The 9000 series was overall an excellent series, as it stands there's multiple retrospectives of that series on youtube and that says something.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2024-06-08, 10:57:

iraito wrote on 2024-06-06, 14:39:

Oh sure thing take your time, one of my previous builds a P4 3.0 + gf 6800 GS gave me the same performances you are describing, hell I got the same results on an athlon XP 2800+ and 9800 XXL.
Now I'm planning to change the P4 with an athlon 64 3700, I want at least to get 30 fps minimum.

I had some time to spare today, so I took my X800 XT out of storage and tested VTM Bloodlines on this system. I'm using the retail CD version + latest official patch version 1.2. No mods or third party fixes. This is under WinME, using Catalyst 6.2 with VSync disabled in the driver panel. Otherwise, all driver settings are at default (no AA/AF). All results are at 1600x1200 with the console command cl_showfps 1 being used to measure the frame rate. All in-game graphical settings are maxed out.

Indoors (i.e. inside the player's apartment) I get around 90 FPS on average. Outdoors, while walking around the Santa Monica streets, I get between 28-40 FPS. When entering the sewers via the manholes, I get 24-35 FPS. The game stutters a bit whenever I first enter an area, so it's pretty much as I remember it from back in the day. The frame rate stabilizes after that initial stutter and stays close to 30 FPS from that point onward.

Great build! I'm very curious, did you get any other benchmarks done with the X800XT (3dMark, Quake, Unreal)? I've got a 9800XT in my windows 98 machine and would be super curious to see how the X800 compares in yours.

ErroneousHyphen wrote on 2024-10-12, 09:49:

Great build! I'm very curious, did you get any other benchmarks done with the X800XT (3dMark, Quake, Unreal)?

I did want to do more testing with that X800 XT, but unfortunately, it started artifacting at some point. I haven't had the time to do thorough diagnostics on it, but I imagine one (or more) of the memory chips might need to be reflowed or replaced.

I've got a 9800XT in my windows 98 machine and would be super curious to see how the X800 compares in yours.

If an X800 GTO will do, I have a different build with one of those.

Ah darn that's a shame! I do have an X850XT but it too myself does not appear to be working correctly.

I'll check out the other build! thanks kindly 😁

Sucks about the X800 XT. I have had my Radeon 9700 (bought new!), 9800 Pro (used), and X800 (used) all start artifacting on me while in my use. My Radeon X850 Pro (bought new) is still fine but I'm worried. Such a shame...

I know it might sound weird but try tweaking the memory by overclocking it by small precents up or down and see what happens.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2023-08-15, 09:51:

Finally decided to take my Logitech RumblePad 2 out of storage and hook it up to this machine. I bought this gamepad around 2005 or so, and have kept it ever since. It still works fine to this day.

The attachment RumblePad2.jpg is no longer available

Oh man, good to know you're enjoying it, I absolutely love Logitech gamepads. My first gamepad ever was a Dual Action I started using on my Pentium 233 and Windows 95. Then I got a RumblePad2 like yours, and after I moved it's still being used by my mother in his PC. I myself bought a F710 many years ago, probably still while using XP, and now I have one more, for playing Retroarch on my Chromecast and connecting it to Android phones/tablets.

The F710 is compatible with everything, on DirectInput mode even Need for Speed Underground has force feedback working under XP, and on modern systems the Xinput mode makes it work with anything out of the box, so I must simply flip the switch and can use it both on retro and modern builds. Responsive, durable, zero dead zone, zero lag, batteries last forever, analog sticks don't wear down easily... it just works great.

mgtroyas wrote on 2025-03-11, 11:24:

Oh man, good to know you're enjoying it, I absolutely love Logitech gamepads.

Yeah, I had this one for a long time and it still works great.

Interestingly, it can even be used in DOS games, as long as you play them from within Win9x.

Looks like my GeForce FX 5900XT has developed some minor artifacting. While this could probably be fixed by determining which memory chip is faulty and replacing it, in truth, I found myself not using this system at all ever since I built my C2D E8600 + X800 rig. That build flawlessly handles 90% of all my Win9x gaming needs, while my AthlonXP + Voodoo3 system takes care of the rest.

In that light, I no longer have a use case for this Athlon64 build, especially since I'm looking to downsize my collection. This rig is now retired from active duty, and I have already repurposed some of its parts. I will leave the benchmarks and photos up for reference purposes, in case other people find them useful.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2025-08-24, 18:49:

Looks like my GeForce FX 5900XT has developed some minor artifacting. While this could probably be fixed by determining which memory chip is faulty and replacing it, in truth, I found myself not using this system at all ever since I built my C2D E8600 + X800 rig. That build flawlessly handles 90% of all my Win9x gaming needs, while my AthlonXP + Voodoo3 system takes care of the rest.

In that light, I no longer have a use case for this Athlon64 build, especially since I'm looking to downsize my collection. This rig is now retired from active duty, and I have already repurposed some of its parts. I will leave the benchmarks and photos up for reference purposes, in case other people find them useful.

We do find the info really useful!!!
I have to say I am in a similar boat, too many rigs with too much overlap, I have too much hardware and not enough time to explore it all. The older stuff is neat and rewarding to work with (PIII, P4, AXP, A64) but if I am being honest with myself an E8600+X850 or similar is all you really need to cover 9x-Xp/Vista, no matter how much I try to convince myself I need to have a P4+RAMBUS system. 🫠

ATi_Loyalist wrote on 2025-08-24, 21:49:

We do find the info really useful!!!
I have to say I am in a similar boat, too many rigs with too much overlap, I have too much hardware and not enough time to explore it all. The older stuff is neat and rewarding to work with (PIII, P4, AXP, A64) but if I am being honest with myself an E8600+X850 or similar is all you really need to cover 9x-Xp/Vista, no matter how much I try to convince myself I need to have a P4+RAMBUS system. 🫠

I don't think any of us truly need to have most of the retro builds that we make. I am yet to build most of what I have planned. But there definitely will be the situation where most games could be played on several of the builds. Question is would I be willing to play the game on period correct hardware when I know I also have a much faster system that will play it smoothly. I don't know the answer to that question yet.

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2025-08-27, 21:04:

ATi_Loyalist wrote on 2025-08-24, 21:49:

We do find the info really useful!!!
I have to say I am in a similar boat, too many rigs with too much overlap, I have too much hardware and not enough time to explore it all. The older stuff is neat and rewarding to work with (PIII, P4, AXP, A64) but if I am being honest with myself an E8600+X850 or similar is all you really need to cover 9x-Xp/Vista, no matter how much I try to convince myself I need to have a P4+RAMBUS system. 🫠

I don't think any of us truly need to have most of the retro builds that we make. I am yet to build most of what I have planned. But there definitely will be the situation where most games could be played on several of the builds. Question is would I be willing to play the game on period correct hardware when I know I also have a much faster system that will play it smoothly. I don't know the answer to that question yet.

I do, even though i have a stronger but just 2 years older system chronologically i tend to use the period correct

iraito wrote on 2025-08-27, 22:08:

I do, even though i have a stronger but just 2 years older system chronologically i tend to use the period correct

Some very nice configs you have there. Not too far away from the builds I have in mind.

I find it interesting that @Joseph_Joestar didn't really use this build. Hope I don't find the same with my period correct builds. But I suspect I might. I am not so worried about average framerate. Its intermittent stutters that bother me.

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2025-08-27, 22:57:

iraito wrote on 2025-08-27, 22:08:

I do, even though i have a stronger but just 2 years older system chronologically i tend to use the period correct

Some very nice configs you have there. Not too far away from the builds I have in mind.

I find it interesting that @Joseph_Joestar didn't really use this build. Hope I don't find the same with my period correct builds. But I suspect I might. I am not so worried about average framerate. Its intermittent stutters that bother me.

Thank you!
I have 2 more i think that i didn't add and i did some refining, let's say i didn't have a lot of time for retro PCs last year, i started finishing my consoles collection by getting all ODEs and possible enhancement, once i'm done this year i will go back to them hopefully.

One of the coolest i did before i stopped is the vampire bloodlines killer PC, in short there's a single CPU that runs the game correctly while also being period correct, the athlon 64 3000+, paired with a gf 6800 runs the game like a charm at max detail, i should update my sign.

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2025-08-27, 22:57:

I find it interesting that @Joseph_Joestar didn't really use this build. Hope I don't find the same with my period correct builds.

Just to clarify, I didn't really intend for this rig to be a period correct system. It was meant as a high powered Win9x build, and I happily used it as such for almost two years.

But once I built that C2D E8600 rig, it outclassed this one in every possible way. There was simply no point in keeping both. That coupled with the artifacts on the GeForce FX 5900XT led to the early retirement of this system.

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2025-08-27, 21:04:

I don't think any of us truly need to have most of the retro builds that we make. I am yet to build most of what I have planned. But there definitely will be the situation where most games could be played on several of the builds. Question is would I be willing to play the game on period correct hardware when I know I also have a much faster system that will play it smoothly. I don't know the answer to that question yet.

Honestly as much as messing with old, period correct hardware is fun - it is very hard to justify playing games with lower settings, resolution, framerate, etc when you can just turn on another computer and have whatever resolution and settings you want with "unlimited" framerate.

That's one reason i do not like to do completely period correct builds. For stuff to be practically useful it needs some modern additions like storage and cooling and usually - a bit newer GPU, may be 2-3 years newer.

Completely period correct builds... if there is something i do not miss about "old times" it is trying to play halflife2 on GF2MX400 and such.

Archer57 wrote on 2025-08-28, 10:01:

Completely period correct builds... if there is something i do not miss about "old times" it is trying to play halflife2 on GF2MX400 and such.

For the sake of the argument, GF2MX was by no means contemporary at HL2 release.

Period correct isn't exactly what people think period correct is, we all had a mix mash of gpu and cpu at the time, we probably had a stronger GPU 1 or max 2 gen over with an older CPU and that was enough to make everything play at least at 30.
Then again i specialise in maxed out period correct build, i pretty much do a historical study on the period, all the major release for hardware of the time and try to build the strongest possible machine but not necessarily insane over the top stuff, just enthusiast level hardware justifiable at the time.
For example half-life can be played with a geforce 256 DDR which is period correct and plenty powerful, the issue is the CPU with that game, you either go Pentium II 450 MHz or Pentium II Xeon 450 MHz, my setup is fine with the standard 450 but i bet the xeon would make everything pretty damn smooth.

Bruno128 wrote on 2025-08-28, 10:09:

For the sake of the argument, GF2MX was by no means contemporary at HL2 release.

This is actually a flaw with what is typically considered "period correct". For how long hardware is typically used? Nobody buys every new CPU or GPU which is released, most of the time someone buys a videocard and uses it for a few years, then buys a new one. And in most cases mid-range one too. So 2-3 year old mid-range card is something that would be very commonly used.

But yeah, GF2MX400 was old and horribly underpowered by that point...

My Athlon 64 3400+ is going to be retired only if motherboard fails as I have no spare with pcie. I have a couple of GeForce GTX 260 so a failing GPU isn't going to lead to retirement. GPU is the most frequently failing component.

As for games which can be played on it - Rise of Nations (2003), Sims 2 (2004), Battlefield 2 (2005), Need for Speed Most Wanted (2005), Quake 4 (2005), Silent Hunter 3 (2005), Civilization 4 (2005), IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 (2006), Fifa 2007, Nhl 2007, Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition (2007), Europa Universalis 3 (2007). It isn't for Crysis or Far Cry 2.

I recently bought a little 4x4cm fan Noctua NF-A4x20 FLX to cool the nForce4 chipset. It is quiet even at 5000 rpm. The heatsink was too wobbly so I took the motherboard out and replaced the chipset thermal pad which was heavily deformed with a thicker one and used push pins instead of screws with rubber (helped to avoid too much pressure, but caused wobble in time).

I would not bank on GeForce 5900xt surviving long. In 10 years they will probably be gone even from Vogons.