VOGONS


First post, by dragonerosso

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Hi guys i recently bought this board:
board MSI MS-6123 EX2 (chipset Intel 440EX, per CPU Slot 1, Micro-ATX)
cpu Intel Pentium II 266 (SL2HE)
1 module DIMM da 32MB.
Audio integrated with chipset Yamaha YMF715 (OPL3-SA3)
I want to do a 1:1 perfect compatibility retro gaming pc (1997-1999).
Which components should i do buy?
Thanks

Reply 1 of 10, by kolderman

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Use the integrated audio for Windows, but you need a ISA sound card for DOS games. I would either use a combination of a S3 Virge + Voodoo2 for great compatibility with Glide games of the era, or put in a geforce2 GTS instead (has very early driver support). For sound card you can use something cheap and basic but good (ESS audiodrive), but if you want something more authentic (real OPL, integrated MIDI etc) you can research many options. Maybe an AWE64 with a memory module would be nice (as this will be a Windows PC), but there are a couple of dozen to consider.

Reply 2 of 10, by dragonerosso

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Hello and thanks for the advice. Now I'm looking for everything. As a monitor I will use an IBM CRT at 640*480 res. Yes I would like to make a powerful but balanced 1:1 pc station of the time

Reply 3 of 10, by dragonerosso

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Voodoo 1 or voodoo 2 for PII 266MHZ?

Reply 4 of 10, by Gmlb256

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Both are suitable for the PII-266, but the Voodoo2 is faster, and you don't have to dial down the resolution to 512x384 with 3D games.

Reply 5 of 10, by slivercr

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The integrated ymf715 is already great for DOS and has authentic OPL3. Invest in a MIDI module if anything.

I'd try bumping the CPU to something faster, 366 to 433 celeron due to bus limitation of 66 MHz

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Reply 6 of 10, by dragonerosso

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slivercr wrote on 2024-06-15, 22:01:

The integrated ymf715 is already great for DOS and has authentic OPL3. Invest in a MIDI module if anything.

I'd try bumping the CPU to something faster, 366 to 433 celeron due to bus limitation of 66 MHz

The fastest cpu supported on this board is PII 333mhz or PII 450 right?

Reply 8 of 10, by Atreus

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Finding Celeron 433 can be tricky and expensive. I found Celeron 400 and PII 333. Both of them are practically equal. Celeron is a little faster and consume less power from PSU. I paired it with ATI Rage 128 and Voodoo II 12MB. After changing FSB to 75 MHz or higher(doesn't remember now) PII was working at around 405 MHz and I was able to play "Undying" on it. My Celeron doesn't like overclocking but PII works like charm on higher FSB.

Reply 9 of 10, by H3nrik V!

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dragonerosso wrote on 2024-06-15, 22:21:
slivercr wrote on 2024-06-15, 22:01:

The integrated ymf715 is already great for DOS and has authentic OPL3. Invest in a MIDI module if anything.

I'd try bumping the CPU to something faster, 366 to 433 celeron due to bus limitation of 66 MHz

The fastest cpu supported on this board is PII 333mhz or PII 450 right?

Fastest PII would be 333, since the EX chipset only supports 66 MHz FSB.

If it's dual it's kind of cool ... 😎

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Reply 10 of 10, by dionb

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kolderman wrote on 2024-06-15, 21:25:

Use the integrated audio for Windows, but you need a ISA sound card for DOS games. I would either use a combination of a S3 Virge + Voodoo2 for great compatibility with Glide games of the era, or put in a geforce2 GTS instead (has very early driver support). For sound card you can use something cheap and basic but good (ESS audiodrive), but if you want something more authentic (real OPL, integrated MIDI etc) you can research many options. Maybe an AWE64 with a memory module would be nice (as this will be a Windows PC), but there are a couple of dozen to consider.

OP is confusing matters by incorrectly referring to an onboard YMF715 as 'integrated' - this isn't integrated AC'97 audio but a full onboard ISA chip, with real OPL and SBPro2.0 compatibility. No need for a separate card unless you have very specific requirements.