Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

Check out this cute little Pentium: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Unisys-Cwd5001-ZA- … =item3a5619382c

Only has a single ISA slot, but with an AWE64 and external Yamaha module you can run a ton of games.

But it has got no any CD-ROM drive! How is one supposed to run later games, like Time Commando or Diablo?

Yes that's a problem 😀

It was more an example of cheaper machines being available. There are a ton of Socket 7 mainboards that are a good starting point.

What would be a better dos gaming machine?a more powerfull 486 or a slower around 100-133 mhz pentium?

Nahkri wrote:

What would be a better dos gaming machine?a more powerfull 486 or a slower around 100-133 mhz pentium?

Definitely the Pentium!

Turn of L1 and L2 cache and it's a 386DX, turn on L2 cache with L1 cache turned off and you have a 486DX2.

The choice of CPU (Pentium, Pentium MMX, K6) does impact things a little, but in general you are much better off with the Pentium.

Not to mention that the boards are easier to work with, good documentation, Y2K Bios, large HDD support, booting from CD and so on...

That's for most Super Socket 7 boards...

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

Definitely the Pentium! […]
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Nahkri wrote:

What would be a better dos gaming machine?a more powerfull 486 or a slower around 100-133 mhz pentium?

Definitely the Pentium!

Turn of L1 and L2 cache and it's a 386DX, turn on L2 cache with L1 cache turned off and you have a 486DX2.

The choice of CPU (Pentium, Pentium MMX, K6) does impact things a little, but in general you are much better off with the Pentium.

Not to mention that the boards are easier to work with, good documentation, Y2K Bios, large HDD support, booting from CD and so on...

That's for most Super Socket 7 boards...

I agree with the Pentium. There are quite a few DOS games that require at least a 66MHz 486 (or faster) that would run fine on a P100/120/133... If it's purely for DOS then i wouldn't recommend going faster than 133MHz 😉

Yea K6 and MMX CPUs can all be clocked down to 133 (66 MHz FSB and 2x multiplier) whereas the non-MMX Pentium can be clocked even lower at 100MHz (66 MHz FSB and 1.5x multiplier).

Some boards allow 50 and 60 mhz FSB allowing for 75mhz and 90mhz Pentium's.

From my ASUS socket 7 mobo manual:

Supported Bus Speeds:

50 MHz
55 MHz
60 MHz
66 MHz
75 MHz
83 MHz

I must be unlucky 😀 All three SS7 boards I have only go as low as 66. But they are all ATX and very late boards. Is it possible that earlier AT based boards tend to clock lower?

Nahkri wrote:

What would be a better dos gaming machine?a more powerfull 486 or a slower around 100-133 mhz pentium?

There is no "better". Everything depends on what, exactly, you want to do.

I have never messed with DOSBOX and if I had I might change my mind - but I have never been a fan of emulation. Some of the most fun I have had recently was setting a DOS/Windows 3.1 box.

486 stuff is expensive on Ebay. Pentium board can still be had fairly cheap, and a pentium really isn't too fast, is it?

Yes go with the Pentium. The faster ones can be clocked down to 100 or 133 MHz and then you can also disable the cache and get 386DX and 486DX2 equivalent speeds.

The late mainboards (Super Socket 7) are also very easy to work with.

Another place to look for old hardware is local thrift stores. The most common stuff I find in those places are P4 Dell machines, but there's older stuff occasionally. I've seen a few different slot-1 systems in the past year with Intel-made 440BX boards, I think all of them were Dell. Browsing those places makes you realize just how dominant Dell is/was. Old homebuilt machines are less common but they do show up.
Prices are all over the map, sometimes they're ridiculous, sometimes a bargain.
To be honest, I can't remember ever seeing a Socket-7 at a thrift. They're too old for that to happen much anymore I'm afraid.

Yeah at this point the majority of that hardware has already been thrown in the dumpster. Such a shame and keeps ebay prices high 🙁

Hmm. The good news is that the hardest part is really the SS7 mainboard (ATX). The other parts are easy to find or can be purchased new.

AT based socket 7 boards are easier to find, but then you need an AT case and all of that.

Hence my interest in Time-machine computers. But if you want it authentic the yes, it will potentially cost you quite a bit.

eBay is not the place to look for bargains. They do exist, just not very often.

Where should one look for bargains then?

bristlehog wrote:

Where should one look for bargains then?

Ask friends and family members, garage sales, newspaper, schools, businesses, computer stores...

I'd be very careful with old Dell boards as they usually have proprietary power connectors, meaning you can't use a standard ATX PSU (unless you can find some kind of adapter).

Super 7 boards are great for CPU compatibility (Intel, AMD, IBM, IDT)... But they can also be a bit picky when it comes to AGP cards.

I managed to get a socket 7 mb with intel tx chipset,i have 2 proc:a Amd K5-100mhz which overclocks to 120(60x2) and a pentium mmx 166 mhz,which 1 should i use ?
I lean towards the pentium mmx couse its more powerfull then the k5,plus it's prolly better suited for a mb with intel chipset.
Is there a good website about using dos?how to install it,how to install drivers,commands etc.
My first pc had win 95 on it,so i,m a noob when it comes to dos.

The Pentium MMX 166 is heaps faster!