Micronics JX30GC and Cirrus GD5429 VLB - doesn't chooch?

Posted on 2017-03-13, 20:05

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

I've been trying to get just the right video card for one of the machines I've been monkeying with over the last few weeks, and I've hit into something weird. The machine is a 486, with a Micronics JX30GC VLB/ISA motherboard. I have four cards I've been trying to get working with it - a Cirrus …

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Re: Build Log: Fast Win98/XP Build. Modern case. Looking for advice.

Posted on 2017-03-13, 15:02

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Lian Li's cases are pretty good in general, but I personally prefer Fractal Design. IMHO - and this is just that, subjective opinion - Lian Li's cases tend to be a bit gimmicky, trying too hard to be cutting-edge, while Fractal Design seems to hit the high points on genuinely useful features without …

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Re: Pentium 166 build

Posted on 2017-03-13, 14:46

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

If you're not dual-booting, then FAT32 should be fine: even rebooting into real MS-DOS mode will use Win98's DOS (MS-DOS 7.1) which supports FAT32. You might find the odd program here or there that would throw a wobbly if it sees a filesystem more than 2GB in size, but I've never bumped into that. …

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Re: Build Log: The Kraken DX4-100

Posted on 2017-03-13, 01:54

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

On the bright side, the S3 should almost certainly turn in better performance. Numbers for reference, from a box I'm putting together. CPU Motherboard Graphics card RAM OS 3DBench Chris's VGA Chris's SVGA PCPlayer VGA PCP SVGA DOOM Realtics Quake Lo-res Am5x86-P75-133 Biostar MB-8433UUD Trident …

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Re: Which XP?

Posted on 2017-03-12, 04:24

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

I almost feel like on P3s and early Athlons, RAM is a bigger determinant - if you can stick 1GB or more in there, then XP is fine, otherwise prefer 98/ME or Win2K. I actually don't mind 2000 for a lot of mid-generation DirectX and OpenGL games.

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Re: Can a 200MHz CPU work in a 166MHz Motherboard

Posted on 2017-03-10, 22:22

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

First off, you're overvolting the CPU, which could cause some problems. It'll probably be fine with good enough cooling, but make sure your heatsink and fan are up to scratch. If the board is actually limited to a 2.5x multiplier, then you won't be able to clock the CPU above 166MHz, but the 200MHz …

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Re: My power button is acting crazy

Posted on 2017-03-10, 17:49

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

It's somewhat shocking how many problems can be caused by a witchety PSU, isn't it?

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Re: New old stock IBM AT

Posted on 2017-03-10, 17:46

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Ah, good to know! I didn't realize that - I thought the Model M was introduced with the PS/2, and only the very last ATs shipped with them, mostly due to having ceased production of the Model F. TIL!

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Re: New old stock IBM AT

Posted on 2017-03-10, 16:19

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Very nice! Nothing wrong with going with a VGA card - it was certainly an option at the time, and CGA was getting a bit long in the tooth by the time of the AT. I'm surprised it came with a Model M with the well-known ANSI layout - not a lot of PC/ATs did. Most of them had a Model F with the AT …

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Re: Build Log: The Kraken DX4-100

Posted on 2017-03-10, 00:24

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

Oh, sweet! That neatly solves a vexing problem!

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Re: Build Log: The Kraken DX4-100

Posted on 2017-03-09, 21:52

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

That's what I call a skookum case! I loved those, but never could get hold of one back in the day, lucky find that!

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Re: Which old hard drives were high or low end?

Posted on 2017-03-09, 21:31

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I actually had a few of the 75GXPs, and only one of them ever carked it on me, but it was kinda luck of the draw. I didn't have terribly aggressive cooling, and I was using them with a dodgy power supply on the somewhat dodgy base power grid. Probably sheer dumb luck. ISTR that they were made in a …

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Re: AWE 64, What is the difference between CT4500 and CT4520 (and AWE64 alternatives)

Posted on 2017-03-08, 21:35

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

I have a Dreamblaster S1 (on an Audician 32 Plus in a rig that I'll post about just as soon as I swat that last bug, grr), and I think it sounds fantastic, but it does sound a bit different from the AWE64 wavetable synth. Closest comparison I think would be to an SC-55, but it doesn't sound exactly …

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Re: Weird color glitches in some games

Posted on 2017-03-08, 14:00

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

I think you're probably hitting some obscure optimization-related bug, probably due to a wonky compiler, similar to how certain programs break - even to this day! - when built with maxed-out compiler optimizations. When that happens, they don't always break everywhere, or break in easy to understand …

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Re: Most Bestest PCI DOS \ Early Windows Video Card?

Posted on 2017-03-07, 19:11

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

Also really good on the compatibility front is the 3dfx Voodoo3 in any of its PCI incarnations. I'm not actually sure how well it plays with DOS GLIDE games - by the time I was able to get my hands on any actual 3dfx hardware, the heyday of the Voodoo series was mostly over - but as a 2d card it's …

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Re: HDD Detection Issues On Super Socket 7

Posted on 2017-03-07, 18:05

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Also, if you boot into Linux, BSD, Windows NT, or something else that doesn't depend on BIOS device enumeration, do the devices show up? If not, you may have a horked ATA controller rather than a BIOS issue.

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Re: Super Socket 7 2D Cards

Posted on 2017-03-05, 03:01

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

It's more that with UEFI, it might not be necessary to have a VGA BIOS. I can't say I've tried. The UEFI on AMD boards might know how to initialize ATI chipsets in 2D mode, I recall reading something to that effect a while back. The card I have is an oddball - it was made for SPARC workstations, not …

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Re: Super Socket 7 2D Cards

Posted on 2017-03-03, 20:18

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

The ATI Rage XL will not POST on old machines. It works in all AM2 boards I have. I just thought you should know. We don't want to throw out a fine part like that in terms of power draw. Huh, it won't POST in old machines at all? I wonder why? The only one I have is a Sun PGX64, and it certainly …

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Re: Super Socket 7 2D Cards

Posted on 2017-03-03, 14:32

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

Yeah, the MX440 should be just fine, and should work for DirectX and OpenGL games too. As for the Rage XL card - AFAIK, the Rage XL was actually a fairly late die-shrink version of the 3d Rage Pro, and not often offered in cards for PCs. I'll bet that's a Sun or Mac card, and that's why it won't …

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Re: Loving my new 486!! Asus VL/I-486SV2GX4

Posted on 2017-03-03, 14:27

by

by jade_angel

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

in Marvin \ General Old Hardware

I'd say 45ish is about right, for an AMD DX2-80. It'd be between the AMD DX2-66 and the AMD DX4-100, weighted a little high due to the 40MHz bus, depending on whether you can use WB cache or not. IIRC the AMD DX2s had WT L1 cache. The options that are twice as fast are all pretty much overclocked …

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