VOGONS


First post, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

I created a few other threads during earlier build stages of these computers over the last year, but I decided I will be using this one instead as my main multi-build thread for all of my DOS/Win98 hardware compatible retro rigs going forward.

Thus far I have built DOS/Win98 compatible rigs on the below platforms:

486 (Socket 3)
Pentium OverDrive (Socket 3)
AMD K6-2+ (Super Socket 7)
Pentium Pro (Socket 8 )
Pentium 2 OverDrive (Socket 8 )
Pentium 3 (Slot 1)
Pentium 3-S (Socket 370)
Pentium 4 (Socket 478)
Xeon (Socket 775->771)

My minimum requirements for each of my DOS/Win98 compatible rigs is as follows:

1. PC speaker support under DOS
2. SB/FM/MIDI sound support under DOS
3. CGA/EGA/VGA/VBE 1.0-3.0 video support under DOS
4. Keyboard/Mouse support under DOS
5. Joystick support under DOS
6. DirectX 7 video support under Windows 98
7. DirectX 7 sound support under Windows 98
8. PATA or SATA controller support under Windows 98
9. Networking support under all OSes (with exception of DOS, as I prefer to use Windows' IPX instead for DOS networking)
10. Floppy drive(s)

Secondary objectives:

1. 3dfx video support under DOS/Windows 98
2. DVI/HDMI support
3. SSDs instead of HDDs
4. USB 2.0 support
5. Gigabit support
6. DVD/Blu-ray playback support
7. Macintosh support (Hackintosh)

All of the below rigs are considered complete and function properly without issue, and they all have more-or-less equivalent levels of DOS/Windows 98 compatibility.

Attachments

  • Retro_Rigs_Front.jpg
    Filename
    Retro_Rigs_Front.jpg
    File size
    1.77 MiB
    Views
    2584 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Retro_Rigs_Rear.jpg
    Filename
    Retro_Rigs_Rear.jpg
    File size
    1.99 MiB
    Views
    2584 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
Last edited by FrostyTheSnowman on 2020-01-25, 18:18. Edited 12 times in total.

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 1 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Reserved (for future 'older' builds).

Last edited by FrostyTheSnowman on 2020-01-21, 16:46. Edited 1 time in total.

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 2 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Socket 3 Build

OSes: DOS, Windows 98 SE

Unknown Case w/Working Front 3-Digit CPU Speed LED Display
Soyo SY-027 Rev B2 (ISA/PCI)
Intel Pentium Overdrive 83Mhz (PODP5V) (Main CPU)
Intel 486 DX2 66Mhz (Spare CPU)
64MB 70NS FP RAM
Seagate 40GB PATA HDD
Sony PATA CD-ROM
5.25" Floppy
3.5" Floppy
Cirrus Logic GD5446 2MB PCI
UMC UM82C86xF I/O ISA
Yamaha YMF719-S ISA w/DreamBlaster S2
3Com 3C905B-TX PCI
U.S. Robotics WS-5614JS3 ISA
250W AT PSU

Old build thread: Retro P24T/5x86/486 ISA/VLB Rig

Attachments

  • Socket_3_Front.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_3_Front.jpg
    File size
    741.13 KiB
    Views
    2583 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_3_Rear.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_3_Rear.jpg
    File size
    866.62 KiB
    Views
    2583 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_3_Internal.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_3_Internal.jpg
    File size
    1.82 MiB
    Views
    2583 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
Last edited by FrostyTheSnowman on 2020-01-21, 09:44. Edited 2 times in total.

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 3 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Super Socket 7 Build

OSes: DOS, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000

Chenbro Case w/Working Front USBs (HUB+NEC)
ASU K6XV3+/66 Rev B2 (ISA/PCI/AGP)
AMD K6-II+ 550Mhz
256MB PC133 SD-RAM
PNY 120GB SATA SSD (2x)
Sony PATA DVD+RW
5.25" Floppy
3.5" Floppy
Nvidia Geforce FX 5200 256MB PCI (DVI/VGA)
3dfx Voodoo 3 2000 16MB AGP (VGA)
Promise SATA 150 TX2 PCI (SATA)
NEC 5-port USB 2.0 PCI
Yamaha YMF719-S ISA w/DreamBlaster S2
Belkin F5D5055 (ASIX AX88178 w/VSC8211XVW) USB (Internalized) - Win98 compatible USB gigabit!
USB 2.0 Hub (Internal)
350W ATX PSU

Attachments

Last edited by FrostyTheSnowman on 2020-01-25, 18:19. Edited 1 time in total.

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 4 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Socket 8 Build

OSes: DOS, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000

Antec P4-Era Case w/Working Front USBs (HUB+NEC)
Intel VS440FX (ISA/PCI)
Pentium 2 Overdrive 333Mhz (Main CPU)
Pentium Pro 200Mhz (Spare CPU)
256MB 60NS EDO RAM
PNY 120GB SATA SSD (2x)
Creative PATA DVD-ROM
5.25" Floppy
3.5" Floppy
Creative 6760 (3dfx Banshee 16MB) PCI (VGA)
Creative 7160 PC-DVD PCI
Silicon Image Si3112 PCI (SATA)
NEC 5-port USB 2.0 PCI
Yamaha YMF719-S ISA w/DreamBlaster S2
Belkin F5D5055 (ASIX AX88178 w/VSC8211XVW) USB (Internalized) - Win98 compatible USB gigabit!
USB 2.0 Hub (Internal)
300W ATX PSU

Attachments

  • Socket_8_Front.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_8_Front.jpg
    File size
    847.79 KiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_8_Rear.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_8_Rear.jpg
    File size
    934.88 KiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_8_Internal.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_8_Internal.jpg
    File size
    1.82 MiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 5 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Slot 1 Build

OSes: DOS, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP

Chenbro Case w/Working Front USBs (HUB+NEC)
ASUS P3B-F (ISA/PCI/AGP)
Intel Pentium III 750Mhz
1GB PC-133 SD-RAM
PNY 120GB SATA SSD (2x)
Samsung PATA DVD+RW
5.25" Floppy
3.5" Floppy
Nvidia Geforce FX 5200 256MB AGP (DVI/VGA)
3dfx Voodoo 3 2000 16MB PCI (VGA)
Promise SATA 150 TX2 PCI (SATA)
NEC 5-port USB 2.0 PCI
Yamaha YMF719-S ISA w/DreamBlaster S2
Belkin F5D5055 (ASIX AX88178 w/VSC8211XVW) USB (Internalized) - Win98 compatible USB gigabit!
USB 2.0 Hub (Internal)
300W ATX PSU

Attachments

  • Slot_1_Front.jpg
    Filename
    Slot_1_Front.jpg
    File size
    1.05 MiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Slot_1_Rear.jpg
    Filename
    Slot_1_Rear.jpg
    File size
    1.04 MiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Slot_1_Internal.jpg
    Filename
    Slot_1_Internal.jpg
    File size
    1.94 MiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 6 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Socket 370 Build

OSes: DOS, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP

Chenbro Case w/Working Front USBs (HUB+NEC)
ASUS CUSL2 Rev 1.02 (ISA/PCI/AGP)
Intel Pentium III-S (Tualatin) 1.4Ghz (Main CPU)
Intel Pentium III 933Mhz (Spare CPU)
512MB PC-133 SD-RAM
PNY 120GB SATA SSD (2x)
LG PATA DVD+RW
3.5" Floppy
Nvidia Geforce 6800 GT 256MB AGP (DVI/VGA)
Nvidia Geforce FX 5200 256MB PCI (DVI/VGA)
3dfx Voodoo 3 2000 16MB PCI (VGA)
Promise SATA 150 TX2 PCI (SATA)
NEC 5-port USB 2.0 PCI
Yamaha YMF724 PCI
Belkin F5D5055 (ASIX AX88178 w/VSC8211XVW) USB (Internalized) - Win98 compatible USB gigabit!
USB 2.0 Hub (Internal)
350W ATX PSU

Attachments

  • Socket_370_Front.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_370_Front.jpg
    File size
    1022.12 KiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_370_Rear.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_370_Rear.jpg
    File size
    994.69 KiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_370_Internal.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_370_Internal.jpg
    File size
    1.9 MiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 7 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Socket 478 Build

OSes: DOS, Windows 98 SE, Windows 7, OS X Snow Leopard

Chenbro Case w/Working Front USBs
Advantech AIMB-742 Rev A3 (ISA/PCI/AGP) (Industrial)
Intel Pentium IV 3.4Ghz
4GB DDR-400 RAM
PNY 120GB SATA SSD (2x)
Matshita BD-R SATA (Laptop SATA converted to USB 2.0 then internalized)
3.5" Floppy
ATI Radeon HD 3850 512MB AGP (DVI/VGA)
Nvidia Geforce FX 5200 256MB PCI (DVI/VGA)
3dfx Voodoo 3 2000 16MB PCI (VGA)
Intel ICH5 (SATA)
NEC 5-port USB 2.0 PCI
Sound Blaster Live OEM (SB0350) PCI
Yamaha YMF719-S ISA w/DreamBlaster S2
Belkin F5D5055 (ASIX AX88178 w/VSC8211XVW) USB (Internalized) - Win98 compatible USB gigabit!
600W ATX PSU

Old build thread: Retro Pentium 4 Rig - 27-year-span (PC) software supported *without* use of emulation

Attachments

  • Socket_478_Front.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_478_Front.jpg
    File size
    809.01 KiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_478_Rear.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_478_Rear.jpg
    File size
    988.14 KiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_478_Internal.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_478_Internal.jpg
    File size
    1.77 MiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
Last edited by FrostyTheSnowman on 2020-01-21, 09:17. Edited 2 times in total.

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 8 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Socket 775 Build

OSes: DOS, Windows 98 SE, Windows 7, Windows 10, OS X High Sierra

Chenbro Case w/Working Front USBs
Portwell RUBY-9719VG2AR (ISA/PCI/PCI-E) (Industrial) - Working DMA via RUBYISA thanks to Tiido!
Intel Xeon X5470 3.33Ghz (771->775 Modded)
8GB DDR2-800 RAM
PNY 120GB SATA SSD (3x)
PNY 240GB SATA SSD
Intel 480GB SATA SSD
Seagate 1.5TB SATA HDD
Matshita BD-R SATA (Laptop SATA converted to USB 2.0 then internalized)
5.25" Floppy (via KryoFlux)
3.5" Floppy (via KryoFlux)
Nvidia Geforce 1060 GTX 3GB PCI-E (DVI/DP/HDMI)
Intel GMA X4500HD Integrated (VGA)
Nvidia Geforce FX 5200 256MB PCI (DVI/VGA)
3dfx Voodoo 2 1000 12MB PCI (VGA)
Intel ICH7 (SATA) - Win98 compatible thanks to R. Loew!
VIA VT6421A PCI (SATA) w/Memphis OPROM
KryoFlux Floppy Adapter USB
Sound Blaster Live OEM (SB0350) PCI
Yamaha YMF719-S ISA w/DreamBlaster S2
Belkin F5D5055 (ASIX AX88178 w/VSC8211XVW) USB (External) - Win98 compatible USB gigabit!
550W ATX PSU

Old build thread: Retro Xeon Rig - 38-year-span (PC) and 13-year-span (Mac) software supported *without* use of emulation

Attachments

  • Socket_775_Front.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_775_Front.jpg
    File size
    804.38 KiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_775_Rear.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_775_Rear.jpg
    File size
    1 MiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception
  • Socket_775_Internal.jpg
    Filename
    Socket_775_Internal.jpg
    File size
    1.87 MiB
    Views
    2582 views
    File license
    Fair use/fair dealing exception

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 11 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
flupke11 wrote on 2020-01-21, 18:09:

Impressive array of systems! Hats off!

Thanks! I am quite fond of them! 😀

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 12 of 31, by foil_fresh

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

how do you go about using these? a big KVM? one at a time? how about the P4 with the pci and agp video cards? also do you know what model of P4 chip you have - if it's prescott or northwood? cheers

Reply 13 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-23, 01:02:

how do you go about using these? a big KVM? one at a time?

Each of these computers has their own monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and gamepad but these computers are 'collector's items' for me - they are used sparingly, and usually one-at-a-time with exception of the Xeon which is my gaming 'daily driver' (as it can play pretty much any PC game from the last 35+ years with exception of brand-new games requiring POPCNT like CoD:MW).

The only other exception is the occasional retro LAN party, which is why they are all equipped with Win98+ compatible Belkin USB gigabit NICs. 😉

foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-23, 01:02:

how about the P4 with the pci and agp video cards?

5 out of 7 of these computers have dual/triple/quadruple GPUs, and they are switchable as described below:

486/POD: N/A (single GPU)

K6-2+: FX 5200 (PCI) and Voodoo 3 (AGP) are switchable via BIOS

PPRO/P2OD: N/A (single GPU)

P3: FX 5200 (AGP) and Voodoo 3 (PCI) are switchable via BIOS

P3-S: 6800 GT (AGP) is used by selecting 'AGP' in BIOS, FX 5200 (PCI) and Voodoo 3 (PCI) are used by selecting 'PCI' in BIOS - FX 5200 is primary by default, wipe of FX 5200 card's EEPROM (scripted with nvflash) will make the Voodoo 3 primary
instead, restoring the FX 5200 card's EEPROM returns it to primary

P4: HD 3850 (AGP) is used by selecting 'AGP' in BIOS, FX 5200 (PCI) and Voodoo 3 (PCI) are used by selecting 'PCI' in BIOS - FX 5200 is primary by default, wipe of FX 5200 card's EEPROM (scripted with nvflash) will make the Voodoo 3 primary
instead, restoring the FX 5200 card's EEPROM returns it to primary

Xeon: 1060 GTX (PCI-E) is used by selecting 'PCI-E' in BIOS, X4500HD (IGP) is used by selecting 'IGP' in BIOS, FX 5200 (PCI) is used by selecting 'PCI' in BIOS, Voodoo 2 (PCI) is a passthrough GPU (works regardless of which GPU is primary)

foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-23, 01:02:

also do you know what model of P4 chip you have - if it's prescott or northwood?

Prescott (PresHot 😁 ) SL7E6.

Last edited by FrostyTheSnowman on 2020-01-25, 18:20. Edited 1 time in total.

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 14 of 31, by foil_fresh

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

what's up with the 5200 alongside a voodoo 3 and 6800? i would guess that the 6800 does everything 5200 does but better. i get the voodoo 3 will do glide well whereas the 6800 can do all the rest, but 5200?

nice setups tho, i like the mix of tech and getting it working.

whats cooling your prescott and what kind of temps do you get? cheers!

Reply 15 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-24, 02:40:

what's up with the 5200 alongside a voodoo 3 and 6800? i would guess that the 6800 does everything 5200 does but better. i get the voodoo 3 will do glide well whereas the 6800 can do all the rest, but 5200?

The Nvidia FX series was the last of the Nvidia GPUs to support table fog & 8-bit paletted textures (6800 does not support these features), plus it supports the 44.x drivers - for these reasons (and in my experience) the FX series is the most compatible GPU for Windows 9x games. The FX 5200 PCI may be a bit slow, but it works in any motherboard (old or new) and has a 256MB version with DVI. 😀

As far as *why* I have both - I use the 6800 GT for newer games under Windows 2K/XP as the FX 5200 was a poor performer under DirectX 9 (the FX 5200 works great for DirectX 5/6/7/8 under Windows 9x though).

I may decide to replace the 6800 GT with a 7800 GT at some point in the future, but it wouldn't be a huge change anyway as the CPU is the bottleneck at that point. 😀

As far as the Voodoo 3 goes - I use that for full VESA support under DOS (both the FX 5200 and the 6800 GT have incomplete VESA support, especially with VESA 1.0), and Glide support under DOS/Win9x.

foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-24, 02:40:

nice setups tho, i like the mix of tech and getting it working.

Thanks! Half the fun is the journey - I love making old stuff work with new stuff and vice-versa. 😀

foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-24, 02:40:

whats cooling your prescott and what kind of temps do you get? cheers!

I'm using an Intel copper-core OEM 478 heatsink with Arctic Silver thermal grease, along with a rear 120mm case fan and a front 90mm case fan for strong airflow - the case I am using (Chenbro) is server-grade and has really good airflow.

I think I am getting 40c at idle - it's been a while since I last checked though. 😀

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 16 of 31, by foil_fresh

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

i always thought that it was the jump from TNT2 to Geforce that broke that kind of support re: fog tables. good to know.

i ask about the cooler because i swapped out a loud, unstable stock intel hsf for a really heavy copper heatsink (thermaltake pipe101, designed to handle up to 3.8ghz p4) and noctua fan but i can see the temps rise from 40 to 50 to 55 and then the whole system is freezing up. just not sure if it's the board dying (probably. HOPEFULLY.) or the lack of cooling (even tho on paper, it should be keeping it pretty cool). will be getting another s478 board in the next week or 2.

will we see some benchmarks in the near future? I'd love to see how 15 years of computers runs quake/unreal engine games over different cards.

Reply 17 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-24, 07:21:

i always thought that it was the jump from TNT2 to Geforce that broke that kind of support re: fog tables. good to know.

Nvidia cards up to TNT2 used vertex fog (emulated) whereas Geforce cards (up to and including the FX-series) had hardware table fog support, which was then dropped when the 6-series was released - and as far as 8-bit paletted textures go it's the same situation, support up to and including FX-series (which was then dropped when the 6-series was released).

AFAIK, the FX-series is the fastest GPU available under Windows 9x that supports these features - plus, the FX-series has the benefit of essentially being a collaborative effort between Nvidia and 3dfx (due to the 3dfx buyout by Nvidia), making these GPUs even more intriguing historically. 😀

foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-24, 07:21:

i ask about the cooler because i swapped out a loud, unstable stock intel hsf for a really heavy copper heatsink (thermaltake pipe101, designed to handle up to 3.8ghz p4) and noctua fan but i can see the temps rise from 40 to 50 to 55 and then the whole system is freezing up. just not sure if it's the board dying (probably. HOPEFULLY.) or the lack of cooling (even tho on paper, it should be keeping it pretty cool). will be getting another s478 board in the next week or 2.

That sounds like a solder joint issue to me, caused by thermal expansion of the motherboard... 55c is hot, but not 'freeze the computer' hot - these CPUs don't start throttling their speed until 75-80c, so likely a motherboard issue. 🙁

foil_fresh wrote on 2020-01-24, 07:21:

will we see some benchmarks in the near future? I'd love to see how 15 years of computers runs quake/unreal engine games over different cards.

I have some 3dmark benchmarks saved in the old threads for 3 of these machines, but I intend to perform a full benchmark test on each computer under each OS (DOS/Win98/Win2K/WinXP/Win7/Win10/Macintosh, where applicable) and upload them to this thread soon - likely next month. 😀

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)

Reply 19 of 31, by FrostyTheSnowman

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
appiah4 wrote on 2020-01-24, 18:19:

You sure do love that Chenbro case 😁

One might call me a Chen-BRO. 😁

In all seriousness though it *is* a dope case - 90% tool-less, server-grade with lots of airflow, comes in both black *and* white and is totally rigid even when empty. 😉

My DOS/Win98 Hardware Compatible Retro Rigs (486/POD/K6-3/PPRO/P2OD/P3/P3-S/P4/Xeon)