First post, by jheronimus
- Rank
- Oldbie
Hi, all!
I finally got my hands on my first machine with a Pentium. Basically, all I wanted was to get something so I could get my hands dirty and not build a computer from scratch. This machine is extremely clean (the insides are actually much cleaner than my regular PC, 🤣), nicely built, not too noisy, and the screen works really nice.
Goals
A versatile and fast machine mostly for late DOS games.
Specs
No name Baby AT case. For the life of me I can't find the model, but it's absolutely the same case I had as a child, though I don't remember what the specs were in that machine.
Pentium MMX 233
32 MB RAM, single DIMM
LuckyStar 5ITX1 rev 2.0 motherboard (Intel 430TX chipset)
S3 Virge 325 GPU with no added RAM
Cirrus Logic CrystalClear 4235-KQ
Quantum Fireball 2.5a 2,5 GB HDD
Samsung SyncMaster 755DFX 17" CRT screen
Genius EasyMouse
"Turbotrak Keyboard" or something
Creative SBS20 speakers
Notes
The biggest test of my character came when I had to choose between two CRT screens, this Samsung 755DFX and the Panasonic PF50 something. In other words, a flat 17 inch flat and a 15 inch non-flat model. Originally I wanted a 15 inch curved model so that I could have a "more authentic look and feel" and also could save some space. Turns out that 1) an older 15 incher needs about the same space a newer 17 incher does. 2) I only looked at the 15 incher for 10 seconds and my eyes began to actually hurt because the flicker was too noticeable. Long story short, I gave up on the idea of a "more time appropriate" screen and picked a newer model.
Next steps — comments welcome
1) upgrade 32 MB. Probably just get a 64 MB DIMM module
2) replace CD-ROM for a CD-RW — what kind of connections/standards should I look out for? Would any IDE model work?
3) get two Voodoo 2 cards. I'm not entirely sure what kind of games would I use SLI for, but I'm going to a shop that supposedly has "60 identical 12 meg Voodoo 2 1000 cards", so I might as well pick a pair, an FDD cable, a VGA passthrough and make an SLI
4) get a NIC card from the Vogons' Wiki article.
5) get a Sound Blaster AWE64 card. I don't know whether or not I'll go the whole MT-32 route, and for some reason AWE32 cards are 3 times as expensive at best.
6) get a new 40GB Seagate ST340014A or a Western Digital WD400BB IDE hard drive, since they cost the same and can be bought at the same place. Will they work? I don't know whether my mobo has an LBA-enabled BIOS update, so I don't plan for a bigger hard drive yet.
7) eventually get an S3 Trio64 card as soon as I get a nice deal for a fully upgraded model. turns out I have a faster card.
Additional questions
1) Turbo LED. It works, but it shows 888 instead of the actual frequency.
How can I make it work properly?
2) I/O
Here is how it looks right now
All COM, LPT, PS/2 connectors seem to be placed on separate boards that are honestly made from tinfoil and flex considerably. I'll have to replace them really soon and I'm wondering — can I place those connectors in the holes that are currently sealed? You can see them above the board slots. Looks like there is a hole for a COM port, a second PS/2 port, an LPT — everything. What kind of hardware do I need for that?
3) Windows 95 or 98
I was originally planning to install the latest Windows 95 2.5 release and call it a day. It turned out, however, that this hardware runs Win98SE (came with it) extremely well. Will I miss a lot if I don't use Win98? I only intend to use the machine for gaming.
4) CRT and speakers
I remember reading somewhere that CRT screens can be damaged by placing speakers too close to them. Is that true for all kinds of speakers?
Thanks!