First post, by OSkar000
Many years ago I got an old Dell XPS R400 when I upgraded one of my cousins computer. Not the most exciting computer in its original form but a well built standard PC in a nice white box. Nothing fancy at all but stable and reliable.
I have used it for a few different things but most of the time it has been waiting for a real purpose. And since last week it got a new life as my main retro Windows 98SE workstation.
This computer is not ment to be a gaming PC as its used now but a few games will probably find its way onto it. The primary use will be playing MP3s, sharing files to other retro PCs, making floppys different uses and some lighter work in office, like keeping a database (excel-file probably..) of my collection of old hardware and making nice diagrams of benchmarks.
Hardware
CPU: Intel Pentium II 400MHz
RAM: 256mb (upgraded from 128mb)
GPU: Matrox G400, 16mb (upgraded from ATI Rage Pro 8mb)
Harddrives: 2x40gb Western Digital (upgraded from Maxtor 12gb)
NIC: 3Com 905B
Soundcard: Turtle Beach Monteago 2, Aureal Vortex II
At the moment I have an old 20" Samsung lcd monitor connected to it. Being able to run Windows 98SE in 1600x1200 is a nice user experience and makes it a really good workstation for working in MS Office and file management.
Original dustbunnys and period correct cable management 😀
Upgraded with two 40gb hard drives. I was a bit worried that the combination of Intel 440BX and hard drives over 32gb would cause problems but it seems to work good.
There is still some more space left for upgrades, another hard drive, a 5,25" floppy or a CD-RW could be useful in the future.
The case is quite user friendly and adding more hardware is not a problem.
Its still white... no signs of yellowing after 22 years and almost free from scratches and other marks.
Yes, its running what it is designed for 😀
It was probably shipped with the first edition of Windows 98
So.. not the most exciting build, but it serves it purpose quite well and will make my work with other retro hardware much easier.