pics?

Too bad that 386 SX 33 are a bit too sluggish for Wolf 3D or Duke Nukem 2 (even with a Tseng Labs ET4000 or a CL-GD5422) else I would have kept my Octek Panther 2 as my main 386 computer 😒

Gosh what is with you and over sized upside down pictures. 🤣

darksheer wrote:

Too bad that 386 SX 33 are a bit too sluggish for Wolf 3D or Duke Nukem 2 (even with a Tseng Labs ET4000 or a CL-GD5422) else I would have kept my Octek Panther 2 as my main 386 computer 😒

I was playing Wolfenstein 3D (and Spear of Destiny add-on) in my 386SX-16 with 5MB RAM and an OAK 512KB VGA, just fine (I had also a FPU, but I'm quite sure the game was not utilizing it). Actually one of my recent projects was recreating this machine (which was my first PC in 1992) so I have a similar setup (same board, same VGA, same RAM, etc.) in working condition. I will try and see if I was really playing this game or was just enduring some sort of torture without knowing it. 😊

I played Wolf3D on my 286-16 back then. But the screen size had to be reduced.

tayyare wrote:

I was playing Wolfenstein 3D (and Spear of Destiny add-on) in my 386SX-16 with 5MB RAM and an OAK 512KB VGA, just fine (I had also a FPU, but I'm quite sure the game was not utilizing it). Actually one of my recent projects was recreating this machine (which was my first PC in 1992) so I have a similar setup (same board, same VGA, same RAM, etc.) in working condition. I will try and see if I was really playing this game or was just enduring some sort of torture without knowing it. 😊

Maybe it was a super rocket 386SX Motherboard with good memory speed 😎
When I said it was a bit too "sluggish", I mean that's playable at full screen size but you don't have the smoothness of a 386DX 33/40 (animations and the way walls appears when walking get on my nerves 🤣 I've the feeling that the framerate stuck to 17/18 FPS or something like that 😵 ).
I definitely not find big differences between a 20 Mhz 386 DX and a 386 SX 33 Mhz at full screen size, it's playable but not enjoyable for me 😊
Back when I was a child, I definitely played games at +-15 FPS or less 😵 In my memory it was butter smooth 🤣

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Or, at the very least, downsize your pictures before posting them here on the forums to avoid them clipping off. Also, orienting them the right way up would be nice. 😵

On topic: IIRC, the system requirements for Wolf3D are a 286, so you should be fine playing it on your 386SX.

PeterLI wrote:

Wolfenstein 3D plays fine on my 286 12.5MHZ with 8MB RAM.

YIIIP!!

yep another confirmation that Wolf3D plays perfectly fine on a 386-sx-33 I had one 20 years ago, I can confirm that Duke Nukem 2 did become sluggish.

I had an Amiga 500 until I got a 486, but a friend of mine ran Wolf3D on an Olivetti 286-16 with 2MB of ram, and it ran decently. I have to say I remember not being very impressed with games on that 286 compared to my Amiga, but it changed as PCs became more powerful and Amiga stopped evolving.

Well, Im happy with this new machine. Might move it to a smaller case as this one is missing the side pannel and it takes up much desk space.

darksheer wrote:

Maybe it was a super rocket 386SX Motherboard with good memory speed :cool: When I said it was a bit too "sluggish", I mean th […]
Show full quote

tayyare wrote:

I was playing Wolfenstein 3D (and Spear of Destiny add-on) in my 386SX-16 with 5MB RAM and an OAK 512KB VGA, just fine (I had also a FPU, but I'm quite sure the game was not utilizing it). Actually one of my recent projects was recreating this machine (which was my first PC in 1992) so I have a similar setup (same board, same VGA, same RAM, etc.) in working condition. I will try and see if I was really playing this game or was just enduring some sort of torture without knowing it. 😊

Maybe it was a super rocket 386SX Motherboard with good memory speed 😎
When I said it was a bit too "sluggish", I mean that's playable at full screen size but you don't have the smoothness of a 386DX 33/40 (animations and the way walls appears when walking get on my nerves 🤣 I've the feeling that the framerate stuck to 17/18 FPS or something like that 😵 ).
I definitely not find big differences between a 20 Mhz 386 DX and a 386 SX 33 Mhz at full screen size, it's playable but not enjoyable for me 😊
Back when I was a child, I definitely played games at +-15 FPS or less 😵 In my memory it was butter smooth 🤣

Isn't it true that a 386SX is half as fast as an equivalent DX in 32-bit applications, due to the 16-bit bus? I mean, Wolf3D is a 16-bit app, but I'm sure the narrower bus would make a difference for memory performance. Of course, I've also heard that a 286 can be faster than an equivalent 386SX in 16-bit apps... Is the 386SX just a bunk chip? 😵

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PeterLI wrote:

http://www.redhill.net.au/c/c-2.html

From the Red Hill site:

"Even with 4MB or 8MB RAM, you wouldn't want to run Windows 3.1 on a 386SX-16 though. The SX-33s and DX-40s that followed soon after were vastly faster. "

The second part is just stating the obvious; of course an SX33 and DX40 will be much faster.

And I totally don't agree the first part. My PC (the first one) in the beginning of 1992 was a 386SX-16 (only thing that I can afford). It has 5MB of RAM (maximum the board will allow), a FPU, 256 KB VGA card (with monochrome monitor) and other common parts (40 + later 240MB HDD, 5.25 and 1.44 floppies, no sound card, no other extra).

It was my university years, and till the end of 1994 (when I upgraded it to a Cyrix 486-33 - I was already graduated), it completely satisfied my needs which were not so humble: projects, numerical analysis, jet engine design, aircraft design, FORTRAN, AutoCAD, Matlab, etc. Yes, it was not a Speedy Gonzales by any means, but if you couldn't afford a DX (it was my case at that time), it was a nice option. Try DOS extenders utilized by FORTRAN compilers in 286 machines, for example, if you can. And if somebody don't want using Windows 3.1 on a 386SX, I'm sure they really don't want to use it on a 286 (it will not be fun without the 386 enhanced mode, believe me). I used Windows 3.1 and all associated programs (Word 2.0, Excel 3.0, QuadroPro, AmiPro, Micrographics Designer and such) with happily acceptable easiness, which helped me to become an engineer by having my B.Sc.

mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:

Isn't it true that a 386SX is half as fast as an equivalent DX in 32-bit applications, due to the 16-bit bus? I mean, Wolf3D is a 16-bit app, but I'm sure the narrower bus would make a difference for memory performance. Of course, I've also heard that a 286 can be faster than an equivalent 386SX in 16-bit apps... Is the 386SX just a bunk chip? 😵

I've got a late model 386SX-33 board and it performs ~ on the same level as a 386DX-25. So even in DOS games there is a difference 😀

It's ideal for speed sensitive games such as Wing Commander. The 386DX-40 is already a little bit too fast for some of these games. Especially if you have a fast graphics card like a CL, WD or Tseng. You can always put in a graphics decelerator like an OAK though 🤣

Performs about the same as a 386DX-25 with cache?

Anonymous Coward wrote:

Performs about the same as a 386DX-25 with cache?

Yes! Fast 386 motherboard with lots of Cache.