Reply 20 of 28, by Thallanor
wrote:Ok, but how many *free* slots are you going to have in each machine? 😉
Good point! The Tandy is only using one slot at the moment, for a Tandy VGA card. I'm still fighting with getting the floppy drive controller disabled on this computer in order to add an aftermarket FDC and might just go SCSI (and unfortunately the cost associated with going with a SCSI floppy or floptical solution). 🙁 The Packard Bell is only using one slot too, for a network card. Another slot currently has an Aztech/Reveal SC300 or SC400 sound card which I had high hopes for but unfortunately, it's SBPro emulation is apparently mono. D'oh. The 486 currently has a GUS w/ maxed-out RAM and a Matrox G400 video card. It'll be getting a NIC and (hopefully) a Voodoo1 or Voodoo2 at some point, so should still have a free PCI and/or a couple ISA slots. The Pentium is completely wide-open now though will likely go with Voodoo graphics and will need a NIC. So mostly open. 😀
wrote:Those 3 ISA slots in that 486 are going to be hotly contested if your experience is anything like mine. Only you can tell me what we have to work with, here. Or is it variable?
I would say nothing is set in stone with these builds. Far from it. I've bought a couple bits and pieces but am more or less hitting the brakes until I can lay things down on paper first. I would even drop a NIC if it meant getting a more ideal sound and graphics setup, for example.
wrote:Anyway, here is the sound-relevant part of my DOS gaming rack:
This gives me somewhere to start. I am ordering one of keropi's cards this weekend to evaluate moving from system to system. That will get me my MT-32 support. Beyond that, I'm thinking of something along the lines of a Sound Blaster with true OPL3 or OPL4 support. And because I have the Gravis, likely it being used as well. You're right. That 486 could get busy if I use the GUS, an SB, and the MPU-401 card, which are all ISA. Though would I run into any issues going the PCI route for the SB? (All of these systems are DOS-focused. Windows is secondary, even on the Pentium.) I cannot see affording another GUS, at least for a long while, so the other builds would be at less crowded by one slot. (If keropi's card works well (and I see no reason why it won't) then I'd likely eventually put one in each of these builds.)
wrote:So basically, if you're looking for the absolute best, just mimic what I've done to whatever extent you can afford the time, patience, and money. It's not cheap in any of those 3 categories, but the dividends are amazing if you're seeking that DOS-era aural nirvana.
I agree re:cost. These are definitely long-term projects, with the only real time I foresee pulling the trigger a bit sooner being when certain components start becoming so scarce that their costs begin rising towards prohibitive levels.
Thanks again for these suggestions. I appreciate it!