^I like Pentium II systems purely for sentimental reasons, but I agree, a good Pentium III box is much better for gaming.

I would still go for a SS7 system. More flexible and better to "tune", if 486dx2 speed is needed.
Another great option that SS7 offers, is that it actually can handle CPU's from the original Pentium and up to K6-3+.
Pentium-III systems are more like uber-speed for really demanding 1999 games, and without cache enabled, you would get a slow system system. Like a 386dx40.
SS7's are the more flexible choice. 😉

awgamer wrote:

386 40(jumper set to 16/20/25/33/40, games from 86-92) adlib, cms, innovation, mpu-401:mt-32 lpt:covox

Jumper set? At least 90% of 386-40 boards do not have frequency jumpers. You can mount a DIP socket and swap OSC, that's all.

so get a 386 33, it's not even necessary, the follow up to the 386 25 in 1988 was the 486 25 in 1989.

Its hard to build one system to rule them all. I use one system for DOS another for Windows 98 and a third for Windows XP. Sadly I do not have dedicated systems for early speed sensitive games.

For DOS I would use a socket 7 or Slot 1 system with an ISA sound card. Be sure to get a CPU that can be down clocked to below 200 Mhz otherwise you will have to patch some games to get them to run. I often use a system with a Pentium 2 running at 2.5*66 Mhz. The same CPU can run at 4*112 MHz when needed. Socket 7 is a safer bet though as you have more CPUs to choose from.

For Windows 98 gaming I would build a really fast system. Somewhere between a Coppermine P3 1000 and a socket 478 Pentium 4 3066. My own system I use for Windows 98 gaming is a Tualatin 1400 with a Geforce 5900 Ultra and a Soundblaster Live.

I recommend a OEM 486 and Pentium III box. Cheap and most games will run 100%.

^^ Good advice. Getting complete systems can save a ton of time and money. Just got to be a bit patient. Bulk lot sales do pop up every now and then and most are not interested in getting so much stuff at once 😀

thats true, its quite possible to get an OEM machine and modify it as you see fit .

The problem with OEM is when you want to upgrade there may be evil proprietary crap to deal with and more likely limitations on processors and whatnot.

If you go that route try and find one that has standard form factor as it usually indicates it has been made with off-the-shelf parts that you can replace/upgrade later.

^^ True up here. If you have time for custom build I would definalety go with CUSL2, TUSL2 or P2B-F, ABIT BE/BH6 based system with Pentium III. I would recommend something from Voodoo line as well 3-5 or V2 SLI (Canopus, Diamond sic!). If you get bored with 3Dfx (never happend to me). You can go with Radeon DDR o Nvidia equivalent . This will play all 90s, even early 2k, it depends on GPU choice.

Personally I'm using ASUS iPanel Deluxe with my CUSL2-C motherboard, very useful device;)

Right. When you are into hardware modifications / upgrading / specifications / bench marking custom is the way to go. When you just want to play some games OEM is the way to go. IMO. 🤣

PeterLI wrote:

Right. When you are into hardware modifications / upgrading / specifications / bench marking custom is the way to go. When you just want to play some games OEM is the way to go. IMO. 🤣

I had good experience with the few OEM gear I got. The Acer 486 has a very locked down BIOS and a single IDE port, but it has PS/2 ports, ISA, PCI, VLB slots and onboard ATI Mach 32 with 2MB and is rock solid. Finding these parts individually will cost you quite a bit. Got two Acer boards with Socket 370 and Intel Tualatin chipset and they are also mint. The equivalent AOpen board sells for 2-3 times as much.

Indeed. I have bought stacks of OEM PCs from 8086 through Pentium III <= $75 including shipping here in the USA over the years. Hard to beat that value. Very often people list them without the CPU in the title or description. Just the brand & model #. Most eBay users search on CPU.

Good example: http://cgi.ebay.com/311254872416

This thing has not sold a few times already so I will get in touch again in a few weeks and offer $75 with shipping again (I did so this week). Eventually it will go for that price.

Other examples:
http://cgi.ebay.com/371022491746
http://cgi.ebay.com/281567132684

I do not like Compaq though. Something about the design turns me off. 😵

Even generic clones are cheap sometimes when they do not list the CPU:
http://cgi.ebay.com/321647260437

Anyway: people are always stating vintage equipment is hard to find on Vogons / VCF / AmiBay but this is not reality. There is so much out there.

Yea, go with "old computer" and other scrap names for search result. Some people don't care about computing and that way you can find something cheap. I like alway emotions when opening old computer with unknown specs. Life is beautifull;) As PeterLI wrote Ebay or other online/offline auctions!

I agree that not every OEM system is bad.
Even when it comes to XP era hardware some OEMs can be great.

I rate Fujitsu Siemens high when it comes to late socket 478 systems and early K8 systems.
As an example the i865PE motherboard d1627 is pretty much the best built s478 motherboard I have ever owned.

Here is a bad pic from the net.

During the Coppermine era Fujitsu Siemens mostly used Biostar boards which wasnt as good though.

I can vouch for NEC in the P3 era. They often used ASUS boards for their Pentium III systems, I have an NEC Direction that has been heavily modified by it's previous owner (a Jazz musician, hence the machine appearing as 'JazzMan' on the network) for the worst and is currently a little borked.

Case construction sucks though, but heh, OEM crap, what did I expect.

478 systems will not run DOS games well as finding one with ISA is difficult.

OEM goes to non-hardware enthusiasts. Vogons for enthusiasts

Godlike wrote:

OEM goes to non-hardware enthusiasts. Vogons for enthusiasts

Thanks Godlike, I've chiseled your commandment into a stone tablet. I have space for approximately 9 more.

badmojo wrote:

Godlike wrote:

OEM goes to non-hardware enthusiasts. Vogons for enthusiasts

Thanks Godlike, I've chiseled your commandment into a stone tablet. I have space for approximately 9 more.

You've state that with 1234 posts of yours! This is some kind of magic? What about this stone tablet?

I think you could get early P4 systems to run 9x, plus VIA boards, provided the VIA boards have a PCI slot so that you can install an SB Live! 5.1 card.