That is a perfectly reasonable system (except that it might have too much RAM for some specific situations).

parzival wrote:

The system has really been struggling with DOS titles like Screamer 2 and Descent 2.

Then it seems to me you should look for a system that will play Screamer 2 and Descent 2.

parzival wrote:

Should I swap the voodoo2 setup for a single voodoo1?

There are maybe two games you'd be at all likely to play in which that would be at all useful, and even then it would hardly be necessary.

90s games?

Super Socket 7 machine hands down. Something like a K6-2, 2+ or III+ with a Voodoo 3. Using cache tricks you can play anything from Monkey Island to GLQuake or Unreal.

parzival wrote:

Should I swap the voodoo2 setup for a single voodoo1? What other changes could I make to enhance compatibility?

I would not do that, you'll get pretty bad performance in the later Glide games and no use of higher resolution in Glide.

Screamer 2 should work with SLI, check that you have the right patch. If you have mismatched cards, that probably explains your issues in DOS. Try disabling SLI with the enviroment variables.

AMD Super Socket 7 and VIA C3 based systems are hands down the champions when it comes to adapting to all the various speed grades throughout the 90's. Otherwise you have to pick narrower sections to specialize in; in particular, it becomes difficult with later Intel stuff to hit the 486 and Pentium class speeds required by many games.

It's a long stretch to cover with any one system, though. A Win9x system will have very little use for many early 90's sound cards, while most 3D cards only find any use in late 90's gaming systems, etc.

I'd rank systems in this order for 90s coverage:

1) VIA C3 Ezra-T system on Slot 1 or Socket 370 for the smoothest range through the 90s.

2) Unlocked Pentium III system on Slot 1 or Socket 370 for a late 90s focused build.

3) K6-III+ system on Super Socket 7 for a fairly smooth range through the 90s.

I should add that according to http://www.interplay.com/games/support.php?id=104 , the system described should VASTLY exceed the system requirements for Descent II. If the system is "struggling" for some reason, then there's probably something wrong with the configuration somewhere. Perhaps one of the Voodoo cards is physically defective, as suggested by that Screamer 2 thread.

If you can, I recommend building a DOS gaming machine (using SS7 or C3) and a fast Win98 system using P4, Athlon, or Athlon64. You can get some overlap using a SS7 or C3 machine, but a no limit Win98 machine is superb for all pre XP Windows titles and well beyond the performance of more throttleable machines.

Jorpho wrote:

I should add that according to http://www.interplay.com/games/support.php?id=104 , the system described should VASTLY exceed the system requirements for Descent II. If the system is "struggling" for some reason, then there's probably something wrong with the configuration somewhere. Perhaps one of the Voodoo cards is physically defective, as suggested by that Screamer 2 thread.

I'll have to agree to this. My PIII system is very similar to the OP's:

PIII 1.1 GHz in a cheapass SPC370 slocket
Abit BH6
512MB RAM
Diamond Multimedia Voodoo2 (not SLI though)
Geforce 4 Ti4400
SB Live!
AWE32

...and at least Descent 2 works perfectly.

The only game that ever gave me any trouble on that rig is Blood. I'm abroad at the moment, so can't give any specifics, but it crashes at startup, giving me a purple error message screen IIRC.

Descent II only needs 200Mhz for 30fps in 640x480 with cockpit. With a P3-933 it gets about 90fps in same resolution.

Personally, I use two retro PCs that allow me to play games released between 1988 an 2000.
1) 486DX2/66 can be slowed to to 286, 386, and slow 486 speeds with cache and turbo manipulation.
2) K6-2/550 can be slowed down to 486 speeds with cache manipulation.

gdjacobs wrote:

If you can, I recommend building a DOS gaming machine (using SS7 or C3) and a fast Win98 system using P4, Athlon, or Athlon64. You can get some overlap using a SS7 or C3 machine, but a no limit Win98 machine is superb for all pre XP Windows titles and well beyond the performance of more throttleable machines.

You can replace both those systems if you are looking for just one build that covers a wide range - this could be with a Socket 478 or Socket 775 with ISA DMA. When you disable L1 cache, you get into the 486 range, and also run the latest Win98 games, too.

Your best bet is a 4 in 1 super 7 system as you can build just one machine but there are some limitations where there are some minor gaps on the low side and not all that fast on the high side, the real disadvantage is that most 4 in 1 systems usually need a 3DFX Voodoo 3 which has gone up in price and the boards are getting harder to find as well more costly. The others have the advantage of being lower in demand so pricing is going to be better. Personally I went with just building multiple systems because it was more fun to have some actual variety instead of building a single toaster. Not very many people have period correct systems any more except and like the old consoles they will one day be in demand.