First post, by Dragonslayer182
- Rank
- Newbie
I have an old computer from 2001(?) that I want to turn into a mid-late 90's/early 2000's gaming PC. It looks like it was custom ordered from Systemax judging from the front case badging, but isn't really specced as a high end machine. The front badge says it's a "tiger" model. I've added a couple of upgrades (Ram and a dvd drive), but right now I want to begin turning it into a nice gaming pc for it's time. I need advice though.
UPDATE: I don't plan on installing XP anymore since I have another era appropriate machine that's much more capable of XP stuff.
Current plans:
Add a better video card
Install Windows 98
Install a quieter CPU fan OR install a better/quieter cooler
Patch 98 to accept 1gb RAM if possible
Future plans:
Wavetable module for SB Audigy 2 ZS
CF Storage
Current Specs
Athlon XP 2000+ (1.67ghz) Socket A
1gb DDR Ram (2x512mb, Board has 2 slots for DDR + 2 for PC133.)
S3 ProsavageDDR internal graphics (Zotac GT 520 pci sometimes used for convenience when HDMI is needed.)
Biostar M7VIG motherboard
VIA KM266 / VT8235 Chipset
40gb IDE HDD
1 AGP 2.0 slot, 3 PCI slots
250w PSU
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card (Bought last night, currently in the mail.)
A few things I want to ask:
- Is this system viable for a 98 gaming machine?
- Any recommended patches, tweaks, etc. for 98, unofficial or not?
- Is this CPU good enough or is an upgrade desperately needed? I noticed Halo PC struggling even with a GT 520 512mb graphics card, something that I know usually has no problem with the game in more powerful systems using this card.
- What graphics card should I get? I want something that's compatible with both OS'es, runs games from 1996 to 2003 very well, but is still inexpensive to snag on ebay. Compatibility is just as important as power, I want to make sure I don't have anything like color corruption or being forced into software mode. Also, I want to avoid having to upgrade the PSU if possible, since I've heard that Socket A can be kind of picky with those.
- What fan or cooler should I get? I originally wanted to just replace the fan with a Noctua but they don't make 70mm fans.
- Is there a way to get GUS compatiblity on the cheap? I'd like to run OMF 2097 but sound blaster compatibility doesn't sound great, and I want to use this machine as a tracker music player.
Sorry for asking so many questions (or if any of the questions are outright stupid). I haven't messed with this era of computers in quite a while, and I want to make sure everything is working well when I upgrade this.
Discord: Dragonslayer182#8984