means.

It also depends on what other PC's you have. I presume you have enough other Athlon XP's, AMD64's or Pentium 4 based PC's? If so, then you can let this Athlon XP go.

If none of these has any sentimental value, keep the Pentium III and swop out the Voodoo 3 PCI from the Pentium II with the GeForce 4 MX440 from the Pentium III. However, the GeForce 4 MX440 will probably be a bit of overkill for a Pentium II (I'm not sure whether it's fully compatible with the Pentium II's AGP bus).
I agree with appiah4's last comment. There is no benefit keeping the Pentium II over the Pentium III. Any game that will run on a Pentium II, will run just as well on a Pentium III.

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Lots to think about...

dionb wrote:

You don't play games with them, you don't fiddle with their innards - what do you (intend to) do with them?

The answer to that question will probably go a long way towards telling you which to keep. Without that, others will just say what *they* would keep, which is nice, but none too relevant for you.

Interesting to note the same systems in your sig but with different VGA configurations. Before making any pronouncements I'd be interested to know what case they are in, what motherboard they are based upon and what sound card(s) they have- particularly as the older two are so close in age and specs that you can mix&match (as you already seem to have done).

Well it's a lack of time more than anything. I'd like to keep one just for putting a bunch of games on that I can fire up from time to time, or if people visit and want to play on it.

I think the Athlon XP machine is definitely out because it's new enough that any game I run on that will run on a modern PC (of which I have two and trying to sell one of all also) anyway, but for the other two here's there complete specifications:

1: Pentium II 350MHz, Intel 440BX (Supermicro P6SBS Slot 1 ATX motherboard), 256MB SDRAM PC100, 10GB Seagate 5400rpm HDD, Creative AWE64 CT4520 ISA soundcard, Voodoo 3 3000 PCI 16MB, LG 32x CD-ROM, Windows 98SE, bog standard beige ATX case
2: Pentium III 500MHz, Intel 440BX Slot 1 (it's a Gateway G7-500 so unsure who made the motherboard, but it's a standard ATX really), 256MB SDRAM PC133, 20GB Seagate 5400rpm HDD, Ensoniq Tabor2 PCI soundcard, GeForce 4 MX 440 AGP 64MB, Gateway ATX case (but scratched to hell and back).

chinny22 wrote:

I'm guessing you want to keep at least 1 you can pull out from time to time, rather then dedicate alot of space to multiple PC's?

Precisely. We'll be redecorating the office into more of a spare bedroom soon, so I need to downsize to a smaller desk with just my new PC and one retro.

jesolo wrote:

It also depends on what other PC's you have. I presume you have enough other Athlon XP's, AMD64's or Pentium 4 based PC's? If so, then you can let this Athlon XP go.

If none of these has any sentimental value, keep the Pentium III and swop out the Voodoo 3 PCI from the Pentium II with the GeForce 4 MX440 from the Pentium III. However, the GeForce 4 MX440 will probably be a bit of overkill for a Pentium II (I'm not sure whether it's fully compatible with the Pentium II's AGP bus).
I agree with appiah4's last comment. There is no benefit keeping the Pentium II over the Pentium III. Any game that will run on a Pentium II, will run just as well on a Pentium III.

I intend to just have my main gaming PC (Windows 10, GTX970, 8GB RAM, etc) and whichever of these I choose to keep for nostalgia and gaming when I fancy it.

Would it make sense to swap the Pentium 3 to the Supermicro motherboard (as it's in better condition than the Gateway one I think), and keep both the GeForce 4 MX 440 (for Dx7 and lower games) as well as the Voodoo 3?

moawkwrd wrote:

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Well it's a lack of time more than anything. I'd like to keep one just for putting a bunch of games on that I can fire up from time to time, or if people visit and want to play on it.

[...]

1: Pentium II 350MHz, Intel 440BX (Supermicro P6SBS Slot 1 ATX motherboard), 256MB SDRAM PC100, 10GB Seagate 5400rpm HDD, Creative AWE64 CT4520 ISA soundcard, Voodoo 3 3000 PCI 16MB, LG 32x CD-ROM, Windows 98SE, bog standard beige ATX case
2: Pentium III 500MHz, Intel 440BX Slot 1 (it's a Gateway G7-500 so unsure who made the motherboard, but it's a standard ATX really), 256MB SDRAM PC133, 20GB Seagate 5400rpm HDD, Ensoniq Tabor2 PCI soundcard, GeForce 4 MX 440 AGP 64MB, Gateway ATX case (but scratched to hell and back).

I'd take the P3-500 and stick that in system 1. It's a great late DOS or Win98SE system with nice motherboard, sound and video.

Would it make sense to swap the Pentium 3 to the Supermicro motherboard (as it's in better condition than the Gateway one I think), and keep both the GeForce 4 MX 440 (for Dx7 and lower games) as well as the Voodoo 3?

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Yes. Given the V3 is PCI that can work fine. Personally I'd just ditch the GeForce though...

appiah4 wrote:

There is nothing a fast PII runs better than a slow PIII either performance-wise or compatibility-wise though..

I know, I know... but PIIs are just so cool for being that unique ill-fated, short-lived, slot-based thing. I know, this PIII is as well, but slot-1 Pentium 3s are such poseurs! 🤣

In all seriousness though, everything about the PII system is really better except the CPU. And I guess the HDD, although 10GB is probably still plenty. That's what I have in my PII.

If it were me (because I can't get rid of anything like that without regretting it), I would sell the P3 system, and grab a slot P3 CPU as an optional upgrade for the PII. Or, if you can sell the P3 without its CPU, then do that and just keep that 500 for the Supermicro build in case the 350 lets you down. It really depends on what you want to play whether you will realize any significant benefit of a 150MHz bump and a P3 core, at least for a game that won't run on a modern OS. But I might just be justifying my own personal attachment. I would pick a Pentium AND a P3 over a PII, but I would pick a PII over either a Pentium OR a P3.