First post, by BetaC
- Rank
- Oldbie
It’s been a while since I last posted, in part because the random issues that I was having with my XP machine seemed to have been cleared up switching to a slightly newer PCI SoundBalster X-FI card and switching over to a two DIMM setup for my RAM. I feel like I am getting complacent, and I have had my financial situation improved, so I feel like starting up a new project. This time, the work will have a specific use in mind: Star Wars.
To be more specific, I am looking to run most of the pre-1999 Star Wars PC games, with the focus mainly being with the Dark Forces and X-Wing/TIE-Fighter series. While I would like to be able to potentially, be able to include that odd but good port of the Atari Arcade game and the Return of the Jedi game from 1987, neither are priorities. The latest games that I would be looking to play, on the other hand, are Jedi Knight/Mysteries of the Sith and maybe Rogue Squadron 3D.
As for why I am asking for advice, I am unsure of what would actually be best for this project. While I do have a free-floating Pentium II 350MHz laying around, I am unsure of that being the best bet for this project. I do not know if the processor has an unlocked multiplier, and I am unsure of whether or not the speed of it would have a negative effect on the speed of X-Wing and TIE Fighter if the multiplier is locked. I have attached a cropped picture of the processor, in case the data on top of it would help us figure out if it is indeed unlocked. If going back to an earlier Pentium will benefit me, I am totally fine with doing that.
Otherwise, I would mainly ask for help in figuring out what graphics solution would work best for me. While Rogue Squadron 3D does benefit from Glide, the majority of the late 90s Star Wars games are DX based. I am not married to the idea of my graphics card being explicitly form 1998, so going with something somewhat later would be totally fine. I would also like to know where I can substitute in a modern part as well, because I’m somewhat iffy on finding a twenty year old used case, and definitely would prefer to have a more modern power supply for safety reasons. Plus, having a solid state and easily replaceable HDD solution is something I am already planning on doing.
I am already planning on picking up an ISA sound card as well as a PCI card that properly supports A3D. My SC-55 mk1 (1.0.0 ROM) is still working perfectly, so I’m not too worried about having a specific card for MIDI music, unless you all have a suggestion for something that sounds particularly great in the X-Wing games. While I was planning on going with Windows 98 for familiarity and USB reasons, I would also be fine with potentially going back to Windows 95 if that would be better for the DOS games. Thank in advance for the advice, and the help in general. You people have saved me a handful of times already.