vinxi2 wrote on 2020-12-14, 23:07:Thanks. […]
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mothergoose729 wrote on 2020-12-14, 22:53:
Athlon 64 and socket 754 are a great match for windows 98.
Thanks.
A lot of people is discouraging me on the P4 and the socket 478 route because they say that the P4 runs too hot and it's unstable and should be avoided.
Another good point of that ASUS board I mentioned is that it's a miniITX format, and since I already have a miniITX case with one 5.25 slot (Fractal Design Core 500) that could be a great idea also to save space if possible. Can I do that?
So the only option to experience GLIDE would be a PCI Voodoo? Which model?
Can you help me decide the "main" GPU between the ATI or Nvidia you mentioned?
About the PSU, what wattage? Let's say that one day I will get a Vodoo 2 SLI (if it's possible), will the required wattage change?
And, do I need a floppy drive? The primary HDD has to be SATA -> IDE?
Sorry for the dumb questions and thanks for your time.
The P4 chipsets are the most stable chipsets for windows 98 period. I own a p865 board and it works better than my 440bx slot 1 chipset. Whoever told you than p4 is unstable doesn't know what they are talking about.
P4 is definitely hot, but you can manage the heat. Just get a 2.4 or 2.6ghz p4 models - they run at a much lower TDP. I would also recommend that you look for a northwood core CPU, ideally one that is rated to run at an 800fsb, as they run cooler than prescott and offer very similar performance. The 800fsb is nice because you can get more memory bandwidth, and why not.
You can run an ATI or Nvidia card as the primary display and use something like a voodoo 2 PCI for GLIDE, but that is definitely the most expensive route. A voodoo 2 generally goes for 130+ dollars on ebay (in the US) which is actually more expensive than a Voodoo 3 PCI card typically is. I would still recommend a voodoo 3 as the go to windows 98 graphics card, but you can also get a 1.5v compatiable AGP card of which there are lots to choose from. The FX series and Geforce 4 ti cards are the fastest, and I would say something like a Geforce 4 mmx 440 or 460 are among the easiest to find and most affordable.
My windows 98 machine uses a P4 3.06ghz northwood processor with an Asus P4P 800-E Delux motherboard, I have a Quadro FX card that I configure as an FX 5800 Geforce with rivatuner, and a PCI v00d00 3 2000 which I flashed to a vood00 3 3000 bios. Getting some of the drivers installed was a pain, but it runs very fast and is as stable as any windows 98 machine can be.
As for PSU wattage, that only gets complicated on socket A, basically. Old school PSUs had the majority of their power on the 5v rails, while newer stuff uses 12v rails. If you have a power hungry 5v system than a modern power supply might not have enough 5v power to get the job done. If you get a slot 1 motherboard or socket 370, they are so low power typically that the 5v/12v difference doesn't matter. It is only the higher end CPUs on socket A in particular that pull a lot of juice and us 5v to do it. Even if you get socket A, you can get a lower power duron and avoid any issues with modern power supply's.
A floppy drive is nice to have, but I wouldn't say you need it. For windows 98 I typically use a CD ROM to install USB drivers, and then everything else I do through USB.
A IDE to SATA adapter is one solution for storage. I wouldn't buy old hard drives. My P4 board natively supports SATA 1.5 with built in IDE emulation and I just use that and it is very fast with my SSD hard drive.
mATX boards like your asus aren't hard to find. If it has the ports and features you need then I say go for it. I prefer full ATX personally because I tend to fill up my computers with stuff.