I think Phils computer lab has it right with building budget friendly modern 486 computers with as many modern parts as possible.
These will last you 10 years or so of good play time.
Modern 486
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHIVGxNnkbA
Budget friendly DOS PC
https://youtu.be/K5vYD0JMD_A
I think this Budget friendly AMD Duron DOS PC is the bests build.
It is inexpensive, has all the stuff you need and is very affordable.
I agree, people can get carried away with purchasing old computer when all they want is an All-in-One 386-486-Pentium-AMD DOS computer to play
Voodoo and old DOS games.
This AMD Duron build meets all the requirements.
Just get an inexpensive socket A motherboard with VIA chipset.
AMD Duron CPU
Sound Blaster 5.1 PCI
Voodoo-3 AGP card.
and 256mb ram.
IDE CF card reader.
Windows98se and DOS.
About $300
You should be able to play lots and lots of games.
I think ISA card audio/video enthusiast have inflated the old PC component market.
I wont buy anymore old PC parts for playing games.
When all I really need is this inexpensive yet packed with performance AMD Duron/Athlon Budget PC.
Sellers have to know that these old components have a shelf life. They don't last forever without needing a complete rebuild.
Capacitors, PCB's, coatings, solder welds, solder balls.
These old electronic components need to be repaired.
Most are over 30 years old.
Electronics are susceptible to the elements and environment.
heat, moisture, dusts, and dirt.
Not only that, But you don't know what you are paying for on ebay.
it could be junk?
It has no warranty !
No instructions.
No guarantee.
It's a crap shoot.
Where is the eBay police ?
Who is regulating and testing these old computers and parts ?
If you buy something used on ebay, You should expect to fix it because most likely something is wrong with it.
It could have been modified or previously repaired, maybe incorrectly.
Sellers are selling these components like they are NEW.
These are old electronics that need repair. Complete rebuilds.
GPU chips don't last forever. They are held together with solder ball welds that a susceptible to heat
and these Voodoo cards run very hot. The heat tends to break the solder ball welds and ram chip welds.
So these cards need to be de-soldered cleaned , prepped and re-soldered in a professional baking oven.
A process called re-balling or re-flowing the chips.