And for archives sake just a few more:

Thought I'd take the time to introduce another one of my retro rigs. Actually, the very first one I got when I decided to dive back into this hobby. Please allow me to share its story and some photos.

Back in Mid 2023, I decided I would go looking for a Windows 98 computer to revisit some of my childhood computer games and experience some Win9x on bare metal (I had been playing with Windows 95 and 98 in virtual machines, but it's just not the same).

My family got our first "internet ready" PC in 1997 - it was a custom build by a local shop and had a Pentium 200 MMX, Windows 95, 3.2 GB HDD, 32MB of RAM, a Princeton Graphics CRT (13 or 14"), Epson inkjet printer, UMAX scanner, Microsoft Natural keyboard, a Sidewinder game pad, and Altec Lansing speakers w/ subwoofer.

I had really intended to recreate this setup as closely as possible, in order to play the games I had back then (examples include POD, DOOM, DOOM II, Viper Racing, Descent, Warcraft and Warcraft II, NASCAR Racing, MotoExtreme, Deer Hunter, Rebel Moon Rising, Earthworm Jim, and quite a few others that I can't even remember). I also wanted the full nostalgic software experience with Print Artist 4.0 Platinum, Microsoft Works 4.5, Kai's Power Goo, Microsoft Greetings Workshop, Encarta '97, Bonzi buddy and desktop sheep, etc. etc.).

So I went to the local E-Waste recycling business to see what sort of old machines they would be willing to sell whole. They had probably 100 beige computers to choose from, most being old Compaq and Gateway and a few custom ones. After grabbing my top 3 choices, we brought them to a work bench to inspect their condition and make sure they would POST. There were no machines with the Pentium MMX (at least none badged that way) so I looked at a Pentium 166, a Pentium II 233, and a Pentium 3 500. The one I settled on, even though it was not *exactly what I went there looking for, was the Pentium 3. It was the most full-featured of the three and had the best looking case.

It was somebody's custom built rig and may have been used for multimedia editing. It had an ABIT motherboard, Slot 1 Pentium 3 500, two HDDs, Windows 2000, a PCI sound card, ATI AGP video card, TV tuner card, Creative DVD-ROM and MPEG decoder card, CD burner, and 256 MB of SDRAM. Pretty robust system from around 1999. Both hard drives and both optical drives turned out to be bad, but that's another story. Of course the inside was filled with dust, the cable management nonexistent, and a bunch of parts were literally loose and rattling around.

Sadly I do not think I took any "before" photos. Here is the rig in its current form, after a ton of reconfiguration and upgrading. Specs below.

Case: Beige ATX case that was a pretty popular design back then. Case is actually pretty beat up even if it doesn't show in the pictures. Retrobrited.
CPU: Intel Pentium III 500MHz (Katmai) slot 1
MB: ABIT BE6
RAM: 512 MB PC133 SDRAM (1x 256 and 2x 128) - upgraded from 256
HDD: 120GB Seagate 7200 RPM IDE - way overkill, but I did not have any smaller drives that I trusted
Sound: Diamond Monster MX300 (Aureal Vortex 2) PCI sound card
GPU: 3dfx Voodoo 3 3000 AGP with 80mm fan - I added this
Case cooling: (1x) Noctua 80mm intake fan and (1x) Noctua 80mm exhaust fan - both added by me. It got so hot inside this case due to lack of airflow that I cut the hole in the top for an exhaust fan.
CPU cooling: Vantec dual-fan cooler - it runs SO screaming fast, so I have it slowed down with SpeedFan in Windows.
Removable storage: IDE CD-RW 52x32x52, 3.5 floppy

Other:
- SOYO 4-port front panel USB enclosure - added by me (eBay). Connected to a USB 2.0 PCI card through an internal USB 2.0 hub (in the photos you'll see a small blue PCB stuck on the inside of the case). It was sort of a convoluted way to get front panel USB ports, but they are much appreciated.
- 3COM 10/100 NIC
- Reproduction Pentium III case badge (eBay) and my personal custom "Biohazard" case badge

Overall I've been very happy with this PC and I'm glad I went with the faster/newer of the 3. It allowed me to play later games like Unreal Tournament and Quake 3 which probably would have been miserable on a Pentium 1. These days, I play those games on my Athlon XP rig, but it was still a nice benefit. I also really enjoyed being able to turn up the graphics on glQuake and Quake 2. The Voodoo3 really is a luxury that I never had back then.

One thing you might note is how crammed together all the PCI cards are up at the top of the board. I wish it was not this way because the Voodoo3 should have more room to breathe, but one of the weird quirks of this system is that the PCI cards will ONLY - and I mean ONLY- work in these specific locations. I don't know what the problem is, but any time I tried to move the cards down to the lower PCI slots, the PC would either not POST, or not boot to Windows. So I just left them alone.

nezwick wrote on 2024-03-07, 21:23:

Thought I'd take the time to introduce another one of my retro rigs. Actually, the very first one I got when I decided to dive […]
Show full quote

Thought I'd take the time to introduce another one of my retro rigs. Actually, the very first one I got when I decided to dive back into this hobby. Please allow me to share its story and some photos.

Back in Mid 2023, I decided I would go looking for a Windows 98 computer to revisit some of my childhood computer games and experience some Win9x on bare metal (I had been playing with Windows 95 and 98 in virtual machines, but it's just not the same).

My family got our first "internet ready" PC in 1997 - it was a custom build by a local shop and had a Pentium 200 MMX, Windows 95, 3.2 GB HDD, 32MB of RAM, a Princeton Graphics CRT (13 or 14"), Epson inkjet printer, UMAX scanner, Microsoft Natural keyboard, a Sidewinder game pad, and Altec Lansing speakers w/ subwoofer.

I had really intended to recreate this setup as closely as possible, in order to play the games I had back then (examples include POD, DOOM, DOOM II, Viper Racing, Descent, Warcraft and Warcraft II, NASCAR Racing, MotoExtreme, Deer Hunter, Rebel Moon Rising, Earthworm Jim, and quite a few others that I can't even remember). I also wanted the full nostalgic software experience with Print Artist 4.0 Platinum, Microsoft Works 4.5, Kai's Power Goo, Microsoft Greetings Workshop, Encarta '97, Bonzi buddy and desktop sheep, etc. etc.).

So I went to the local E-Waste recycling business to see what sort of old machines they would be willing to sell whole. They had probably 100 beige computers to choose from, most being old Compaq and Gateway and a few custom ones. After grabbing my top 3 choices, we brought them to a work bench to inspect their condition and make sure they would POST. There were no machines with the Pentium MMX (at least none badged that way) so I looked at a Pentium 166, a Pentium II 233, and a Pentium 3 500. The one I settled on, even though it was not *exactly what I went there looking for, was the Pentium 3. It was the most full-featured of the three and had the best looking case.

It was somebody's custom built rig and may have been used for multimedia editing. It had an ABIT motherboard, Slot 1 Pentium 3 500, two HDDs, Windows 2000, a PCI sound card, ATI AGP video card, TV tuner card, Creative DVD-ROM and MPEG decoder card, CD burner, and 256 MB of SDRAM. Pretty robust system from around 1999. Both hard drives and both optical drives turned out to be bad, but that's another story. Of course the inside was filled with dust, the cable management nonexistent, and a bunch of parts were literally loose and rattling around.

Sadly I do not think I took any "before" photos. Here is the rig in its current form, after a ton of reconfiguration and upgrading. Specs below.

IMG_0647.jpg

IMG_0656.jpg

IMG_0655.jpg

IMG_0652.jpg

IMG_0659.jpg

Case: Beige ATX case that was a pretty popular design back then. Case is actually pretty beat up even if it doesn't show in the pictures. Retrobrited.
CPU: Intel Pentium III 500MHz (Katmai) slot 1
MB: ABIT BE6
RAM: 512 MB PC133 SDRAM (1x 256 and 2x 128) - upgraded from 256
HDD: 120GB Seagate 7200 RPM IDE - way overkill, but I did not have any smaller drives that I trusted
Sound: Diamond Monster MX300 (Aureal Vortex 2) PCI sound card
GPU: 3dfx Voodoo 3 3000 AGP with 80mm fan - I added this
Case cooling: (1x) Noctua 80mm intake fan and (1x) Noctua 80mm exhaust fan - both added by me. It got so hot inside this case due to lack of airflow that I cut the hole in the top for an exhaust fan.
CPU cooling: Vantec dual-fan cooler - it runs SO screaming fast, so I have it slowed down with SpeedFan in Windows.
Removable storage: IDE CD-RW 52x32x52, 3.5 floppy

Other:
- SOYO 4-port front panel USB enclosure - added by me (eBay). Connected to a USB 2.0 PCI card through an internal USB 2.0 hub (in the photos you'll see a small blue PCB stuck on the inside of the case). It was sort of a convoluted way to get front panel USB ports, but they are much appreciated.
- 3COM 10/100 NIC
- Reproduction Pentium III case badge (eBay) and my personal custom "Biohazard" case badge

Overall I've been very happy with this PC and I'm glad I went with the faster/newer of the 3. It allowed me to play later games like Unreal Tournament and Quake 3 which probably would have been miserable on a Pentium 1. These days, I play those games on my Athlon XP rig, but it was still a nice benefit. I also really enjoyed being able to turn up the graphics on glQuake and Quake 2. The Voodoo3 really is a luxury that I never had back then.

One thing you might note is how crammed together all the PCI cards are up at the top of the board. I wish it was not this way because the Voodoo3 should have more room to breathe, but one of the weird quirks of this system is that the PCI cards will ONLY - and I mean ONLY- work in these specific locations. I don't know what the problem is, but any time I tried to move the cards down to the lower PCI slots, the PC would either not POST, or not boot to Windows. So I just left them alone.

That’s a really nice build, well done!

nezwick wrote on 2024-03-07, 21:23:

So I went to the local E-Waste recycling business to see what sort of old machines they would be willing to sell whole. They had probably 100 beige computers to choose from, most being old Compaq and Gateway and a few custom ones.

Wait, what now? 100 beige computers? Where in the world does so many beige rigs exist at an E-waste business?

H3nrik V! wrote on 2024-03-08, 05:04:

nezwick wrote on 2024-03-07, 21:23:

So I went to the local E-Waste recycling business to see what sort of old machines they would be willing to sell whole. They had probably 100 beige computers to choose from, most being old Compaq and Gateway and a few custom ones.

Wait, what now? 100 beige computers? Where in the world does so many beige rigs exist at an E-waste business?

that's what i thought - first, how come so many? and second, they can be bought?!

for the first, maybe they had been collecting into pile for some time before arriving, or its a business change (but very vintage equipment for any business!)

for the second, there are 100 potential retro rig photos in there! 😀 i wonder how many will be 'rescued' and used

gerry wrote on 2024-03-08, 12:29:

that's what i thought - first, how come so many? and second, they can be bought?! […]
Show full quote

H3nrik V! wrote on 2024-03-08, 05:04:

nezwick wrote on 2024-03-07, 21:23:

So I went to the local E-Waste recycling business to see what sort of old machines they would be willing to sell whole. They had probably 100 beige computers to choose from, most being old Compaq and Gateway and a few custom ones.

Wait, what now? 100 beige computers? Where in the world does so many beige rigs exist at an E-waste business?

that's what i thought - first, how come so many? and second, they can be bought?!

for the first, maybe they had been collecting into pile for some time before arriving, or its a business change (but very vintage equipment for any business!)

for the second, there are 100 potential retro rig photos in there! 😀 i wonder how many will be 'rescued' and used

Yeah! It's a legit computer recycling business for sure, but these particular systems have been stockpiled in the warehouse for YEARS. Stacks and stacks of them. IIRC, there were a lot of Compaq Deskpro type machines. Chances are, they won't be getting scrapped any time soon.

I will say one thing though, the owner knows his market because the one I bought was not cheap (not quite eBay prices, but still not cheap). Far as I know, the business mainly does contract work behind the scenes and isn't really open to the public. Not much of an online presence either. I was introduced to the place through a guy at work who knows the owner. If someone is near Medina, Ohio and wants to go "shopping", I could connect you.

Heh pretty sure if you are living in one of nordic country (one of the closest to the dictator world). All parts are found one by one.

A001 wrote on 2024-03-06, 14:41:

Boomer wrote on 2024-02-19, 21:32:

Hello. Nice systems here! I show my Windows 98 computer. Feels rocket when gaming. Average unreal game fps around 100. […]
Show full quote

Hello. Nice systems here! I show my Windows 98 computer. Feels rocket when gaming.
Average unreal game fps around 100.

Mobo Abit BH6
Pentium 3 1000&133mhz Abit slotket iii
3dfx Voodoo5 5500 pci
Sound Blaster EAX1 for windows gaming and Sound Blaster AWE32 CT3900 X2GS for MS-DOS gaming.

Looking at this I am rather sure there is my ex-case, mailed to you last summer in not one but two XL-sized boxes?

Very nice build.

Hi all,

here's my PC.

It's not the fastest PC of 1998, but it might have been the fastest in February 1998, exactly when the Voodoo 2 was released.

Back then I was a teenager, frustrated with playing Quake 2 on my Pentium 133, 24 MB of RAM, without 3D acceleration. So yes, this PC here would have blown my mind. 26 years later the dream is finally coming true.

Here are the specs:
1. Pentium II 333 MHz SL2S5 + new fan
2. FIC VL-601 i440LX
3. 256 MB SDRAM PC100
4. Matrox G200A 8 MB AGP
5. 3Dfx Voodoo2 12 MB SLI Yakumo
6. Creative Sound Blaster AWE64 Value CT4500
7. Dreamblaster S2 + Chill&Phil adapter
8. 3Com 3C905B 10/100
9. Startech CF adapter
10. Gotek floppy emulator
11. LG DVD-ROM (until I fix a more period correct Hitachi CD-ROM 32X)
12. Fortron FSP300-60HHN
13. Modecom random case

The PC runs very stable overall, but sometimes after a boot, the L2 cache on the CPU is not there. The CPU presents itself as a Celeron. After a power off, power on cycle, the L2 cache always comes back. I'm not sure what's causing this. Maybe I should swap the power supply.

Also, the case has limited air flow. There is some heat generation around the CPU, and around the Voodoo 2s. I want to avoid adding an extra fan, because of the noise. I have a Fractal Design Focus G case laying around. Not a retro case by any stretch, but it has better air flow, a window, and it's blue.

Otherwise, I am pleased with this PC, and have no reason to upgrade.

It really does look like a dream come true, I can tell you put a lot of love into this.

Walrus83 wrote on 2024-03-17, 19:19:

Hi all,

here's my PC.

Nice and clean! Have much fun and joy with it!!

Yeah, super nice and clean! Love the case, I'd keep it. Just enough cable management to ensure airflow without getting too wrapped up (heh) in it.

I'm a big fan of Goteks, but once I got one with FlashFloppy and a little OLED display, I ditched the OG style one I had immediately. So so much easier to use all round.

Assuming the LX chipset over a BX because you were specifically targeting Feb '98?

ubiq wrote on 2024-03-17, 19:59:

Yeah, super nice and clean! Love the case, I'd keep it. Just enough cable management to ensure airflow without getting too wrapped up (heh) in it.

I'm a big fan of Goteks, but once I got one with FlashFloppy and a little OLED display, I ditched the OG style one I had immediately. So so much easier to use all round.

Assuming the LX chipset over a BX because you were specifically targeting Feb '98?

Goteks and front-loaded CF adapters are super useful. I only miss the floppy drive sound. Someone could make a floppy sound emulator, like they did with the HDD clicker. My next Gotek will probably come with an OLED.

2,5 years ago when I was starting collecting parts for this build, I managed to find some LX boards in a good condition, and at a good price. The BX boards that I was looking at either had some damage (rusty I/O panel, bad capacitors), or were too expensive.

So I ended up with the 440LX platform, and conceived a build that would have been a top-of-the-line build at the launch of Voodoo 2. As if I had walked into a computer store on the day the Voodoo 2 was released, and demanded the best possible PC they could deliver, regardless of the price 😉

Yes, the 440LX platform is not overly fast. Quake and Quake II run smoothly (Quake can do 70+ FPS @1024x768, or 170+ FPS @640x480), but Unreal Tournament is already a bit choppy. Also, late DOS games such as Duke3D and Blood are choppy at higher resolutions. But I am happy regardless.

Walrus83 wrote on 2024-03-17, 19:19:

Also, the case has limited air flow. There is some heat generation around the CPU, and around the Voodoo 2s. I want to avoid adding an extra fan, because of the noise. I have a Fractal Design Focus G case laying around. Not a retro case by any stretch, but it has better air flow, a window, and it's blue.
/quote]

Well, limited air flow is kind of period correct 🤣 But I get excactly, what you mean. I think I would add a couble of 120mm fans at low speed, though.

Walrus83 wrote on 2024-03-17, 19:19:

Hi all, […]
Show full quote

Hi all,

here's my PC.

It's not the fastest PC of 1998, but it might have been the fastest in February 1998, exactly when the Voodoo 2 was released.
...
Otherwise, I am pleased with this PC, and have no reason to upgrade.

definitely a nice set up! i like the 'multi media computer system' badge too!

the specs should see you through all the late 90's games in good playable performance, very nice

Walrus83 wrote on 2024-03-18, 12:02:

Goteks and front-loaded CF adapters are super useful. I only miss the floppy drive sound. Someone could make a floppy sound emulator, like they did with the HDD clicker. My next Gotek will probably come with an OLED.

You can connect a small piezo speaker to a GoTeK drive with the Flash Floppy firmware. Some website sell them with the speaker (and OLED/rotary knob) already attached. It does not sound the same, but I like the feedback.

gerry wrote on 2024-03-18, 12:47:

definitely a nice set up! i like the 'multi media computer system' badge too!

the specs should see you through all the late 90's games in good playable performance, very nice

Yes, the badge is hilarious. It is emblematic of the 1990s, when everything had to be "multimedia".

Actually, the case is from the early 2000s. I sourced it from some office PC that had a Pentium 4-era Celeron inside. It's not a tank like the 1990s cases, but the quality is good enough.

digistorm wrote on 2024-03-18, 14:05:

You can connect a small piezo speaker to a GoTeK drive with the Flash Floppy firmware. Some website sell them with the speaker (and OLED/rotary knob) already attached. It does not sound the same, but I like the feedback.

Good to know, many thanks.

These days, I don't use the GoTek very often. I transfer the files via Samba or FTP.

eindbaas wrote on 2024-03-07, 16:18:

And for archives sake just a few more: […]
Show full quote

And for archives sake just a few more:

IMG_20240307_160222.jpg

IMG_20240307_160244_HDR.jpg

IMG_20240307_160258_HDR.jpg

IMG_20240307_162621_HDR.jpg

Never seen one of the x86 Multias before! The case seems to be the same as the Alpha version, just with different plastic on the front. Looks like your one is practically brand new too! I'd say the're fairly rare, especially with the vertical stand.

The riser for a PCI card might have been an option I guess, or perhaps the x86 machines just didn't get one at all and PCMCIA is the only expansion. The Alpha version has a combo SCSI card+PCI riser and slot blank is a 3.5" hard disk tray so you can either have a 3.5" hard disk or a PCI card mounted there.

Walrus83 wrote on 2024-03-17, 19:19:

Hi all, […]
Show full quote

Hi all,

here's my PC.

It's not the fastest PC of 1998, but it might have been the fastest in February 1998, exactly when the Voodoo 2 was released.

Back then I was a teenager, frustrated with playing Quake 2 on my Pentium 133, 24 MB of RAM, without 3D acceleration. So yes, this PC here would have blown my mind. 26 years later the dream is finally coming true.

Here are the specs:
1. Pentium II 333 MHz SL2S5 + new fan
2. FIC VL-601 i440LX
3. 256 MB SDRAM PC100
4. Matrox G200A 8 MB AGP
5. 3Dfx Voodoo2 12 MB SLI Yakumo
6. Creative Sound Blaster AWE64 Value CT4500
7. Dreamblaster S2 + Chill&Phil adapter
8. 3Com 3C905B 10/100
9. Startech CF adapter
10. Gotek floppy emulator
11. LG DVD-ROM (until I fix a more period correct Hitachi CD-ROM 32X)
12. Fortron FSP300-60HHN
13. Modecom random case

The PC runs very stable overall, but sometimes after a boot, the L2 cache on the CPU is not there. The CPU presents itself as a Celeron. After a power off, power on cycle, the L2 cache always comes back. I'm not sure what's causing this. Maybe I should swap the power supply.

Also, the case has limited air flow. There is some heat generation around the CPU, and around the Voodoo 2s. I want to avoid adding an extra fan, because of the noise. I have a Fractal Design Focus G case laying around. Not a retro case by any stretch, but it has better air flow, a window, and it's blue.

Otherwise, I am pleased with this PC, and have no reason to upgrade.

Very nice rig! This might be an odd thing to point out, but I like that the grey Gotek drive and black card reader somewhat matches the two-tone multimedia case badge. Makes for an overall nice aesthetic for the era. 😁