First post, by 2mg
I'm gonna stir the hornet's nest and probably flog a dead horse too, but here it goes.
From what I gathered around here, for my possible future "Turbocharged BlastProcessing Overk1ll SuperComputer98" build, is this:
I'm not counting industrial boards due to pricing, availability, and unknown PCI/DMA/AGP compatibility.
478 build:
- AGP slot for a fast GPU (up to W98 related issues cutoff point, but can be swapped for faster GPU in WinXP)
- secondary PCI GPU if needed
- fits the probably entire NetBurst P4 architecture
- SB-LINK or PC/PCI for DOS audio (is there a chipset cutoff point for ISA/DMA signaling here?)
- good W98 driver support
- seem available online
- older hardware
- runs hot
- DOS audio questionable without PC/PCI or SB-LINK
- still not the fastest W98 build, as Core2 Pentiums are faster (also no DDR2/SATA and so on)
- dunno how to find a mobo with SB-LINK or PC/PCI (and do I need specific soundcards?)
- also works as a solid early Win XP machine, but hits a wall soon
775 build with AGP:
- AGP slot
- secondary PCI GPU if needed
- fits only early Core2 CPUs (no point in 775 NetBurst P4), as these 775+AGP mobos weren't produced for a long time
- unknown DOS audio support (can someone confirm?)
- possibly lacks some W98 drivers (can someone confirm?)
- these mobos seem rare, as SATA/DDR/PCIE became more common quickly
- slightly better early Win XP machine than 478
- still slower than a full-blown 775 build with newer Core2 CPUs (and DDR2/SATA etc.)
- seems like a Frankenstein/crossover build with both best and worst of both worlds
775 build with PCI-E:
- PCI GPU (can they match AGP counterparts?) OR a "hacked" PCI-E GPU (probable issues)
- fits the entire Core2 architecture
- seem available
- have to be careful not to get the "newest" stuff that doesn't play nicely with W98
- DOS audio, is it possible?
- probably the fastest early Win XP machine if limited by W98 hardware
- physically swapping stuff can make it a very fast late Win XP machine
- the hardware is "newest" of the bunch
478 for max compatibility and decent speeds, 775+AGP for a faster but Frankenstein build (hard to find, no?), and 775+PCIE for "fingers crossed" fastest build.
Did I get this right?