First post, by Doomn00b
- Rank
- Newbie
Hi everyone! = )
So, just like Ruthan and Agent007:
Ultimate multiboot - Old+New (DOS+W98,Xp,7,10+Linux,MacOS,Android-x86) on newest HW research - compatibility matrix
"Madness", One retro PC to rule them all :)
I have the ambition to build a PC which would have native support for as wide of a range of games as possible - so, I have been looking into this, on several places online, and have found that you can indeed get QUITE a few games working if you just select precisely the right hardware and software.
So, first of all, I need to get Windows 98 working, and over on the MSFN-boards, there's a thread on boards released after Win98 was replaced by XP etc, which still support Win9x. I've been going through this, and have narrowed it down to a select few boards - however... now I've gotten stuck! I've been staring at so many parameters, pages, and builds, that I feel I need some outside input on how to proceed.
Only certain parts of the build is meant to be legacy, many parts are meant to be more modern.
I have found multiple confounding statements regarding various things, which I would like some feedback on:
Intel CPU's have more custom drivers than AMD
Intel manufactured motherboards are the worst when it comes to later Win9x support - one needs a board from another manufacturer
Award Bios is more compatible than AMI bios
Intel NIC's are better and more compatible than Realtek NIC's
Are these statements actually true? How much should I take these into account, when I select my hardware?
Games to run:
Dos -
Commander Keen 3-5
Crusader: No Remorse/Regret
Doom
Doom 2
Duke Nukem 3D
Shadow Warrior
Quake
UFO: Enemy Unknown
Indiana Jones & The Fate of Atlantis
Rise of the Triad
The Dig
Oregon Trail
Win9x -
Quake 2
Quake 3
System Shock 2
Command & Conquer
Cnc: Red Alert
CnC: Tiberian Sun/Firestorm
CnC: Red Alert 2
Starcraft
The Neverhood
Descent 2
Diablo
Diablo 2
Earthworm Jim (win9x is better than dos-version)
Jazz Jackrabbit 2
Unreal Tournament
Incoming
Battlezone
Commandos 2
Dungeon Keeper 2
ToonStruck
Fallout 2
Heavy Gear 2
Outcast
Silver
Soldier of Fortune
WinXP -
Unreal Tournament 2004
XIII
Doom 3
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Vista+/W10
GZDoom
Starcraft 2
Potential build WIP:
OS: FreeDos, W98SE, XP x32, W10 x64
MB: ?
CPU: ?
RAM: ?
GPU1: ?
GPU2: ?
SC1: ?
SC2: ?
SC3: ?
HDD: ?
SSD: ?
DVD: ?
FDD: SuperDisk LS-240
NIC1: ?
NIC2: ?
USB: ?
PSU: ?
CASE: ? (will be a modern one)
COOLER: ? (custom water-loop - may create custom-blocks for older cards, through CAD and CNC-cutting)
INPUT: ?
Mb candidates:
I have narrowed it down to 6 or so MB's, all with different reasons for being used - what can you all say regarding performance, compatibility, and STAbility of these boards? Are some of them known to be problematic?
https://1drv.ms/x/s!Asx8mx1KVNztjwf8JpB9kMT6e66S
G-card 1 candidates:
Cirrus Logic CL-GD5436
(PCI, 1-4 mb vram, 64-bit interface)
Macronix MX86200
(PCI, 1-4 mb vram, 64-bit interface,)
S3 Trio64V+[Aristo ART-64V+](86C765)
(PCI, 1-2 mb vram, 64-bit interface,)
S3 ViRGE/DX(86C375)[Genoa Phantom 3D/DX]BIOS version: 3.0 (1997-Jul-27)
(PCI, 2-4 mb, 64-bit)
S3 ViRGE/GX(86C385)BIOS version: 2.01.08.01-C1.07.03 (1997-Jun-05)
(PCI, 2-4 mb, 64-bit)
G-card 2 candidates:
GeForce 2 Ultra
(AGP, )
GeForce 7800 GTX
S-card candidates:
Aztech FM
ALSFM
SB Audigy ZS SB160
SB !Live CT4830
NIC-candidates:
Intel 1000MT