For PCI sound cards in DOS the Yamaha YMF724/744 is generally recommended for best compatibility and availability. However with PCI "best" doesn't mean "perfect" so you may run into issues with some games and the motherboard can also affect compatibility.

NeoG_ wrote on 2026-09-29, 02:23:

For PCI sound cards in DOS the Yamaha YMF724/744 is generally recommended for best compatibility and availability. However with PCI "best" doesn't mean "perfect" so you may run into issues with some games and the motherboard can also affect compatibility.

Great! now we need to work out where to get one from

Just because your motherboard has PCI slots doesn't mean a DOS compatible PCI sound card will work in DOS with your motherboard.

What is the brand and model of your motherboard?

Donald Duck wrote on 2026-09-29, 03:17:

NeoG_ wrote on 2026-09-29, 02:23:

For PCI sound cards in DOS the Yamaha YMF724/744 is generally recommended for best compatibility and availability. However with PCI "best" doesn't mean "perfect" so you may run into issues with some games and the motherboard can also affect compatibility.

Great! now we need to work out where to get one from

I recommend purchasing Yamaha YMF724/744 in your grocer's freezer. That way you lock in the freshness.

Donald Duck wrote on 2026-09-28, 21:14:

Greetings! […]
Show full quote

Greetings!

So I watched this video where he builds a 486 machine to run on DOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbjYkPKRm-8

He installs a sound card into the MB but dose not show him installing the driver for it onto DOS. But he dose show you a program running in DOS that he alters the volume and other sound settings for. (So I presume that he has installed drivers that will run on DOS).

Sadly the sound card slot he used will not fit my MB as I have no ports for it (the MB is to new for that expansion card) However I do have spare PCI 1 slots s seen hear
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral_Comp … nt_Interconnect
It is just finding a PCI card that will have drivers compatible for DOS. as all the sound cards for this PCI that I have seen, seam to only run on win-7 and above

Any suggestions please?

Thanks

There’s always a Sound Blaster Live! on Marketplace within 10 km of every human on Earth. They’re not exactly champions of DOS audio, but they do put in an honest effort.

For anyone brave enough to install one straight from DOS, the instructions are here: DOS Sound Blaster Emulation Installation Guide - Dos 7.1 - SBLive5.1

ESS Solo-1

Not that I was so involved in DOS gaming at the time, but the Ensoniq 1370/Soundblaster PCI (1371) did its job honestly (and relatively cheaply), so did various ESS card, and unbranded Yamaha
The Soundblaster PCI still do its job in VMware (if configured to use it)

The Live and Ensonic / Creative 1370/1371 cards are horrid if you want good FM synthesis. It maps FM to the wave table samples which ends up being absolute trash.

cyclone3d wrote on 2026-09-29, 17:12:

The Live and Ensonic / Creative 1370/1371 cards are horrid if you want good FM synthesis. It maps FM to the wave table samples which ends up being absolute trash.

Matter of priorities and personal preferences, I care a lot of high quality audio, but not about synthetic audio. And I never understood people obsessed with that.

After all we had a lot of fun playing Jet Set Willy on a ZX Spectrum, with its ridiculous speaker and primitive synthesis, and frankly ports of it on more modern platforms, with better audio, better graphics are a technical upgrade, but a pleasure downgrade.

cyclone3d wrote on 2026-09-29, 03:23:

Just because your motherboard has PCI slots doesn't mean a DOS compatible PCI sound card will work in DOS with your motherboard.

What is the brand and model of your motherboard?

I do not know! might be Acras or something like that, it is socket 775 pentium 4 and around the 2002-4 age

Cmi8738, it might even be on your motherboard
https://www.philscomputerlab.com/c-media-cmi8738.html

gmaverick2k wrote on 2026-09-29, 19:25:

Cmi8738, it might even be on your motherboard
https://www.philscomputerlab.com/c-media-cmi8738.html

There seams to be quite a few used ones for sale on ebay. But non of them come with any drivers!

Donald Duck wrote on 2026-09-30, 23:12:

There seams to be quite a few used ones for sale on ebay. But non of them come with any drivers!

Vintage PC equipment is rarely sold with drivers. You will need to buy a card and download the drivers from somewhere like VOGONS Vintage Driver Library.

NeoG_ wrote on 2026-09-30, 23:20:

Donald Duck wrote on 2026-09-30, 23:12:

There seams to be quite a few used ones for sale on ebay. But non of them come with any drivers!

Vintage PC equipment is rarely sold with drivers. You will need to buy a card and download the drivers from somewhere like VOGONS Vintage Driver Library.

WOHOWO! Vogon have a Library?

Donald Duck wrote on 2026-09-30, 23:23:

WOHOWO! Vogon have a Library?

It's not officially run by VOGONS but is maintained by people on the forum

https://vogonsdrivers.com/

Donald Duck wrote on 2026-09-29, 18:40:

cyclone3d wrote on 2026-09-29, 03:23:

Just because your motherboard has PCI slots doesn't mean a DOS compatible PCI sound card will work in DOS with your motherboard.

What is the brand and model of your motherboard?

I do not know! might be Acras or something like that, it is socket 775 pentium 4 and around the 2002-4 age

Just a technical note—if you have an Intel chipset, most likely the ICH5, then the CMI8738 (which otherwise works correctly in DOS applications run from the Windows 98 environment) does not work in pure DOS; that is, the music plays, but without FX sound. See this thread: CMI8738 DOS drivers like to assign IRQ A