Wow, thanks for all the replies! Lots to think about...
dionb wrote:You don't play games with them, you don't fiddle with their innards - what do you (intend to) do with them?
The answer to that question will probably go a long way towards telling you which to keep. Without that, others will just say what *they* would keep, which is nice, but none too relevant for you.
Interesting to note the same systems in your sig but with different VGA configurations. Before making any pronouncements I'd be interested to know what case they are in, what motherboard they are based upon and what sound card(s) they have- particularly as the older two are so close in age and specs that you can mix&match (as you already seem to have done).
Well it's a lack of time more than anything. I'd like to keep one just for putting a bunch of games on that I can fire up from time to time, or if people visit and want to play on it.
I think the Athlon XP machine is definitely out because it's new enough that any game I run on that will run on a modern PC (of which I have two and trying to sell one of all also) anyway, but for the other two here's there complete specifications:
1: Pentium II 350MHz, Intel 440BX (Supermicro P6SBS Slot 1 ATX motherboard), 256MB SDRAM PC100, 10GB Seagate 5400rpm HDD, Creative AWE64 CT4520 ISA soundcard, Voodoo 3 3000 PCI 16MB, LG 32x CD-ROM, Windows 98SE, bog standard beige ATX case
2: Pentium III 500MHz, Intel 440BX Slot 1 (it's a Gateway G7-500 so unsure who made the motherboard, but it's a standard ATX really), 256MB SDRAM PC133, 20GB Seagate 5400rpm HDD, Ensoniq Tabor2 PCI soundcard, GeForce 4 MX 440 AGP 64MB, Gateway ATX case (but scratched to hell and back).
chinny22 wrote:I'm guessing you want to keep at least 1 you can pull out from time to time, rather then dedicate alot of space to multiple PC's?
Precisely. We'll be redecorating the office into more of a spare bedroom soon, so I need to downsize to a smaller desk with just my new PC and one retro.
jesolo wrote:It also depends on what other PC's you have. I presume you have enough other Athlon XP's, AMD64's or Pentium 4 based PC's? If so, then you can let this Athlon XP go.
If none of these has any sentimental value, keep the Pentium III and swop out the Voodoo 3 PCI from the Pentium II with the GeForce 4 MX440 from the Pentium III. However, the GeForce 4 MX440 will probably be a bit of overkill for a Pentium II (I'm not sure whether it's fully compatible with the Pentium II's AGP bus).
I agree with appiah4's last comment. There is no benefit keeping the Pentium II over the Pentium III. Any game that will run on a Pentium II, will run just as well on a Pentium III.
I intend to just have my main gaming PC (Windows 10, GTX970, 8GB RAM, etc) and whichever of these I choose to keep for nostalgia and gaming when I fancy it.
Would it make sense to swap the Pentium 3 to the Supermicro motherboard (as it's in better condition than the Gateway one I think), and keep both the GeForce 4 MX 440 (for Dx7 and lower games) as well as the Voodoo 3?
Xeon E3-1241v3 - 16GB DDR3 - Vega 56 - W10
PII 450MHz - 256MB SDRAM - Voodoo 3 3000 PCI - W98SE