In my opinion and experience, there is no single ultimate 486 system.

- Best DOS graphics are achieved with ASUS VLI-486SV2GX4 (some late revision will be best) + ARK1000VL VGA.
- Best Windows GUI graphics are achieved by plethora of well designed motherboards (including yours) based on late SiS or UMC chipsets in combination with Matrox Millennium 1/2/x VGA - assuming you are trying to stay period correct-ish. Otherwise any late PCI video cards will be similar, or better.
- Best computation performance is achieved with ASUS PVI-486SP3.

That is if you want to stick to "486".
Otherwise "best" seems to be a combination of motherboard with bus clock divider option + overclocked Cyrix 5x86 CPU with BP and other Pentium-like features enabled.

Well, I have this computer built already.
and it is running steady.

topbench score was 173
but on my other AMD 5x86-133 over clocked at 166mhz I get a score of 198 in topbench

But 173 is good enough for me.
I know there are many different combinations to go with using other motherboards.
But I am sticking with this motherboard and CPU.
the score of 173 was the most stable and constant so I am sticking with these settings.

I am just going to run DOS 6.22 and maybe Win3.11
But NO Win95.

What I want is a very good DOS gaming computer and DOS Audio studio.
So I saw online that the Sound Blaster CT2890 was a good card.
I don't know if I should add the Turtle Beach Monte Carlo too or do I not need it ?
But I like the clarity of the Crystal chips.

So any recommendations in Audio and Graphics will be appreciated.
For graphics I want to use PCI card.

I was thinking about adding both sound cards with wave tables.
Yucatan FX for the turtle beach Monte Carlo
and the DreamBlaster x2 for the Sound Blaster.

Sorry for being off-topic, but does this motherboard have a PS/2 mouse header?
Somebody in my hometown is selling it for $10 (with an Intel DX2-66 + 16 MB FPM), which is an extremely good deal... but I already have a bit too many 486 PCs. 😀

No, but they do sell adapters for this.

Late S3 Trio/Virge or Matrox PCI cards will be more than enough then.
Will let others comment on the sound options. Not sure what the MC audio card will do for DOS stuff, but if you have it - why not ?

I cannot remember seeing compact LuckyStar boards with PS2 connectors. This one does not have it either.

pshipkov wrote on 2021-01-29, 18:43:

Late S3 Trio/Virge or Matrox PCI cards will be more than enough then.
Will let others comment on the sound options. Not sure what the MC audio card will do for DOS stuff, but if you have it - why not ?

I cannot remember seeing compact LuckyStar boards with PS2 connectors. This one does not have it either.

Yeah, must be for a Win95 keyboard.
This motherboard bios reads 1997 ?
But it’s a cross between Win3x and Win95 compatibility so they just went with the Serial ports.
But this motherboard is really easy to setup. Easier than a VLB motherboard and provides faster performance.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-01-29, 18:41:

No, but they do sell adapters for this.

Actually, no. Those adapters only work with mice that support both the PS/2 and serial protocols.
Since I mostly use newer optical PS/2 mice.... those adapters are a no go. 🙁
I do have some NOS serial mice as well, but I prefer to have one mouse to rule them all (also... the ball - I hated it 30 years ago, and I hate it now!) 😀

Yes.
They were a bit on the "value" side - compact, limited list of features, but otherwise stable and with good performance.

Another generic "PC build X" theme with random pics from internet which ultimately leads to nowhere, eh.

Actually, no.

Actually, lol. Listed pic is serial mice to PS/2 port adapter.

pshipkov wrote on 2021-01-29, 19:12:

Yes.
They were a bit on the "value" side - compact, limited list of features, but otherwise stable and with good performance.

Yes the motherboards with the “ALi” controller appear to preform better in over clocking the AMD 5x86.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2021-01-29, 21:46:

Actually, 🤣. Listed pic is serial mice to PS/2 port adapter.

What do you mean? The pic I'm seeing, the one posted by Intel486dx33, is of a female PS/2 to female DB9 (so a normal PS/2 to serial adapter).

Up until 1995 it was mostly Serial ball mice.

that's not even a ball mouse, but ok :p

Okay guys,
I have the Monte Carlo setup and working good.
But I had problems with the CT2890 which is a Plug and Play card.

When I put it in by itself with NO other cards but video card the computer would not detect it.
The Motherboard is plug and play too but I am only running DOS 6.22

So I ran the Sound Blaster Vibra install program but it would not detect the card.
I received the error “DMA channel not available or card is not installed” I tried all DMA channels.
But I think the problem is the motherboard is not detecting the sound card.
I tried other ISA slots too with no success.
You can assign IRQs to the ISA slots in bios and I tried that too with no success.
The strange thing is that the Turtle Beach card worked with no problems.
I have two of these CT2890 and I tried both with no success. Same error messages.
So for some reason the Creative sound blaster “Diagnose” program is NOT detecting the card.

Any Ideas ?

You changed the thread name and half of the comments don't make sense anymore 😀

I remember having trouble with a Soundblaster CT3900(maybe also a CT3600) in my 486 and P60 computers.
While on the MSI PIII board it was running fine.