So after covid hit I had some free time.

I'd decided to start building a Windows XP gaming system using parts I couldn't affort back than.
When I started the system was based on the Core 2 Duo E8400, but a lot has changed.
I tried to use period-correct parts, but I've made a few exceptions.

These are main parts of my build:

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 lga775
ASUS Maximus Formula SE X38
4GB GEIL PC8500 DDR2
2x Sapphire HD5850 1GB PCIe
Creative SoundBlaster X-FI SB0770 PCI

It's a bit overkill for a 32-bit XP system, I know that.
The CPU turned out to be a hothead, the Zalman CNPS7500 heatsink could not keep up,
so I was forced to change that to something more adequate and choose the Gelid Phantom Black.

Unfortunatilly I sold all my CM690 cases over time and had a hard time tracking one down.
So I choose the more modern Cooler Master MB600L to do the job, although I plan to get a CM690 when I can.

One other modern part is the PSU, I used a Corsair RM750 which leaves me with some headroom for overclocking.

Welcome to Vogons.
Sounds like a fun build.

bartv wrote on 2022-04-14, 12:48:

It's a bit overkill for a 32-bit XP system, I know that.

Nope, if you want to cover everything from the release of XP to the release of W7, don't be so overconfident. Late era games on the highest settings in higher resolutions (1600×1200 or 1080p) can be demanding.

I have a 780ti in my XP 32bit build. I don't consider it overkill. I dual-boot Windows 10.

in terms of user experience, I don't think crossfire is a benefit in there, but, it's fun to play with I'm sure, and welcome

I don't believe in overkill as long as you maintain compatibility. I'm working on a sandy bridge XP build now. On another note, I wouldn't bother with any SLI or crossfire setups unless you want to look cool with a windowed case.

Hi, welcome to the forum.
I competely skipped the vista nad 7 era.
Having xp was one heck of a future investment spanning 2001 to about 2014.

An issue with XP was how long it was around. So what do you consider XP games? When it came out DX8 was still around, and more modern cards can have issues with some games. There are also games that have issues with more than one CPU core. But later games needed dual core or even ran best on a quad.

I view DX8 and down as 9x and play them on an 98se build. So DX9 is what I start playing on XP. I have an i5 and 750ti.

For soundcard a Sound Blaster Xfi is the best choice. EAX 5 HD is supported in some XP era games. There weren't other competing technologies.

So as I mentioned the PC has evolved somwhat over the months.
I started out with an ASUS P5K, Core 2 Duo E8400 set which I got cheap.
After installing an HD5850 which I had laying around, I got the idea of using Crossfire.

Now I know that Crossfire often causes more issues than it solves, but I don't mind that.
Like @ptr1ck said, it looks cool. If I wanted better performance I'd go for a HD7*** card.
In the past I've had a Crossfire system with dual HD7770's on Ivy Bridge, causing me nothing but trouble.
After a very short year I've switched to an R9-290X which I still have running today.

So after some searching online I found a matching Sapphire HD5850 1GB referance card.
I teamed it up on the ASUS P5K board (Intel P35) and.... it ran like crap.
So after some research I soon found out that the P35 chipset was not a good match.
Now I had previously owned both ASUS Rampage X48 and Maximus X38, bot sold those.
So the search continued for a second hand X38/X48 board...

Shagittarius wrote on 2022-04-14, 17:52:

I have a 780ti in my XP 32bit build. I don't consider it overkill. I dual-boot Windows 10.

I use 3 different systems at the moment.

Win10, i7-6700K, GTX1080
Win7/Linux dualboot, i7-3370K, R9-290X
and finaly the Windows XP system described here

ptr1ck wrote on 2022-04-14, 21:21:

I don't believe in overkill as long as you maintain compatibility. I'm working on a sandy bridge XP build now. On another note, I wouldn't bother with any SLI or crossfire setups unless you want to look cool with a windowed case.

It's all for the looks, if I wished for maximum performance I'd use my i7-3770K for XP. For me it's all about building what I was selling back in the day.

SPBHM wrote on 2022-04-14, 19:28:

in terms of user experience, I don't think crossfire is a benefit in there, but, it's fun to play with I'm sure, and welcome

I agree, some games run better with Crossfire switched off. For me it's the looks.

Here are some pictures of the system:

Building:

Complete system:

E8400 benchmark:

E8600 benchmark:

Q9400 benchmark:

QX9650 benchmark:

Interesting benchmark results with the different CPUs. For 3DMark03 at least, raw CPU speed seems to be a bigger factor than more cores (E8600 vs Q9650).

Even the E8400 scored slightly higher than the Q9650, which is surprising.

Nice looking box!

ptr1ck wrote on 2022-04-14, 21:21:

I don't believe in overkill as long as you maintain compatibility.

that's a good approach

i generally move to a 64bit OS when looking at a 64bit cpu - but actually, if everything works well then why not use whatever is available to max out performance without compromising compatibility

i'd still end up with W7 on it though 😀

Shponglefan wrote on 2022-04-20, 12:38:

Interesting benchmark results with the different CPUs. For 3DMark03 at least, raw CPU speed seems to be a bigger factor than more cores (E8600 vs Q9650).

Even the E8400 scored slightly higher than the Q9650, which is surprising.

The E8600 is very easy to get to 4.0 GHz, it needs a bit of extra Vcore voltage, but nothing extreme.
I originaly intended to stay with the E8600, but I could get my hands on the QX9650 for a very good price.

I'm only able to get the QX9650 to 3.6 GHz, which is the exact reason the E8600 outperforms it in this benchmark, anything higher it will crash because the temps rise rapidly.

The main problem is the northbridge temprature. When running an overclocked Quad Core CPU and dual GPU's it's get very hot very fast, about 85c under load.
I've already placed an add-on fan to the northbridge heatsink, but I guess I need to replace it with something more adequite if I want to go beyond 3.6 GHz.

ptr1ck wrote on 2022-04-20, 13:27:

Nice looking box!

Thanks!