Something like a Pentium 3 + GeForce2 - GeForce4 MX rig should do it otherwise but Resident Evil is extremely fussy about hardware and pretty much requires ~133MHz CPU and maybe possibly Windows 95, which is way too slow for the other games. You can get away with earlier video card but some of those games do benefit from 32-bit colors that you might not be able to use with them.

But I also should mention that while multiplatform games always looked better on PC they also sometimes had other issues like:
- Tomb Raider doesn't have all of the music tracks from PS1 version, also someone who played it with PS1 might not be terribly pleased about keyboard controls. It's also a DOS game so a DOS compatible sound card is required
- Resident Evil is fussy like I said but the PC port also has pretty bad audio with lots of noise, RE2&3 have better ports as far as I know. Again, keyboard controls
- Soul Reaver only has the background music playing all the time without combat music like the original PS1 version has, also keyboard controls again

I personally prefer to play these with a PS1 or emulated with increased resolution + controller, though there are patches for Tomb Raider to bring the missing tracks back and tools like JoyToKey exists too. But I also just a while back played the PC version of Colin McRae Rally and I absolutely would recommend that over the PS1 version.

Sombrero wrote on 2023-06-08, 10:11:

Something like a Pentium 3 + GeForce2 - GeForce4 MX rig should do it otherwise but Resident Evil is extremely fussy about hardwa […]
Show full quote

Something like a Pentium 3 + GeForce2 - GeForce4 MX rig should do it otherwise but Resident Evil is extremely fussy about hardware and pretty much requires ~133MHz CPU and maybe possibly Windows 95, which is way too slow for the other games. You can get away with earlier video card but some of those games do benefit from 32-bit colors that you might not be able to use with them.

But I also should mention that while multiplatform games always looked better on PC they also sometimes had other issues like:
- Tomb Raider doesn't have all of the music tracks from PS1 version, also someone who played it with PS1 might not be terribly pleased about keyboard controls. It's also a DOS game so a DOS compatible sound card is required
- Resident Evil is fussy like I said but the PC port also has pretty bad audio with lots of noise, RE2&3 have better ports as far as I know. Again, keyboard controls
- Soul Reaver only has the background music playing all the time without combat music like the original PS1 version has, also keyboard controls again

I personally prefer to play these with a PS1 or emulated with increased resolution + controller, though there are patches for Tomb Raider to bring the missing tracks back and tools like JoyToKey exists too. But I also just a while back played the PC version of Colin McRae Rally and I absolutely would recommend that over the PS1 version.

Thanks for your reply. You have a point of course. The controls were also not great fo the console games back then. My pal is aware of the cons though and he knows what he wants. He also likes Real time strategy games a lot and is curious to try out some of the famous pc only classics of the 90s on original hardware . using original pc hardware is the main gist of that upcoming build.

ps:

Some comments from own memories about the pc RE games. I am not even sure RE 1 runs at windows 98 at all. I could never get it running on my first pc, a pentium 2 233 with ati all in wonder card.

Re2 and Re 3 booted up and worked but the controls were horrible.

retep_110 wrote on 2023-06-08, 10:23:

Thanks for your reply. You have a point of course. The controls were also not great fo the console games back then. My pal i […]
Show full quote

Sombrero wrote on 2023-06-08, 10:11:

Something like a Pentium 3 + GeForce2 - GeForce4 MX rig should do it otherwise but Resident Evil is extremely fussy about hardwa […]
Show full quote

Something like a Pentium 3 + GeForce2 - GeForce4 MX rig should do it otherwise but Resident Evil is extremely fussy about hardware and pretty much requires ~133MHz CPU and maybe possibly Windows 95, which is way too slow for the other games. You can get away with earlier video card but some of those games do benefit from 32-bit colors that you might not be able to use with them.

But I also should mention that while multiplatform games always looked better on PC they also sometimes had other issues like:
- Tomb Raider doesn't have all of the music tracks from PS1 version, also someone who played it with PS1 might not be terribly pleased about keyboard controls. It's also a DOS game so a DOS compatible sound card is required
- Resident Evil is fussy like I said but the PC port also has pretty bad audio with lots of noise, RE2&3 have better ports as far as I know. Again, keyboard controls
- Soul Reaver only has the background music playing all the time without combat music like the original PS1 version has, also keyboard controls again

I personally prefer to play these with a PS1 or emulated with increased resolution + controller, though there are patches for Tomb Raider to bring the missing tracks back and tools like JoyToKey exists too. But I also just a while back played the PC version of Colin McRae Rally and I absolutely would recommend that over the PS1 version.

Thanks for your reply. You have a point of course. The controls were also not great fo the console games back then. My pal is aware of the cons though and he knows what he wants. He also likes Real time strategy games a lot and is curious to try out some of the famous pc only classics of the 90s on original hardware . using original pc hardware is the main gist of that upcoming build.

ps:

Some comments from own memories about the pc RE games. I am not even sure RE 1 runs at windows 98 at all. I could never get it running on my first pc, a pentium 2 233 with ati all in wonder card.

Re2 and Re 3 booted up and worked but the controls were horrible.

I've got resident evil 1 working on my pentium 233 mhz running win 95 , using a NEC PowerVR card.
So i dunno if its a clock speed issue or the game not liking pentium 2s and later.

It all depends on your target frame rate. PS1 usually had unstable frame rate in 15-30fps range. If you want to experience choppy unstable frame rate in full "glory", then yeah, PMMX or early PII is the way to go.

Resident Evil runs fine with a slowdown utility on 95, 98, and ME. I use Throttle. The issue you may run into is how picky it is with Graphics cards. Pick the Rendition option for best chance of success unless using a Voodoo 1. It’s a Direct3D game, though. If this is a first PC build, there are much easier games to get working. That’s part of the joy, though…. For a little while. Also, the rendered backgrounds on all three Resident Evil games look terrible on a PC, worse than a PS1, but they are serviceable enough. If you want the optimum original RE experience check here: https://classicrebirth.com/index.php/download … lassic-rebirth/
ModDB also has up-scaled backgrounds. You need a newer PC, of course.

The controls aren’t any worse than the PlayStation version. However, I didn’t know they were bad until everyone said they were. I didn’t find myself frustrated with the controller as much as with the Hunter’s, which can jump and cut your head off in one swipe.

All of those games can be played with a Microsoft SideWinder GamePad or Logitech GamePad Pro. Those are what I normally use. Both have Keyboard mapping software.

The largest difference between the PS1 and a PC is a PS1 is truly plug-and play. Pop in the CD, and you’re off playing. With a PC, you’re going to run into all kinds of events ranging from annoyances, like keyboard mapping to logic defying showstoppers of why that ‘one’ game doesn’t work or the graphics card you bought has a problem in this motherboard, but works fine in another motherboard with the same chipset. The problems are unlimited. Most of the time, you’ll be fine, but none of this happens with a PS1.

Depends on the quality of the emulator code?

Have a look at Bleem! It was quite the rage back in the day and sold well at retail locations, the requirements should give you an idea of what kind of system is needed for PS1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleem!
https://web.archive.org/web/20010515082508if_ … w.bleem.com:80/

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS […]
Show full quote

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

IBM-compatible PC, Pentium 233 MMX or higher processor
Windows 95/98
16MB RAM
3MB free hard disk space (including DirectX 6.1)
Sound card
CD-ROM drive
Internet connection and web access for compatibility updates
Recent full-featured 3D accelerator card required for D3D Enhanced! graphics.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM

Pentium II 300mhz or better
32MB RAM
3MB free hard disk space (including DirectX 6.1)
PCI Sound card
20X or faster CD-ROM drive
Recent full-featured 3D accelerator card required for D3D Enhanced! graphics.

Recommended 3D cards include:

Voodoo Banshee
Voodoo 2 & 3
TNT
TNT2
Rage Fury
ATI All-in-Wonder
Matrox G200 & G400
NOTE: Cards with less VRAM still work, but may not be able to render all textures.

SPEED AND COMPATIBILITY

bleem!’s performance depends largely on your CPU, video and sound hardware, and the complexity of the games you’re running, Older PCs run very well with simpler titles, while recent, richly-textured games may require faster machines.

While bleem! works with many games, it doesn't run ALL titles. Always check the compatibility list before buying new titles to play with bleem!

I'd say it depends on how big the interest in real classic pc games is. if your buddy is more into playing ps1 games and real hardware is necessary getting a Sega Dreamcast would be much cheaper.

For example, the Dreamcast versions of Tomb Raider 4, RE 2, Re3, Seoul Reaver, and Shadow Man are great. The resolution is just 480p but they graphics themselves are really great and should be comparable to the pc version.

Keep in mind that Dreamcast frame rate was also quite atrocious.

Anyway, Pentium III Katmai (550-600Mhz) is a must, if stable frame rate is desirable.

theiceman085 wrote on 2023-06-08, 16:27:

I'd say it depends on how big the interest in real classic pc games is. if your buddy is more into playing ps1 games and real hardware is necessary getting a Sega Dreamcast would be much cheaper.

For example, the Dreamcast versions of Tomb Raider 4, RE 2, Re3, Seoul Reaver, and Shadow Man are great. The resolution is just 480p but they graphics themselves are really great and should be comparable to the pc version.

Excellent suggestion, +1 for Dreamcast if graphics is the true factor for your friend, it never disappoints in that regard. Have him look for these types of comparison videos for the games he wants, maybe that will help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4Ir9eaUiF0

If he was purely a console guy back then and if retro PC hardware prices are getting up there in your country, just stay with the consoles imo. Dreamcast was the first console of the 6th generation, and thus has many graphically superior versions of Playstation titles, some almost look like remasters even. And its exclusives are more Arcade style in nature, which is an excellent complement to all those multi platform games, and plus they're pretty great too. Some info if he considers that route:

- Like theiceman085 said, a Dreamcast should be way cheaper. Try to get it with at least one VMU included to save games. 80's/early 90's Panasonic TVs kill the Dreamcast video DAC while connecting and turning it on for some reason, so be aware if you have a CRT TV like that.

- Before buying, just check to make sure that the number on the small circle in the lower part of the sticker right where it says PAL is number 0 or 1, not 2 or any other. It's the sticker below the console. If it is "0" or "1", then that model can read backups of your games without any modding of any kind. For burning, use DiscJuggler with the exact settings attached. It says 16x speed, but a CD drive that can burn as low as 4x will be ideal, if not even essential. Dreamcast lasers are of much better quality compared to the original Playstation, so games will boot up first time almost every time. PSX lasers will start being less effective and wear out quicker due to being forced to read CD-Rs.

- If any of you has basic soldering skills, you can add a diode to the front controller board so that you can use CR2032 batteries, instead of the ML2032 rechargeable ones that it uses originally. This video shows how to do that and add a simple battery support instead of the originally soldered on battery, which will surely be dead and useless by now. This will remove the annoying startup screen asking for the time and settings, similar to the Saturn, and keep your settings. Don't install the battery support with the CR2032 battery without the diode too, or it will most likely blow up in your face when testing! https://youtu.be/FQMO8sdzazI

- And lastly, if image quality is his ultimate goal then your friend should do this: the Dreamcast has a VGA output, and if you buy the cable for it with the VGA port and stereo output, connect it to at least a 15/17" CRT monitor with some speakers, once he experiences the image quality in person he won't believe his eyes. It's absolutely STUNNING. And 90% of the people at the time had absolutely no idea about this.

I love the original Playstation and will always be my favorite console and library, but for all its innovations and features, the Dreamcast was truly way ahead of its time.

Edit: of course there are also emulators for Dreamcast, but one thing that's also fantastic are the NEO4ALL fan made ports for the console, which has prepatched images of most games of the Neo Geo library. If you connect it through VGA, it's the best quality possible to play those titles as well.

Dreamcast VGA signal quality is rather mediocre.

Thanks a lot for the numerous replies. You guys also mentioned some very interesting alternatives like emulators or using the Dreamcast.

These alternatives are great but my pal wants to get into retro pc gaming with hardware from that time peroid.

He also wants to enjoy the games in the best possible quality. So they should run better than the original ps1 versions.

As already mentioned a decent Pentium 3 System with Katamai vor Coppermine and a Geforce 2 sounds like a good idea.

Would it be a good idea to hunt for the most powerful p3 in the 1ghz range (coppermine or Tualatin) or would lower clocked Katami in the 500 to 600 Mhz range enough for the intended purpose of my buddy?

Price wise the higher clocked P3 seems to be cheaper than the lower clocked ones.

retep_110 wrote on 2023-06-09, 06:24:

As already mentioned a decent Pentium 3 System with Katamai vor Coppermine and a Geforce 2 sounds like a good idea.
Price wise the higher clocked P3 seems to be cheaper than the lower clocked ones.

Couple things about those in case you weren't aware:

GeForce2 does have great compatibility for that time period as you can use early detonators, but their image quality is also known to be lackluster. You might want to go straight to AGP 4x versions of GeForce4 MX, they are readily available and cheap and should have more than sufficient compatibility as long you don't use late drivers. Driver version 30.82 has been recommended around here.

Also do notice the front side bus speed (FSB) when looking at Pentium III cpus, there are 100MHz and 133MHz models and 100MHz cpus tend to be more pricy as they are more sought after. This is because the motherboard needs to support 1/2 AGP divider to keep AGP at its default 66MHz with a 133MHz FSB cpu.

Intel 440BX chipset for example only supports 2/3 AGP divider meaning it will run AGP at 89MHz when using 133MHz FSB cpu which is overclocking and not all video cards are fine with that.

I played the PC versions of RE1/RE2/RE3 and Dino crisis 1/2 with a Matrox Mystique and a P200MMX at the time with no issues.
After an upgrade to a GF2 MX I discovered the advantages of altialiasing. Any of those games with forced anti-aliasing through the drivers improves a lot if memory serves.
I remember that FFVIII also improved a lot with antialiasing activated, always speaking from a period point of view.
I think a GeForce 2/3/4 or using antialiasing would be the best way to play them.

Sombrero wrote on 2023-06-09, 07:14:

Couple things about those in case you weren't aware: […]
Show full quote

retep_110 wrote on 2023-06-09, 06:24:

As already mentioned a decent Pentium 3 System with Katamai vor Coppermine and a Geforce 2 sounds like a good idea.
Price wise the higher clocked P3 seems to be cheaper than the lower clocked ones.

Couple things about those in case you weren't aware:

GeForce2 does have great compatibility for that time period as you can use early detonators, but their image quality is also known to be lackluster. You might want to go straight to AGP 4x versions of GeForce4 MX, they are readily available and cheap and should have more than sufficient compatibility as long you don't use late drivers. Driver version 30.82 has been recommended around here.

Also do notice the front side bus speed (FSB) when looking at Pentium III cpus, there are 100MHz and 133MHz models and 100MHz cpus tend to be more pricy as they are more sought after. This is because the motherboard needs to support 1/2 AGP divider to keep AGP at its default 66MHz with a 133MHz FSB cpu.

Intel 440BX chipset for example only supports 2/3 AGP divider meaning it will run AGP at 89MHz when using 133MHz FSB cpu which is overclocking and not all video cards are fine with that.

Thanks a lot for your answer. I was only partially aware of that. I knew there Pentium 3 models with different front side bus and I also noticed the price difference. Was not fully aware of the significance of the technical details though. Thanks for letting me now.

Also thx for recommending the gf mx400. A good card that is often recommended here.

@Hoping thanks for sharing your impressions as well.

retep_110 wrote on 2023-06-09, 06:24:

Would it be a good idea to hunt for the most powerful p3 in the 1ghz range (coppermine or Tualatin) or would lower clocked Katami in the 500 to 600 Mhz range enough for the intended purpose of my buddy?

Price wise the higher clocked P3 seems to be cheaper than the lower clocked ones.

Usually the highest clocked parts of any hardware family are unnecessarily expensive for the performance you get, it's irrelevant 20 years later. Just take the top minus 2-3 levels and get a good value part if you plan to use it. The most desirable Socket 370 PIII are the Tualatin cores with 512kb of cache, and the top model is clocked at 1400 MHz, but look for the 1133 or 1266 models.

Minutemanqvs wrote on 2023-06-09, 18:28:

retep_110 wrote on 2023-06-09, 06:24:

Would it be a good idea to hunt for the most powerful p3 in the 1ghz range (coppermine or Tualatin) or would lower clocked Katami in the 500 to 600 Mhz range enough for the intended purpose of my buddy?

Price wise the higher clocked P3 seems to be cheaper than the lower clocked ones.

Usually the highest clocked parts of any hardware family are unnecessarily expensive for the performance you get, it's irrelevant 20 years later. Just take the top minus 2-3 levels and get a good value part if you plan to use it. The most desirable Socket 370 PIII are the Tualatin cores with 512kb of cache, and the top model is clocked at 1400 MHz, but look for the 1133 or 1266 models.

Thanks for the advice.

You right that the high clock Tualetin are the most expensive due to the demand. We will look into the 1133 or 1266 models.

My buddy has the advantage though that we can use my hp Pentium 3 800mhz as test bed to see if this is enough to run the games he wants to run. If not then he has to go a bit higher in the 1 ghz range. But I doubt that. the games I am into should be more demanding than the console ports he is interested in. Maybe I am the one who is going to forced to upgrade.
The socket 370 mb that is in the hp system supports highter clocked P3 coppermine luckily.

We are back with another question. After my buddy has seen that I was quite lucky with my off the shelf pentium 3 he wants to get his own of the shelf rig now.

Would you guys consider that rig with the following specs

PC HIGHSCREEN VOBIS

Pentium II 400mhz

128mb RAM

Motherboard MS6119 ver.1.1 BX2

Hard disk 6gb

Sound Blaster compatibile ESS Solo Audio card

ATI 3D Rage Pro Turbo AGP

DVD-Rom

Floppy disk 3.5"

would be decent choice for him?

As interested beginner in the vast topic of retro pcs I'd t say that the rig could be alright with some modifications.

A cpu swap might necessary for better perfomance. If google does not fool us the msi motherboard the pc contains is supposed to support also Pentium 3 processors.

And the gpu needs to be replaced with either a better contempary card like riva TNT 2 and in chase he wants to bonkers his spendings a voodoo 3 card, or maybe a more modern nvidia geforce card.

Would do you experts think about our thoughts? Are we on the right track or should we reconsider our choice of the potential parts to replace?

solid motherboard, throw $5 gf2mx400/gf4mx in there and its good to go.

rasz_pl wrote on 2023-06-13, 18:12:

solid motherboard, throw $5 gf2mx400/gf4mx in there and its good to go.

Thanks for the advice.

Both cards are really cheap so we could pick either of them without any regrets.

Are both cards equaly good to max out a P2 400 mhz system or would it better to pick the weaker gf2 mx in order to avoid bottlenecking the cpu?