gdjacobs wrote on 2020-01-26, 05:03:

With me, I have space for a limited number of machines in use. I have extra parts, of course, but I keep only a limited number of active configurations.

I don't have much experience yet, but probably a 486 that ranges from SX20 Mhz up to 5x86 160Mhz can be enough for 99% of the titles that require an ISA sound card. Once past the threshold where the ISA sound card is no longer needed, perhaps a Pentium4 is the most convenient real machine. These in my opinion are the bare minimum, correct me if I'm wrong.

Having said that, then having space and money you can take a thousand cards and a thousand different systems, especially for personal history and what the different systems have meant.

gdjacobs wrote on 2020-01-26, 05:03:

AlessandroB wrote on 2020-01-25, 20:05:

I agree with the analysis but if I use the passion for retrocomputing, non-practicality matters very little, it is the last of the values ​​and in any case I consider it only after purchasing the computer. Not all systems have the same reasons for being purchased. the 486DX2 was more important for the software and social evolution of information technology than socket4. But the P60 / 66 has features that make it perhaps less usable than the DX2 but certainly more desirable to have in the collection, even at the cost of almost never using it. If you have the economic possibilities, I recommend buying it, even if only to switch it on once a month.

With me, I have space for a limited number of machines in use. I have extra parts, of course, but I keep only a limited number of active configurations.

I dealt with this problem differently than most people on the forum, in fact I think I am the only one to do so.

I have room to keep only one machine active at a time (active means connected to monitor, keyboard and mouse).

So I decided to use an Amiga 4000 that allows me to use 100% of the game production and professional for commodore machines (the other big faction of retrogaming apart from us) and in addition it has 3 ISA slots and it actually works as one Backplain. I had two Single board computers which were complete 486 (from SX to 5X86 160Mhz) and Pentium MMX up to 100Mhzx2.5 = 250Mhz. In the other two free slots I inserted a sound blaster and a LAN card. In this way, with the size of a single system, I have the opportunity to use an immense number of software on real machines that are consistent with their period. For what I can't get to work with the P250MMX and where PCI video cards like voodoos are needed, a very cheap P4 is more than enough for everything that can be considered retrogaming. In addition to this computer I also have an IBM P300 PentiumII and it is coming to me in IBM Pentium60 which, however, I will keep in the cellar for study and collecting, but I will hardly use it for space / practicality issues, maybe after a while I will resell them.