VOGONS


First post, by TheCoach

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

I always wanted to get myself a dedicated DOS/98 PC but lack of money or parts availability always stepped in the way.
But one day I opened up our local version of "ebay"(the closest thing I can think of) and chose to order the listing so that the cheapest stuff was at the top.
Some things caught my eye.

First it's this pentium III, the screen reads a keyboard or system unit failure so seeing a keyboard it scared me a little, BUT more photos revealed he never plugged that keyboard in...
senas-qompaq-kompiuteri_1216920_big.jpg
He listed that for 20 Euros

The second was this cute little P2:
senas-stacionarus-kompiuteris-be-monitoriau_1293310_big.jpg
This one for 16 Euros

Needless to say this immediately moved the retro pc project from hard to real damn doable!
I started arranging stuff with this guy and asked for some photos of the inside of these things.

Meanwhile as I assumed these computers really didn't have anything special going on with their video cards(heck the P2 didn't even have one at all) I realized I'd need something period correct and with some style.
So I wondered what happens if I type in 3DFX into the search(I live in Lithuania, this place isn't known for a lot of computing in the 90s, especially not the kind that was really expensive) and to my surprise one listing actually appears, he lists it as "a very old card 3DFX"
Yes!

He obviously doesn't really know what he has, so I write him a message and ask him to take a photo of it. He delivers:
unnamed.jpg

YES! My google fu tells me this is definitely a very much reference design Voodoo2 12MB card that only had a bad review because it came packed with very little and the box wasn't nice(go go bad 90s photoshop)
So the next thing I do is ask how much he'd sell it for and offer 10-15 euros for it(yes I am relying on him not really knowing what he has). I get a reply and he settles on 20 Euros, I agree and the voodoo is now mine(my friend just picked it up for me today).

I also manage to grab an S3 Virge 325 4MB for 15 Euros from some russian dude on ebay before someone else does(this is more of a nostalgia thing as for the longest time my only videocard was a Virge i upgraded to 4 megs by ripping out dram chips off of old mobos) and then I get those Pentium case photos that I asked for.

The P2 is an average pc of the time, nothing special in it but it's definitely a P2 and by the processor speed he listed I guess it's a Deschutes

The P3 however surprised me!
Qompaq_paguldomas_pastatomas_2.jpg

First of all ISA PCI and AGP so there's plenty of things to be done here. And then it's the state of it, besides the dust this thing looks completely untouched from the day it was put together, it's damn pristine (look at that sticker on the video card it looks brand new).
Then I look up the expansion cards ( got to love Compaq and clear labeling ) the video card turns out to be a Matrox Millenium Agp G200 8MB with a really convenient ram slot to expand it to probably 16MB and the sound card is an ESS, a really decent SBPro 2 clone. Now I really hope all my shipping arrangements go well on these Pentiums as I believe I found a really really damn good deal here.

Man is the Virge now redundant(probably will stick it into the p2 so it has some sort of display capability).

If all goes well and all hardware works together it'll be time to hunt for a second Voodoo 2 as SLI has to happen. I'll also need the help of the good people on this forum to get the most out of all this stuff too!

Reply 1 of 5, by Vincent_Vega_SA

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Hi,
That's a nice start.. both machines are in perfect condition at least from outside 😊
I have the same Compaq Deskpro with PIII 550.
It's a really stable and reliable machine but it's also picky with AGP cards.

Reply 2 of 5, by Paul

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Very nice start! Nice to see you've managed to find a Voodoo 2.
I used to own S3 ViRGE/DX back in 1996, I remember it's 3d acceleration capabilities were horrendous so I've added a Diamond Monster 3D sometime before Quake II was released. xD

P-III-S 1400Mhz, ASUS TUSL2-C, 2x256 Hynix, STB Voodoo3 3000 AGP, Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 (SB0100) / Aureal Vortex 2, 80GB Samsung SP0812N, Teac CD-W552E, Logitech M-S35, IBM Model M, FSP Blue Storm FSP350-60THN-P, USB 2.0 via PCI, Samsung 959NF.

Reply 3 of 5, by TheCoach

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Thanks, I had a call with the dude and all is go!, he'll be figuring out the shipping and giving me the bill soon.

I'll update this as everything comes together.

Reply 4 of 5, by TheCoach

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

They have arrived.
I am taking apart the P3 for cleaning.

The outside of the case is tired as you would expect for a thing that spent so many years out there.
The inside is well... You know that factory fresh feeling? Or brand new lego that isn't even dulled from touch? Yeah everything inside this thing is that way. Also all of the cards are factory installs, the LAN card even has some proprietary 4 pin cable that goes to the mobo from it. It's wonderful so far.

EDIT:
Also if you want an old case that's damn easy to work with these DeskPro's are surely one of the top picks, it's really maintenance oriented, everything disassembles cleanly and mostly without tool use(You'll still find screws tho but it's more like say new Fractal Design cases and not like the usual cases of the time.)

Reply 5 of 5, by TheCoach

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

I'll post some pictures later but both machines are now up an running although I have to tinker with software/settings for them to make them a bit more stable.
The only sad thing is that the Voodoo 2 has some bad dram on it, with the help of SSTV2 I have determined which 2 chips are probably the faulty ones and will in time order some dram for a replacement.

So in the coming week or so I'll order another Voodoo 2 from ebay, something actually tested so I have a working card. If it works out and plays friends with my current one in SLI then I proceed with the dram fix for the true SLI goodness.