Only issue with the Audigy 2 is it will install WDM drivers by default. Setup does have a utility to switch to vxd but Joseph_Joestar made this guide which avoids any of the bloat.
Guide: Installing Windows 9x and DOS drivers on Audigy cards (version 3.1)

chinny22 wrote on 2023-03-17, 10:55:

Only issue with the Audigy 2 is it will install WDM drivers by default. Setup does have a utility to switch to vxd but Joseph_Joestar made this guide which avoids any of the bloat.
Guide: Installing Windows 9x and DOS drivers on Audigy cards (version 3.1)

Thank you!

So, are the drivers the same for Audigy 2 & Audigy 2 ZS, or just the process?

I wouldn't bother with the Chieftech power supply. You could just go on eBay or some other marketplace and find a clean used Seasonic 350W 80plus white/bronze unit like the 350ET, 350BT or 350ES (there are probably others too, just check what combination of cables they have as these were made with either lots of older or lots of SATA connectors). I have used dozens of these and they never have issues running systems from this time period. They're usually rated at either 20a or 25a on the +5v rail with 103w on 3.3 and 5v combined. You don't need a lot of juice on the 5v rail for this system.

Also the GeForce 3 should be plenty to run anything that the 600Mhz Katmai will be fast enough for. Remember, when that CPU was released the fastest video cards on the market were the Voodoo3 and TNT2 Ultra, with the original GeForce coming shortly after. The GF3 will be significantly faster than either and it comes from a time when the fastest PCs may have been running P3 Tualatin, Athlon or even P4 CPUs well over 1GHz.

If you want to crank up the resolution of games from the late 90s to 2000 or 2001, you could get a beefier GPU, but I think you should just run what you have and then see what improvements are needed if any. Realistically, demanding games made beyond the year 2000 will likely not run that great with the 600mhz Katmai so your GPU won't be the limiting factor there.

Now would be a good time to make a list of games and programs you intend to run so the build can tweaked for your actual needs. That is the most efficient way to do this without spending money unnecessarily or being disappointed by unplayable performance.

Thank you @Ozzuneoj for all the input.

Well, I did place an order for the PSU, so I will just stick with that... on the positive side, it is a fully modular unit, so less clutter and more airflow are gained.

As far as the processor goes, since the slot 1 standard has quite some room for upgrade past my cpu, I might be looking to do that later on.

I have definitely decided on the OS - Win 98SE though. If I want XP, that will be another build, possibly an AMD one, targeting 2005 - 2007 hardware. This may be my 2004 project.

Great tips however, That's the joy of sharing plans & thoughts here. Thanks again!

I agree with the others and absolutely wouldn't replace the GF3.
I use a GF4 MX460 with my Pentium 3 1GHZ, I have also used a Voodoo 3 and a GF2 GTS in the same machine, never found the need for a FX card.

Jasin Natael wrote on 2023-03-17, 14:54:

I agree with the others and absolutely wouldn't replace the GF3.
I use a GF4 MX460 with my Pentium 3 1GHZ, I have also used a Voodoo 3 and a GF2 GTS in the same machine, never found the need for a FX card.

I already have the ASUS V9570 cleaned up and ready. I got this one as a result of my inspiration from one of Phil's videos (Building a fast slot 1 pentium iii retro gaming pc) where he used the Quadro equivalent of a Geforce FX5800. That was the video that got me thinking about a potential retro rebuild.

I looked up for that but it's quite pricey though... so I studied the Geforce FX line up, together with prices from ebay listings and found the FX5700 to be a much better deal.

My thinking is that a pc built in 1999-2000, would have been upgraded 2-3 years later to stay as useable and current as possible. This brings us to 2003 tops.

I consider this time frame relevant and the build time correct as a result. I may be wrong in my thinking, but this is where my train of thought got me...

CENTRAL wrote on 2023-03-17, 15:14:

I already have the ASUS V9570 cleaned up and ready. I got this one as a result of my inspiration from one of Phil's videos (Buil […]
Show full quote

Jasin Natael wrote on 2023-03-17, 14:54:

I agree with the others and absolutely wouldn't replace the GF3.
I use a GF4 MX460 with my Pentium 3 1GHZ, I have also used a Voodoo 3 and a GF2 GTS in the same machine, never found the need for a FX card.

I already have the ASUS V9570 cleaned up and ready. I got this one as a result of my inspiration from one of Phil's videos (Building a fast slot 1 pentium iii retro gaming pc) where he used the Quadro equivalent of a Geforce FX5800. That was the video that got me thinking about a potential retro rebuild.

I looked up for that but it's quite pricey though... so I studied the Geforce FX line up, together with prices from ebay listings and found the FX5700 to be a much better deal.

My thinking is that a pc built in 1999-2000, would have been upgraded 2-3 years later to stay as useable and current as possible. This brings us to 2003 tops.

I consider this time frame relevant and the build time correct as a result. I may be wrong in my thinking, but this is where my train of thought got me...

FX5700 is a solid card for sure. Probably the best FPS per dollar card of the FX lineup.
It will certainly be bottlenecked by the 600mhz P3, and fairly severely. But it will absolutely work and give you some room to grow as well.
I've never been a huge fan of the FX series cards, they were the P4 of the nVidia line in my opinion, I pretty much skipped them altogether.
But that is simply my bias. You should have a nice solid build.

Thanx mate!

Let's just see how it goes.

I will be posting pics very soon...