I think its pretty nice, It could have an extraordinary compatibility coverage, but there is no one pc to rule them all, been discussed many times here, I don't want that to distract from the complements of it having really good coverage, It just wont rule them all theres no such thing 🤣

Yeah, I mean, almost 🤣

The case is not "SB16 compatible" 🤣
Avoid it if you want to install a really long SB16 or AWE32 😵 I'm fine with a Vibra 16S CT2900 though...

Use an AWE64. 🤣

Why didn't you go for a period-correct case?

There are also much shorter SB16 Value cards like the CT2770.

dr_st wrote:

Use an AWE64. 🤣

Why didn't you go for a period-correct case?

I need authentic OPL3! As for the case, well, I just don't want to bother with finding one and cleaning it.

appiah4 wrote:

There are also much shorter SB16 Value cards like the CT2770.

I do have one but the one I got uses noiser CT1703-T codec... And have some filtering issues. That's really bad 😢
But I haven't tested much about this CT2900 so maybe I'll consider using that CT2770 if there's any problem.

Update:

I decided to use this CT2770 anyway... Since I use Vortex 2 to (really) enjoy music, the filtering problem of this card is not really a problem. The CT1747 chip sounds fantastic!

Got this Voodoo3 card. According to the seller and the memory chip part number, this is a 143MHz Voodoo3 2000. However, I installed it onto the machine and it says "Voodoo3 3000" 🤣 So it must be flashed by someone... A good sign for it's validated 166MHz capable!

th1r5bvn23 wrote:

Update:

I decided to use this CT2770 anyway... Since I use Vortex 2 to (really) enjoy music, the filtering problem of this card is not really a problem. The CT1747 chip sounds fantastic!

Got this Voodoo3 card. According to the seller and the memory chip part number, this is a 143MHz Voodoo3 2000. However, I installed it onto the machine and it says "Voodoo3 3000" 🤣 So it must be flashed by someone... A good sign for it's validated 166MHz capable!

Good call on the CT2770 and glad I had a good idea for a change.

Don't use that Voodoo 3 at 166MHz if you will keep that cooler, it won't survive for long unless you add a fan on top.

appiah4 wrote:

Good call on the CT2770 and glad I had a good idea for a change.

Don't use that Voodoo 3 at 166MHz if you will keep that cooler, it won't survive for long unless you add a fan on top.

Yeah, thanks for the idea!
Of course I won't use that tiny cooler alone. I've ordered a PCI slot cooler (two 8cm fans) and I'm waiting for it to arrive. That should be plenty.

th1r5bvn23, is easy to find thooses part in China? Did you buyed from some EBAY style site?

MKT_Gundam wrote:

th1r5bvn23, is easy to find thooses part in China? Did you buyed from some EBAY style site?

I have to buy these parts inside China, since shipping and tax are very high. For used parts, I mostly use IdleFish, which is eBay-like. We also have Taobao (AliExpress is Taobao for worldwide) and JD.com (Amazon-like). One exception is that I picked up the motherboard at a local recycling center, so it cost me next to nothing.
I believe that most parts I picked up are common, however, some of them are not so common on IdleFish. But if you want something even better and rarer... you're out of luck.

You could try a Sound Blaster Pro 2.0 (ISA)
or an Sound Blaster Vibra 16 with Yamaha OPL. ( ISA)

I use a Sound Blaster live 5.1 with live drive in my SS7 builds.
I would definitely add some good case fans and a fan on the Voodoo card.

My SS7 Builds:
AMD K6-III+@550mhz., Voodoo-3 / 3DFX / MMX / 3D Now (tower)

AMD K6-lll+@500mhz., Voodoo 3000 (desktop)

Update:

Nearly finished. TOO MANY CABLES!!! 😵 😵 😵
I need to replace the CPU cooler with a quieter one. This one rotates too fast and makes a lot of noise.
The PCI slot cooler is too thick so I had to give up installing USB controller. I also need to uprise the cooler a little bit...

While setting up the machine I found a serious problem with sound card. I installed Vortex 2 2041 driver, and every time I use WMP9 and I click on "Play" menu, the computer hangs. If I insert a CD, the WMP9 will run automatically and the computer hangs. Also if I open up "Multimedia" in control panel and I exit, the computer hangs. I played digital audio, MIDI, and tried dxdiag, and they worked fine.

Edit: Tried data CD, worked fine. Also removed Aureal driver but it still hangs.

Edit 2: Disabled DMA for the CD drive worked... but I don't know if this would cause other problems. I believe this problem is caused by troublesome VIA 🤣

Finally finished the build. I spent a lot of time figuring out dual sound card setup, PnP configuration, drivers and MS-DOS mode. There's still a small problem: Windows wants AU8830 SB Pro Emulation to use I/O port 388h and doesn't allow me to change, however this address should be reserved for SB16 OPL3. So under MS-DOS mode FM sound may work or may not work, randomly. A reboot may solve the problem temporarily. Apart from this small glitch, everything worked fine! Now it's the time to enjoy it.
I might redo this build with horizontal chassis and CRT in the future... and yeah, with the poor CT2290 too! 🤣