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Re: I want an "Ultimate DOS" gaming rig but... is this too powerful?

Posted on 2012-01-12, 23:06

in DOS
"Hey, wasn't I doing this to play video games? Eh, whatever," and go out dumpster diving again. Thank goodness this isn't just me. I finally put together my ideal 486, I love it, I sit down to play some classic games at long last... then I start wondering "what would that broken down old box with …

Re: A sad hardware story, please help me.

Posted on 2012-01-09, 21:44

You're dead on there I think. I pulled a similar part from another machine and connected it to the case in question, and the display did function correctly for a time, but then started to heat up and fry before my very eyes. On closer inspection it looks like someone has messed around with the …

A sad hardware story, please help me.

Posted on 2012-01-09, 00:37

I have a shameful habit of taking unwanted hardware to my local recycle center and, while the attendant isn't looking, browsing other people's discards and often coming away with more things than I arrived with. On my last raid I found a beautiful AT case which is in near new condition - it even has …

Re: Games in vesa mode, hardware required.

Posted on 2011-12-30, 10:51

in DOS
Thanks for the helpful replies as always on this board, I'll give fastvid a go and try to be a bit more realistic with my expectations. I'm having a ball messing around with this old hardware - most of which I couldn't afford back in the day - but, due to being corrupted by modern PC gaming I think, …

Games in vesa mode, hardware required.

Posted on 2011-12-29, 10:41

in DOS
Like most things in life there's probably no easy answer for this, but what hardware is required to run games in vesa mode at a decent frame rate? I ask because I've recently been messing around with early pentiums (started with a 200MMX, now using a P2 300 MMX) to play DOS games and am not getting …

Re: Who Else Uses Anti-Static Wrist Straps?

Posted on 2011-11-25, 03:16

in Milliways
Nah I've never used one and never had a problem. The only trouble I've run into with regard to zap's is mistaking an AT case for an ATX and trying to test a broken power switch by shorting it with a swiss army knife's scissors. Pretty moronic in hindsight but you know, I was young. I did sit on a …

Re: Retro Rig Photo Thread

Posted on 2011-11-10, 21:38

Is that 6 case LEDs I see? Whatever for? Yes it's a cool case, smaller than I expected though and I'm sure the CPU isn't getting any airflow at all, the IDE cables pretty much cover it. But I guess they knew what they were doing, it's still alive all these years later! It would be an issue for a …

Re: Retro Rig Photo Thread

Posted on 2011-11-09, 04:10

Yeah Jeff I think his name is? He's had a couple of others listed too. If only he'd listed that 486 six months ago when I decided to re-live my youth, he could have saved me a significant amount of time and money! I remember your post about that Acer 486, it gave me confidence to buy a similar …

Re: Retro Rig Photo Thread

Posted on 2011-11-09, 03:06

A couple of eBay purchases: http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g330/rjheard/486.jpg CPU: Intel DX2 overdrive @ 66Mhz Motherboard: ASUS VL/I486SV2GX4 RAM: 16Mb (4 x 72pin Fastpage) Hard Drive: 270Mb Western Digital IDE Multi I/O VESA Card Video Card: VESA Cirrus Logic CL-GD5428 1Mb Sound Card: ISA …

Re: what is your computer "plan"

Posted on 2011-11-08, 05:29

in Milliways
I got into retro computing maybe 6 months ago when I came across a photo of my much younger self sitting in front of my beloved 486sx33, playing Doom by the looks of things - so maybe I'd upgraded to a Dx266 by then. I have absolutely no memory of what I did with it, probably just chucked it out I …

Re: Best DOS video card?

Posted on 2011-11-06, 23:29

I got a Pentium 233MMX recently which came with an ARK Logic Legend PCI card in it (2mb, maybe 4?). Anyway it's been great so far for 2d games in pure DOS (using UNIVBE gave it a nice boost).

Re: Correct monitor size for the authentic experience

Posted on 2011-11-06, 23:24

The thing I noticed after trying a CRT again recently after many years, is that they have a "memory" - particularly in a game like System Shock 2 which has lots of great contrast b/w light and dark. Hard to explain, but for example when you turn quickly a light source leaves a trail across the …

Re: how im portant is being period-specific?

Posted on 2011-10-28, 03:36

in Milliways
Interesting thread! I just started another thread about monitor size for the relevant period - I should have just replied to this. Anyway I really like the idea of having everything authentic for a period and enjoy the challenge of tracking down the bits, but there's a limit to how much I'll spend …

Re: Correct monitor size for the authentic experience

Posted on 2011-10-28, 03:07

OK thanks, that sounds right but does complicate matters - the 17" was being shared b/w my DOS machine and my Win98 machine, which are both sitting next to my modern PC with a widescreen LCD. I do have a nice little 14" IBM screen but to squeeze that in there I'd have to push my wife's PC off the …

Correct monitor size for the authentic experience

Posted on 2011-10-28, 01:54

Hi, I'm not too strict about matching my hardware to the era of game I'm playing, but one thing I'd like to get right is the monitor size. Circa 1992 I bought a new 486SX33 which I recall came with a 14" (CRT obviously!), and I'm assuming that was about the norm, but what about around 1995/96? I'm …

Re: New enough to be old?

Posted on 2011-10-26, 00:17

These days, maybe thanks to the consoles, but also because of the resolution ceiling of 1920 x 1080, a new games comes out (like Crysis 2, Bioshock 2, Battlefield 3) and it works just fine on mainstream video cards. I think the console limitation factor is holding back developers from pushing the …

Re: New enough to be old?

Posted on 2011-10-25, 04:59

MaxWar wrote: Problem is its apparently going to use steamworks... Which means im not buying it. What's your issue with steam out of interest? It took me a few years but I quite like it these days; it's easy and reliable and I'm not fussed about the imposed DRM.

Re: New enough to be old?

Posted on 2011-10-25, 01:38

I had a traumatic experience with Oblivion when it came because of the high system requirements - even after mods (cut the grass, etc) and turning down/off graphical settings my system at the time was still struggling, and it looked horrible. The graphics were always far too 'cartoony' for me, but I …

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