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IBM PC 330 Retrostation showcase, build log, questions

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First post, by priangle

Posted on 
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Hi everyone! I am new to this forum and happy to see such a community.
I've recently became a father and my long awaited dream of building a retro pc corner became more relevant - i want to play videogames of my childhood with my son. Not sure if he would dig it or not, but i decided to give it a shot 😁
The prices on retro hardware seem to be rising constantly, so i decided to begin this quest.

So this is my current build

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The base is IBM Personal Computer 330, model 6577 (last variation of 330 series)
CPU has been upgraded to Pentium 200 MMX (ceramic one)
144mb memory
Integrated GPU - s3 trio 64v+ , 1mb + 1mb upgrade
GPU accelerator is 3dfx Voodoo 1 4mb by Diamond Monster 3D
The monitor is Sun GDM-5510
The Keyboard - IBM Model M, dated 1988.
Seller also included the Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 PCI audio interface, but warned me that he could'n make it to work in both Windows ME (currently installed) and Windows XP. It worked in Windows 98 though, but showed multiple problems in DOS games.

I am planning to install Windows 98 SE.

Games i would like to play:
Full Throttle, Loom, The Dig, (and other LucasArts adventure games), Space Quest 6, Warcraft 2, Z (by Bitmap Brothers), MDK, Dungeon Keeper, Fallout 1&2

So my current questions are these:

  1. In order to have the midi sound and compatibility with DOS, i have to buy an ISA audio card. What are the cheaper options that will work with Roland MT-32?
  2. I want to use a Compact Flash drive for the system. What kind of Compact Flash drive would you recommend? There's so many of them! I'm considering SanDisk ExtremePro (32 GB, r/W 160/150) - will it work with my system?

Thanks in advance!

my wish list / buy plan (from first to last):

  • Compact Flash drive + CF to IDE adapter (considering the StarTech 35BAYCF2IDE)
  • Some temporary ISA sound card to use with MT-32 until i get my hands on Orpheus II
  • Roland MT-32 emulator + Raspberry Pi 3
  • IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor White - speakers
  • 🙌🏼Orpheus II🙌🏼 - holy grail item
  • Original Roland MT-32 (optional, just for the aesthetics of the device)

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Reply 1 of 2, by dukeofurl

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The PC 330 and the PC 350 share the same motherboard. I understand the PC 350 has some issues using/detecting HDDs and CF that are in excess of 8gb so you may want to avoid that 32gb card. The startech cf adapter is a good one. I've also heard that the PC 350 is somewhat picky with the type of cf card you are using, where some brands will work and some won't. Another user here uses a 4gb verbatim brand card with their PC 350 so that may be something to look for if you want to get something that might be more compatible than other options.

I actually just bought a PC 350 myself and will be working on installing a CF adapter and setting up the system soon.

Reply 2 of 2, by AlessandroB

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Which kind of PentiumMMX you have installed? This computer does not support dual voltage (even if i think before you cook a PentiumMMX at 3,3 v you can gone...). Second: 99% the bios allow only 8GB limit size.

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