Only 512mb ram? For shame... (sarcasm)

Id run NT if it was me, or 2K if I was lazy. I wasn't expecting XP. I guess it is a requirement if the video card drivers?

luckybob wrote on 2026-09-03, 13:11:

Only 512mb ram? For shame... (sarcasm)

I wanted 1GB damn it! 😀

luckybob wrote on 2026-09-03, 13:11:

Id run NT if it was me, or 2K if I was lazy. I wasn't expecting XP. I guess it is a requirement if the video card drivers?

XP is for the graphics card drivers, and I also prefer it to its predecessors.

If you run XP with the classic look, with no frills, it actually runs pretty well on systems such as this one.

I’ve already run XP on it, that’s how I got the Blender performance result for the machine.

I've purchased this NEC MultiSpin 6Xe CDR-602 External SCSI 6x CD-ROM Drive Caddy S/PDIF, which is tested and working as well as this Pioneer DVR-S201 External SCSI DVD-R Authoring Drive DVRS201 for this system: (So I'm getting there slowly)

Both of these drives will be removed from their external enclosures and slotted into drive bays in the system.

Here's some info on these drives:

The Pioneer DVR-S201 external SCSI DVD-R authoring drive was officially announced and released on June 22, 2000 and had the following specs:

The NEC MultiSpin 6Xe CDR-602 External SCSI 6x CD-ROM Drive Caddy S/PDIF has the following specs:

I've just ordered this 68-pin SCSI Removable Drive Rack to house the System Disk:

Here are its specs:

And I've also purchased this USB header, which will fit into one of the open parallel port openings on the rear of the case:

The NEC Multispin 6X is installed and working!

I've just purchased this ICP Vortex GDT8563RZ Ultra160 SCSI RAID Controller for the system, this will replace the ICP GDT6538RD 6x68pin, 4x50pin SCSI-Adapter that I currently have fitted: (It's the ICP GDT6538RD's rarer big brother.)

I've removed one of the IDE Drive Racks from the system to make way for an Epson SD-800 3.5" & 5.25" Combo Floppy Drive, as I need a system with USB support and Floppy Drive support as I have an 8086 and a 286 which I'll need to get files onto. (I also didn't like having two of the same units in the front of the machine!)

I don't need two IDE Drives in the system, one will be enough to do some testing!

So this thing's going to have 5.25"Floppy, 3.5"Floppy, CD, DVD, USB, Parallel, Serial and Network as IO options! Together with removable System and Storage Disks!

What do you plan on using this computer for because I think that CDROM drive is to slow to be useful it will seek allot.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2026-10-05, 11:12:

What do you plan on using this computer for because I think that CDROM drive is to slow to be useful it will seek allot.

I'm not planning on using it for anything, once it's benchmarked it will sit on a shelf like all of my other systems. (My aim here is to combine as much interesting hardware as possible into this single build.)

This CD-ROM as well as this DVD-Writer are slow, but they're rare and super cool. (The DVD-Writer being the first commercial DVD-Writer, with an extremely cool look, and initial selling price of more than $4000, and the CD-ROM being a super cool implementation of the Caddy System.)

Here's the current list of parts, where I purchased them and for how much: (The prices include shipping)

The aim is to use as many collectable parts as possible. (Sometimes quirkiness outdoes raw performance!)

While taking a closer look at the picture of the ICP Vortex GDT8563RZ Ultra160 SCSI RAID Controller which I've just purchased, I noticed a critical missing component, without which I wont be able to boot off the card! (The optional BIOS ROM)

So I did some digging and found the BIOS update utility for this card and found that the BIOS is compatible with another ICP card in my possession: (The GDT6113RS!)

So it looks like I'll be able to take the optional BIOS ROM off this card and slot it into the GDT8563RZ, allowing me to boot off the new card!

As a final piece to the puzzle, I've purchased this NOS TEAC FD-505 Dual 3.5 & 5.25 Floppy Drive for the machine: (It's a much more solid option than the Epson)

The GDT8563RZ has arrived and it looks band new!

For now I’ve just tested it in my Pentium II Overdrive, and it’s working with the BIOS ROM that I took from the GDT6113RS!

This is what it shows as the card boots: