DustyShinigami wrote on 2026-05-15, 15:47:

I was thinking about a motherboard that could take a P4, but I suspect there are no retro motherboards out there that are P4 compatible AND have an ISA slot...?

Yes there are. I own and have tested a number of them including:

• DFI ITOX G4E620-N (Socket 478, i845E chipset, 3 ISA slots)
• Advantech AIMB 742 (Socket 478, i865G chipset, 2 ISA slots)
• AXIOMTech IMB200 (LGA775, i865G chipset, 2 ISA slots)
• DFI ITOX G7S620-N-G (LGA775, i865G chipset, 2 ISA slots)

I've also done a P4 3.4 GHz build with an ISA sound card that covers DOS through early Windows XP: Pentium 4 Multi-OS Build Log (DOS/3.11/95/NT4/98/2k/Me/XP)

One advantage of the Pentium 4 is it has more throttling options than a Pentium 3. This is especially the case with the late model Cedar Mill processors that even allow for variable multiplier options (via Intel Speedstep technology). I've had my Pentium 4 throttled as low as a 12 MHz 286.

Now there are some caveats about these boards:

1. They tend to be expensive and currently most options for buying them are from China.
2. Some of them are from the capacitor plague era and will need to be recapped. I just recapped and polymodded a DFI G4E620-N and AIMB 742 motherboard.
3. For any Pentium 4 motherboard with ISA slots, you want one with a functional ISA-to-PCI bridge chip that supports direct memory access (DMA). This is required to get sound cards working under DOS. Not every P4 board with ISA slots necessarily has such a chip. Or in some cases, they might not be configured correctly and require modding.

While building a Pentium 4 with ISA slots build to cover a wider range of games is do-able, it's also a more challenging build. It does involve some trade-offs when it comes to either performance or compatibility.

Shponglefan wrote on 2026-05-15, 16:06:

Yes there are. I own and have tested a number of them including: […]
Show full quote

DustyShinigami wrote on 2026-05-15, 15:47:

I was thinking about a motherboard that could take a P4, but I suspect there are no retro motherboards out there that are P4 compatible AND have an ISA slot...?

Yes there are. I own and have tested a number of them including:

• DFI ITOX G4E620-N (Socket 478, i845E chipset, 3 ISA slots)
• Advantech AIMB 742 (Socket 478, i865G chipset, 2 ISA slots)
• AXIOMTech IMB200 (LGA775, i865 chipset, 2 ISA slots)
• DFI ITOX G7S620-N-G (LGA775, i865G chipset, 2 ISA slots)

I've done a P4 3.4 GHz build with an ISA sound card that covers DOS through early Windows XP: Pentium 4 Multi-OS Build Log (DOS/3.11/95/NT4/98/2k/Me/XP)

One advantage of the Pentium 4 is it has more throttling options than a Pentium 3. This is especially the case with the late model Cedar Mill processors that even allow for variable multiplier options (via Intel Speedstep technology). I've had my Pentium 4 throttled as low as a 12 MHz 286.

Now there are some caveats about these boards:

1. They tend to be expensive and currently most options for buying them are from China.
2. Some of them are from the capacitor plague era and will need to be recapped. I just recapped and polymodded a DFI G4E620-N and AIMB 742 motherboard.
3. For any Pentium 4 motherboard with ISA slots, you want one with a functional ISA-to-PCI bridge chip that supports direct memory access (DMA). This is required to get sound cards working under DOS. Not every P4 board with ISA slots necessarily has such a chip. Or in some cases, they might not be configured correctly and require modding.

While building a Pentium 4 with ISA slots build to cover a wider range of games is do-able, it's also a more challenging build. It does involve some trade-offs when it comes to either performance or compatibility.

Oh wow, that is surprising. I would have thought around that point ISA ports/cards would've stopped being produced? Interesting. Also, that sounds great that they can be throttled much further. 😮 Not surprising though that there are some catches. I'm a bit apprehensive about the capacitor issue though as I've never recapped them in my life. ^^;

How has 98 faired with a P4 motherboard for the most part? Reading through your linked thread, things sound promising. Including DOS games. 😀 Also, is there a specific motherboard that has proven to be the most robust? Thanks.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2026-05-15, 16:25:

Oh wow, that is surprising. I would have thought around that point ISA ports/cards would've stopped being produced?

They're mainly industrial motherboards for setups where there might be specialized ISA cards needed (controller cards, etc). But they do work as regular computers for gaming and things.

I'm a bit apprehensive about the capacitor issue though as I've never recapped them in my life. ^^;

Later boards that primarily use polymer caps should generally be okay. The main issue is boards from the early to mid 2000s that use aluminum electrolytic caps.

How has 98 faired with a P4 motherboard for the most part? Reading through your linked thread, things sound promising. Including DOS games. 😀 Also, is there a specific motherboard that has proven to be the most robust? Thanks.

The build I did uses the DFI ITOX G7S620-N-G motherboard with an i865G chipset. Windows 98 has been rock solid with that chipset. Probably one of the most stable Windows 98 setups I've had.

I've also done a bunch of testing withe IMB200 motherboard and it seemed solid in terms of reliability as well. I haven't tested the other two boards I mentioned as much, as I only recently repaired them.

Shponglefan wrote on 2026-05-15, 19:44:

They're mainly industrial motherboards for setups where there might be specialized ISA cards needed (controller cards, etc). But […]
Show full quote

DustyShinigami wrote on 2026-05-15, 16:25:

Oh wow, that is surprising. I would have thought around that point ISA ports/cards would've stopped being produced?

They're mainly industrial motherboards for setups where there might be specialized ISA cards needed (controller cards, etc). But they do work as regular computers for gaming and things.

I'm a bit apprehensive about the capacitor issue though as I've never recapped them in my life. ^^;

Later boards that primarily use polymer caps should generally be okay. The main issue is boards from the early to mid 2000s that use aluminum electrolytic caps.

How has 98 faired with a P4 motherboard for the most part? Reading through your linked thread, things sound promising. Including DOS games. 😀 Also, is there a specific motherboard that has proven to be the most robust? Thanks.

The build I did uses the DFI ITOX G7S620-N-G motherboard with an i865G chipset. Windows 98 has been rock solid with that chipset. Probably one of the most stable Windows 98 setups I've had.

I've also done a bunch of testing withe IMB200 motherboard and it seemed solid in terms of reliability as well. I haven't tested the other two boards I mentioned as much, as I only recently repaired them.

Ah, I see. And you're right about the price, too. Though I'd be more concerned with finding one; the ones I have seen don't appear to have any ISA slots, sadly. I'll have to set up a notification.

I guess Socket A would be an easier option? KT133/KT133A motherboards are more common.

Mike_ wrote on 2026-05-16, 16:33:

I guess Socket A would be an easier option? KT133/KT133A motherboards are more common.

Thanks for the suggestion. Hmm. Socket A mobos are primarily for AMD processors...? I don't have a lot of experience with their CPUs like I do with Intel.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2026-05-16, 17:03:

Thanks for the suggestion. Hmm. Socket A mobos are primarily for AMD processors...? I don't have a lot of experience with their CPUs like I do with Intel.

They are exclusively for AMD processors. But that shouldn't matter, X86 processors are pretty much interchangeable from software point of view.

Need two systems, AMD for summer and Pentium 4 for winter.

Socket A is another option, though a lot of those boards also suffer from capacitor plague era issues.

Looking around it basically seems like your options are a tualatin 1.4/athlon xp 2000+ which are about the same speed for ISA native or a P4 specialty board witha DMA enabled ISA bridge chip. I think an XP 2000+ seems like the least wallet burning option.

Grem Five wrote on 2026-05-17, 02:11:

Need two systems, AMD for summer and Pentium 4 for winter.

Haha, yeah, that could be a possibility. 😀

Shponglefan wrote on Yesterday, 09:08:

Socket A is another option, though a lot of those boards also suffer from capacitor plague era issues.

Thanks. I'll look into those.

NeoG_ wrote on Yesterday, 09:50:

Looking around it basically seems like your options are a tualatin 1.4/athlon xp 2000+ which are about the same speed for ISA native or a P4 specialty board witha DMA enabled ISA bridge chip. I think an XP 2000+ seems like the least wallet burning option.

Thanks. Yeah, I'll look into those, too. May have to consider a mixture depending on the games. And just to mix things up a bit. Variety.

NeoG_ wrote on Yesterday, 09:50:

Looking around it basically seems like your options are a tualatin 1.4/athlon xp 2000+ which are about the same speed for ISA native or a P4 specialty board witha DMA enabled ISA bridge chip. I think an XP 2000+ seems like the least wallet burning option.

What are some good motherboard recommendations that use Tualatin 1.4/athlon xp 2000+?

NeoG_ wrote on Yesterday, 09:50:

Looking around it basically seems like your options are a tualatin 1.4/athlon xp 2000+ which are about the same speed for ISA native or a P4 specialty board witha DMA enabled ISA bridge chip. I think an XP 2000+ seems like the least wallet burning option.

You can get faster Athlon XPs than 2000+, basically anything that has a 266MHz FSB should work unless the board in question has some quirks.

DustyShinigami wrote on Yesterday, 12:44:

What are some good motherboard recommendations that use Tualatin 1.4/athlon xp 2000+?

For AMD, probably some board with VIA KT133A chipset and an ISA slot. You can find such board options via Retroweb's search, from example.

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards?page=1&i … D%5Bsign%5D=%3D

I suppose one caveat about those boards is if you need more than one ISA slot. Dunno about Socket A, but I know Tualatin boards with multiple ISA slots are rare and expensive.

Mike_ wrote on Yesterday, 14:46:

You can get faster Athlon XPs than 2000+, basically anything that has a 266MHz FSB should work unless the board in question has […]
Show full quote

NeoG_ wrote on Yesterday, 09:50:

Looking around it basically seems like your options are a tualatin 1.4/athlon xp 2000+ which are about the same speed for ISA native or a P4 specialty board witha DMA enabled ISA bridge chip. I think an XP 2000+ seems like the least wallet burning option.

You can get faster Athlon XPs than 2000+, basically anything that has a 266MHz FSB should work unless the board in question has some quirks.

DustyShinigami wrote on Yesterday, 12:44:

What are some good motherboard recommendations that use Tualatin 1.4/athlon xp 2000+?

For AMD, probably some board with VIA KT133A chipset and an ISA slot. You can find such board options via Retroweb's search, from example.

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards?page=1&i … D%5Bsign%5D=%3D

Thanks. To be honest, I didn’t realise The Retro Web had a search feature like that. 😀

Shponglefan wrote on Yesterday, 15:08:

I suppose one caveat about those boards is if you need more than one ISA slot. Dunno about Socket A, but I know Tualatin boards with multiple ISA slots are rare and expensive.

That could be a requirement. Especially as the PicoGUS is an ISA card. That would mean having to sacrifice my Yamaha OPL3 card.

DustyShinigami wrote on Yesterday, 15:47:

That could be a requirement. Especially as the PicoGUS is an ISA card. That would mean having to sacrifice my Yamaha OPL3 card.

That could be a challenge then. Retroweb only lists a few Socket A boards with more than one ISA slot.

This is one reason I went the Pentium 4 route. The P4 motherboards that have ISA slots usually have at least two.