Install 32 MiB RAM and that meets the minimum requirements for Windows 2000, which greatly increases your options.

Kouwes wrote on 2023-09-05, 05:26:

I got this Asus board for free: PCI/I-P54NP4D with 2 x Pentium 133. Now I can only make use of both CPUs if I install Windows NT, but will that run any games?
NT is not compatible with DirectX right?

Its NOT game solution. The best is WinNT 4 workstation or BeOS 5 Pro amateur computer.

Yeah BeOS! Good idea.

OpenGL games run fine on Windows NT. DirectX is the problem. You're limited to DX4/5 games, i.e. nothing released after about 1998 will run, but then such games will be too slow on a 133 MHz system anyway.

Babasha wrote on 2023-09-05, 05:45:

Kouwes wrote on 2023-09-05, 05:26:

I got this Asus board for free: PCI/I-P54NP4D with 2 x Pentium 133. Now I can only make use of both CPUs if I install Windows NT, but will that run any games?
NT is not compatible with DirectX right?

Its NOT game solution. The best is WinNT 4 workstation or BeOS 5 Pro amateur computer.

I second that.
As much as I love multi socket systems. Virtually no game prior to 2006 will benefit from the second CPU.

I hardly find a use for my dual PIII versus a system with only one PIII.

But it still very nice to tinker with. If your game/application runs on NT4/2000… then sure, give it a go !

Dual socket systems are more for playing with then on.
Could be fun to install NT4 or Windows 2000 and try out which of your games do and don't work.
I've a similar era dual PPro system that I play around with NT3.51 just for fun but can boot into Win98 for dos/windows gaming and the 2nd CPU just gets ignored.

If your not interested in playing around with old OS's then it's basically useless for you but will sell for a good price on ebay that would more then cover the cost of a single processor board, CPU, Ram.

Chiming in with all the 'this is mainly just good for tinkering' opinions. One thing to be aware of is that this board uses the i430NX chipset, which was Intel's first Pentium SMP chipset. It was relatively high-end, with all 256MB of RAM potentially cacheable. Unfortunately that's about the end of the good news, it's a very old, primitive chipset otherwise:
- no EDO support, only FP, over a slow memory controller.
- L2 cache is async.
- just one (slow) IDE channel in chipset

Almost any common i430FX Socket 5 board would be miles faster, in fact only OPTi's VLB-based Pentium chipsets would be any slower on this platform. Of course, a P133 is hardly a speed demon under any circumstances, but on an Asus PCI/I-P54TP4 would already blow this out of the water in single-threaded applications (i.e. any games that would run on a P133).

But gaming on this is like using a vintage goods vehicle as a daily driver. It deserves tinkering and obscure old operating systems (BeOS is amazing) that can show its potential.

Put favourite oldish linux and let it perform some networking tasks.

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:45:

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

Glide or OpenGL games with 3D acceleration with 3Dfx Voodoo only or DirectX (X not 3D) with software mode... Sad there no SMP optimisation in 99% of such games (Quake-line got the SMP in some UNofficial or official releases).
This motherboard is optimal as WORKstation base for Corel, Adobe graphics or video products, some audio software or other such software.
I use it in late 90s and early 2000s as DTP graphics rasterisation machine with dual P200 (non MMX), 128MB RAM, SCSI card and pair of SCSI drives. IDE for CDROM and ZIP-drive.

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:45:

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

Well gaming is normally the best use for most vintage hardware. I have 4 dual socket systems and back in the day I use to use them for CAD/CAM or animation/modeling work.

Sure not going to use them for that nowadays, even using them to look at work from back then can take hours to render or I can convert the files and look at them on my newer machines and have them render out in minutes or less.

I have more nostalgia for old games then I do waiting for my old work flow to render out.

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:45:

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

Yes, games and music mostly.

But i can't think of someone being nostalgic about Borland C++ Builder, Citrix MetaFrame or MS Works.
IE 5.5/Netscape Navigator, Java Applets, Popups from hell over a V.92 DialUp (with per-second charges)

I remember everything. But not really willing to experience that again 😁

Install Debian 2.1 on it.. it is useless gsming-wise..

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:45:

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

Well, maybe because this site (VOGONS - Very Old Games On New Systems) is actually about vintage games (as it turned out, since when I registered, at first I was sure it is about vintage computers and not about vintage games, silly me 😄).

And yes, I feel the same as you. Too much talking about games (and I'm not a gamer), but games is this forum mostly about so I have no complains.

There are many others, not games oriented forums, like forum.vcfed.org for example. But don't know why I feel more comfortable here.

Babasha wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:54:

Glide or OpenGL games with 3D acceleration with 3Dfx Voodoo only or DirectX (X not 3D) with software mode... Sad there no SMP op […]
Show full quote

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:45:

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

Glide or OpenGL games with 3D acceleration with 3Dfx Voodoo only or DirectX (X not 3D) with software mode... Sad there no SMP optimisation in 99% of such games (Quake-line got the SMP in some UNofficial or official releases).
This motherboard is optimal as WORKstation base for Corel, Adobe graphics or video products, some audio software or other such software.
I use it in late 90s and early 2000s as DTP graphics rasterisation machine with dual P200 (non MMX), 128MB RAM, SCSI card and pair of SCSI drives. IDE for CDROM and ZIP-drive.

Better as a server than a workstation given the advances made.
You have to remember that a workstation has to work to deserve the name. What work is he going to do on it that he wouldnt better do on something else...

Grem Five wrote on 2023-09-05, 14:21:

Well gaming is normally the best use for most vintage hardware. I have 4 dual socket systems and back in the day I use to use t […]
Show full quote

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:45:

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

Well gaming is normally the best use for most vintage hardware. I have 4 dual socket systems and back in the day I use to use them for CAD/CAM or animation/modeling work.

Sure not going to use them for that nowadays, even using them to look at work from back then can take hours to render or I can convert the files and look at them on my newer machines and have them render out in minutes or less.

I have more nostalgia for old games then I do waiting for my old work flow to render out.

Not for me.
I mean yeah I have systems I play games on, but not every system I own I use to play games on.
I must have well over a dozen "retro" systems around me right now and only 2 of them I look at with the intention of playing games on them.

I have dual CPU systems, I dont consider them retro systems because they are the originals and I have owned and used them since new.
I have a dual slot 1 PIII system that I use as the file server for my "retro" network, there is another dual PIII system I use as a network controller and backup server for my file server, I have another that just serves up games etc etc.

acl wrote on 2023-09-05, 16:25:

Yes, games and music mostly. […]
Show full quote

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:45:

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

Yes, games and music mostly.

But i can't think of someone being nostalgic about Borland C++ Builder, Citrix MetaFrame or MS Works.
IE 5.5/Netscape Navigator, Java Applets, Popups from hell over a V.92 DialUp (with per-second charges)

I remember everything. But not really willing to experience that again 😁

Yeah I remember upgrading to 56k dial up... 28k was common when I started. just making a call to pull down the chats from the servers and then disconnecting...

For me a machine that is there just to play games on really does put it at the bottom of the pile usefulness wise.

As to the rest of it I quite like it. 56k dial up is nostalgic and viewing my own web pages served up on my own servers is fun for me. Hosting DooM death matches so my fellow retro games can dial up my servers to play is where its at.

So yeah when I see such lovely old hardware as is in the OP I see so many more possibilities that meerly playing games on it.

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2023-09-05, 18:05:

Well, maybe because this site (VOGONS - Very Old Games On New Systems) is actually about vintage games (as it turned out, since […]
Show full quote

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 13:45:

Games...
Why does every computer build come down to games? What games can it play and how well?

Well, maybe because this site (VOGONS - Very Old Games On New Systems) is actually about vintage games (as it turned out, since when I registered, at first I was sure it is about vintage computers and not about vintage games, silly me 😄).

And yes, I feel the same as you. Too much talking about games (and I'm not a gamer), but games is this forum mostly about so I have no complains.

There are many others, not games oriented forums, like forum.vcfed.org for example. But don't know why I feel more comfortable here.

Thats all fair enough but that hardware isnt wasnt and never will be suited to games playing. So all of what you say is a mute point really by virtue of it being what it is.

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 18:09:

Thats all fair enough but that hardware isnt wasnt and never will be suited to games playing. So all of what you say is a mute point really by virtue of it being what it is.

Well, Epson HX-20 also wasn't and never will be suited to games playing. But believe it or not Epson published games package for it and I proudly own it 😎.

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 18:09:

Better as a server than a workstation given the advances made.
You have to remember that a workstation has to work to deserve the name. What work is he going to do on it that he wouldnt better do on something else...

Hmmm… until present time all my vector graphics i draw in CorelDRAW 9 or Freehand! Yeap this machine is more than best for this, Pagemaker or QuarkXPress is the best for prepress preparation of magazines or postcards?)))
About what modern server or REAL work we talk on retrocomputer hobbists site?! 😀

Babasha wrote on 2023-09-05, 19:40:

... About what modern server or REAL work we talk on retrocomputer hobbists site?! 😀

Well, it is still good as a calculator ... a big one ... 😁

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2023-09-05, 18:17:

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 18:09:

Thats all fair enough but that hardware isnt wasnt and never will be suited to games playing. So all of what you say is a mute point really by virtue of it being what it is.

Well, Epson HX-20 also wasn't and never will be suited to games playing. But believe it or not Epson published games package for it and I proudly own it 😎.

Im not sure if thats bottom of the barrel or getting underneath it just to prove a mute point.

I wonder, back in the day, how many people bought one of those things expressly with the intention of playing games on it.
I mean thats all they got it for. Nothing more...

Babasha wrote on 2023-09-05, 19:40:

ElectroSoldier wrote on 2023-09-05, 18:09:

Better as a server than a workstation given the advances made.
You have to remember that a workstation has to work to deserve the name. What work is he going to do on it that he wouldnt better do on something else...

Hmmm… until present time all my vector graphics i draw in CorelDRAW 9 or Freehand! Yeap this machine is more than best for this, Pagemaker or QuarkXPress is the best for prepress preparation of magazines or postcards?)))
About what modern server or REAL work we talk on retrocomputer hobbists site?! 😀

I like it. Another idea that doesnt involve degrading it to playing games.