Crysis runs smooth (no actual framerate measured) with everything high at 1280x1024 and 8xfaa. "very high" requires DX10 ergo something beyond XP.

I don't know if the game is using EAX, the menu doesn't mention it. It all sounded impressive and environmentally immersive. Edit: apparently that's software mode, I need to make a system.cfg with:

con_restricted = 0
s_reverbtype = 1
r_displayinfo = 1
r_VSync = 1
d3d9_TripleBuffering = 1

(I've added some extra fun stuff)

I'll try that.

This seems to be turning into the low budget xp rocket I was hoping (minus the omniflop thingy), and I still have a pile of stuff I can try to sell. Which will be a challenge.

I am looking for am3 or am3+ motherboards with floppy controller and 2 available pci slots when using gpu. The alternative is keeping the Dell pc around. In the attic...

I'm looking around to find something cheap locally.

And when that's done, sell all my other amd mobo's and processors from this project...

Tonight I'll pick up a Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 to replace the ASUS M4A89GTD PRO so I can use a floppy drive.

Only one pciex 16x slot, but at least it will run in 16x instead of 8x now, and SLI under xp for xp games like Crysis or below makes little sense. So I'll take it, and 4x pci slots might prove handy in the future.

I'll just try to install the gigabyte chipset drivers and see how the system runs (crysis benchmark 😀 ). In case of problems, it will be a fresh xp install.

Allright, I've got it at home. It came with an X6 1050T and a huge Scythe Mugen 2 rev B cooler setup that assumes slightly more rear ventilation than my case has, but then again my case has a side trumpet leading towards the cooler that it does not assume to be available. A long way of saying the cooler would better have blown from the top instead of the side for my case, but will work as-is. At least it will have ample fresh air to cool its top, while still a lot of holes to blow through at the back. And I'm not overclocking the 1090T even though with the BIOS issues I have had it run at 3700 MHz for a while. 😁

After rebuilding my XP rocket, this will leave me with enough stuff for a complete Dell 9150 and 2 more combis of mobo, 6 core AMD, and a nice pair of RAM. I hope I'll be able to sell at least some of that. Yeah, you read that right: I now have two X6 processors and an FX 6 core. I did not intend to, but here we are. Wanting to build 1 PC so having about 4.

I've been building the modified Kansas PC (new motherboard with floppy driver). The Mugen 2 cooler is so tall that I can't close the case, so some case modding will be in order.

After adding the floppy drive, I've got 1 large front bay free in an otherwise fully populated front. You know me: some day in the future, a black Audigy bay unit will live there to compliment my W98 PC.

I haven't tested the Kansas PC with its new motherboard yet.

Nice that should be fast, I had a X6 1050T and ran it well into the windows 10 era

The pc was a bit of a mess and it couldn't find usb storage to copy the new mobo drivers, so I'm currently doing a fresh xp install.

The ram might be configured too slow in the bios, but I'll look into that when the rest is running. It is set at auto.

I've reinstalled the lot. Seems healthy now. Remaining problems:

-floppy drive is not working. It is recognized in Windows, but no mechanical noise and it always says "please insert disk". I'm not sure if this floppy drive works; I might swap out a known working one.

-RAM config in BIOS. It runs at 1066 now, at 1600 it is unstable. But it is supposed to be 1600 RAM so my other settings apparently are wrong. I don't have much knowledge here. I do have different RAM laying here, also 2x 2gb 1600.

AHA! My floppy drive cable has no twist, so it assumes drive B instead of A. I'll twist wires 10, 12, 14 and 16. (No need to twist the gnd in between I presume).

Floppy drive now works with modified cable!

So for the moment, the only remaining issue is the ram. With everything else on auto, I can run it at 1066 and 1333, but it is 1600 mhz ram however it cradhes at 1600 (somewhere during the boot/loading windows) when I set it at 1600 with the rest auto.

Can anyone help with the correct settings for 1600mhz? 2x2gb, see photos.

obsidian series ocz3ob1600lv4gk

I think I also have voltages at auto now, and likely that means 1.5V where this RAM wants 1.65V. That might also explain the instability at 1600?

This is what our good friend ChatGPT gave me (and it seems plausible):

Enter BIOS Setup
Press DEL during startup to enter the BIOS.

Go to “MB Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.)”
This is where all overclocking and memory settings live.
Set the following main options:

Setting Value Notes
CPU Host Clock Control Enabled Needed to manually adjust memory multiplier.
Set Memory Clock x8.00 (for 1600 MHz) Multiplies 200 MHz base clock to 1600 MHz.
DRAM Configuration Enter submenu Adjust timings and voltage manually here.

Inside “DRAM Configuration”:
Manually set the primary timings according to your RAM label:

Timing Value
CAS Latency (tCL) 9
tRCD 9
tRP 9
tRAS 24 (or 27 if 24 doesn’t POST)

Leave the rest (secondary and tertiary timings) on Auto for stability.

Voltage Settings
Go back to the main M.I.T. page.
Find DDR3 Voltage Control and set it to +0.15 V (which results in about 1.65 V total).
Default DDR3 voltage is 1.5 V, so +0.15 V = 1.65 V.

Command Rate (CR)
If available, set to 2T (helps with stability at higher clocks).

Save & Exit
Save changes and reboot.
System should POST and boot into Windows.

✅ After Booting

Verify memory speed and timings using CPU-Z:
Go to the Memory tab.
DRAM Frequency should read ~800 MHz (since DDR = Double Data Rate → 800 × 2 = 1600 MHz).
Timings should match 9-9-9-24 (2T).

⚠️ Troubleshooting Tips

If the system fails to POST:
Clear CMOS (use jumper or remove the battery briefly).
Try tRAS = 27 or Command Rate = 2T if you initially used 1T.

If it boots but is unstable:
Increase DRAM Voltage slightly (up to 1.66–1.68 V max).
Ensure CPU/NB voltage isn’t too low (can help stabilize memory controller).

And after asking about some slightly different names in my BIOS, he summarizes:
✅ Summary for your setup
Setting Value Purpose
Set Memory Clock x8.00 Gives 1600 MHz effective speed
CAS / tRCD / tRP / tRAS 9-9-9-24 Rated timings
Command Rate 2T Stability
(note from me: and leave the other RAM settings on auto)
DRAM Voltage Control +0.15 V (→ 1.65 V total) Matches RAM spec
DDR VTT Voltage Control Normal Leave auto-regulated

Is this safe to try, correct, or do you have a better proposal?

Mr Patience went ahead: it works! 1600@1 64V (1.65 was not an option). So that makes the whole pc ready to go. The search for a rad desktop background can begin.

https://www.overclockers.com/step-guide-overc … ock-amd-phenom/ - CPU-NB is suggested as being a minor parameter, but 2400MHz (if you can get stable at safe voltage) generally scales well with 1600 RAM
Cinebench (10 for XP) especially multi, is generally a good indication of any real world gains from memory and cache tuning

Would 2400 be an overclocked value; is the current setting of 2000 the standard value for an X6 1090T?

I'm not looking into overclocking stuff; maximum stability and lifespan are more important as the hardware is rather overkill for the XP task anyway. So standard values will do. If that 2000mhz is a correct value for a 190T, I'll leave it as-is.

2000 is standard, for DDR1333, 2400 is better tuned for DDR1600 ... 2000 will work with DDR1600, but may not get the most out of it

I'll try 2400.

2400 at 1.175V seems stable. Edit: went to 1.20 after a crash. So far so good.

Currently trying Crysis, framerate seems smooth. Almost always in the 40-60 region, in some places up to the 75 limit. Any other game from my pile will be less demanding than Crysis.