AlexZ wrote on 2025-07-13, 13:14:

I would say Vista was initially ahead of its time but the hardware wasn't ready for it. After Windows 7 was released Microsoft never backported interesting features such as TRIM support.

The fact that they had 2 different system requirements for different features of the OS kind of makes me think that is true. Also surprised to know Vista didn't have TRIM support, but it was also released before or incredibly early in the SSD era, so it makes sense.

Matth79 wrote on 2025-07-13, 21:41:

Ideally, leave some unpartitioned space on an XP SSD, as well as creating an aligned partition with 7 or later. Without trim, the SSD will remember every filesystem block that has been used as being valid, so it can reach a not full but full situation where recovering blocks to use becomes slow and causes write amplification. Unused space in the partition does help, but if the system spends a long time in NOT reusing deleted filesystem blocks, more blocks can end up as SSD used / filesystem unused. Unpartitioned space means a guaranteed filter area of blocks that can never be filesystem used. Yes, you can PROBABLY survive ok regardless, if the drive never touches the last 20% IN the partition

Thanks for the info! I'll make sure to keep it in mind if and when I swap out the XP HDD for an SSD.

I've been curious about upgrading my other peripherals recently to something period correct for the build. I will of course do my own research over time, but I'm putting it out here on this thread in case people have some good suggestions. The target period is 2012 or earlier (like 1-2 years back).

Currently on the lookout for a keyboard, mouse, and either a set of speakers or a good pair of headphones (something gaming-oriented for the latter maybe to suit the build pretty well).

I am curious what games you play under Windows 7. I stopped PC gaming betweeen 2009 and 2019. But I recall that most of the games I bought before I stopped were either requiring Steam (which doesnt support Win7 any more as far as I know), or had some kind of online activation (which no longer works). So I assumed these games can no longer be played on Win7?

Are you using games on DVD that dont need online activation?

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2025-07-19, 18:37:

I am curious what games you play under Windows 7. I stopped PC gaming betweeen 2009 and 2019. But I recall that most of the games I bought before I stopped were either requiring Steam (which doesnt support Win7 any more as far as I know), or had some kind of online activation (which no longer works).

Some games which had online DRM at launch have since been released on GOG, so they can be played under Win7. Examples include Mirror's Edge, the BioShock trilogy and the Batman Arkham series.

Of course, you can also play these games on Win10/11.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2025-07-19, 19:01:

Some games which had online DRM at launch have since been released on GOG, so they can be played under Win7. Examples include Mirror's Edge, the BioShock trilogy and the Batman Arkham series.

Of course, you can also play these games on Win10/11.

Ah, yeah. I guess thats a good point. You do see in some game comments on gog that people say the game is broken in windows 10/11. So an era appropropriate PC is a good choice for these games. I am sure GOG will be patching them eventually to work on win 10/11

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2025-07-19, 18:37:

I am curious what games you play under Windows 7. I stopped PC gaming betweeen 2009 and 2019. But I recall that most of the games I bought before I stopped were either requiring Steam (which doesnt support Win7 any more as far as I know), or had some kind of online activation (which no longer works). So I assumed these games can no longer be played on Win7?

Are you using games on DVD that dont need online activation?

There are a few games that I utilize the DVD versions of, yes. But believe it or not, I got Steam to function perfectly fine with a late 2024 build (the last compatible one), and I even got downloads to work. Of course, this won't work forever, but I got some back up plans for when it inevitably stops working correctly down the line. GOG versions are also a good alternative as Joseph mentioned, but I currently don't use them yet.

There's complications with games that need other launchers (like Far Cry 3) but sometimes it is possible to launch them DRM-free or with DRM bypass methods. You can also use the Steam console to download old compatible builds that work better on Windows 7 and play them through Steam, in case a theoretical latest version that was updated for Windows 10 doesn't work, but I haven't really encountered that yet.

As for what games I play... some notable games I'm thinking of right now are Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2, GTA IV, Battlefield 3, Left 4 Dead 2, and Crysis 2. Though I have many more that I still need to get to installing on there. 😉

limemyth wrote on 2025-07-15, 22:11:

I've been curious about upgrading my other peripherals recently to something period correct for the build. I will of course do my own research over time, but I'm putting it out here on this thread in case people have some good suggestions. The target period is 2012 or earlier (like 1-2 years back).

Currently on the lookout for a keyboard, mouse, and either a set of speakers or a good pair of headphones (something gaming-oriented for the latter maybe to suit the build pretty well).

Only thing I have from that era is my 5.1 speakers, the Logitech Z5500 which were Logitech's top of the range speakers from about 2003 till 2011.
They were replaced with the Z906 which are still been made today, and I'm sure are good speakers but many consider them a downgrade.

not sure I'd want 10 year old headphones 😉

chinny22 wrote on 2025-07-21, 00:29:

Only thing I have from that era is my 5.1 speakers, the Logitech Z5500 which were Logitech's top of the range speakers from abou […]
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limemyth wrote on 2025-07-15, 22:11:

I've been curious about upgrading my other peripherals recently to something period correct for the build. I will of course do my own research over time, but I'm putting it out here on this thread in case people have some good suggestions. The target period is 2012 or earlier (like 1-2 years back).

Currently on the lookout for a keyboard, mouse, and either a set of speakers or a good pair of headphones (something gaming-oriented for the latter maybe to suit the build pretty well).

Only thing I have from that era is my 5.1 speakers, the Logitech Z5500 which were Logitech's top of the range speakers from about 2003 till 2011.
They were replaced with the Z906 which are still been made today, and I'm sure are good speakers but many consider them a downgrade.

not sure I'd want 10 year old headphones 😉

Wow, both setups look really fancy! I will definitely consider both, depending on which one is available to me. Thank you for the shout! Fair about the headphones though, haha. Who knows what kind of things those pairs went through. 😉

I'm sitting here using an overclocked i7-3770 system as my daily driver... maybe it's time to upgrade after all.

Dropped out for a bit due to peripheral hunting + vacation, but I have assembled a pretty good period-correct setup.

• Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2013, released in August 2012. I was originally going to get a Steelseries 6GV2, but I found this Razer one for pretty cheap, so I grabbed it instead. It's still pretty period-correct to the build. Was also pretty well regarded at the time, and I personally really like its aesthetics and feel. Typing on MX Blues feels amazing. I may change it for a slightly older model or different keyboard if it ever breaks on me at some point, but it serves me very well for now.
• Mouse: Logitech G300, released in September 2011. I struggled to find a good period-correct mouse for a while, but I finally was able to get this G300 for a decent price. Was also regarded as a pretty good gaming mouse at the time, and it feels pretty good in my hand. I tried looking for a period-correct Razer mouse for some time, but they seem to be unobtainium around here, and I like Logitech mice slightly more anyway.
• Mousepad: Razer Scarab Battlefield 3 Collector's Edition, released in October 2011. I was originally going to skimp out on a period-correct mousepad, as I thought it'd be ridiculous that I'd ever find one, but sure enough, I found this one for a very good price, with its original casing no less. Was too good for me not to pick up, and it really is the cherry on top for this setup.
• Speakers: Logitech Z623, released in September 2010. While I did consider either of the Logitech surround sound systems that chinny22 mentioned, I sadly do not have space for a surround sound setup, and 2.1 is more than enough for my needs. While this system is still made today, I obviously hunted down an older model, both for the correct logo and a cheaper price. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'll make a follow up post with some of my thoughts on stuff like EAX games under XP with this system.

The speakers have arrived and I had some time to play EAX games under XP as well as listen to music! Here's a pic of the full setup:

My thoughts on the speakers? They're generally very pleasant to listen to, though they can be slightly harsh and hard to listen to under louder volumes at times. I tried games like F.E.A.R. and Far Cry with very nice results, as well as music and other games under both XP and 7. Not much to complain about. (I did make sure to turn on Game Mode and set the mode to 2.1 speakers, of course.)

As for what I could do next with the setup, I don't really have much planned other than continuing to enjoy using it and maybe putting on more games and software. SLI could be a fun thing to test, but I'd be okay with the setup being as it is for good.