Nice system 😀

Maybe not ideal for your goals:
- DOS wants ISA slots, at least one for a sound card. You can do a lot with PCI cards, but always with compromises - particularly with an Intel 8xx-series chipset. That means TSRs limiting memory options (and frequently crappy FM synth, such as with that SBLive)
- Windows XP will run on this system, but most XP software will want a much faster CPU. This board only goes up to 1GHz, which is hardly worth upgrading to. Late 2001 games include things like GTA3 which really won't run acceptably on this early 2000 system; 18 months made a LOT of difference back then.

Instead, this is what it already is: a very nice Windows 98 system.

Okay good to know and makes sense, I suppose what I could do is just leave this as is with a few minor upgrades here and there and use it for 90's gaming, at some point get a DOS focused machine, and still plan on building the XP machine in the future. Thanks for the info!

As a late 90s Windows 98 computer, the specs are solid.

For DOS games you'll need to define the era of DOS games you want to play. DOS gaming runs from early 80s to late 90s.

My experience is that typical Windows 98/PCI machines can be good for non-speed sensitive DOS games from early-to-mid 90s to late 90s. Anything earlier and you may need to start looking into a system that can support ISA sound cards and can be decently throttled.

Yeah, it looks like a solid system for Windows 98 and mid 90s DOS. As already said, you'll probably be able to run many games from 2001, but they won't run super well (as in, you'll have to use lower resolutions and accept lower frame rates). But that just comes down to your standards, so you'll have to test it and see.

Regarding DOS, the main issues are sound and CPU speed. You definitely won't be able to play any speed sensitive games without some workarounds. Think early 90s games and such like Wing Commander (but, again, there are workarounds for some). The SB Live can emulate SB16 and General MIDI in DOS, so it's decent enough if you aren't very picky. However, it's not perfect and you'll still encounter some issues with sound. For example, I seem to recall that the original DOS version of X-Wing didn't like my SB Live, but that game has notoriously picky sound preferences.

That said, you'll probably be able to play most DOS games from 1993+. In fact, many will work within a DOS window in Windows 98. The advantage to running them in Windows 98 is that you can use superior soundfonts for General MIDI with the SB Live (DOS only supports the basic soundfont included with the SB Live).

So, all-in-all, this is a nice setup to begin with, and I don't think any upgrades are needed. If you find yourself running into limits with the kind of DOS games you want to play, then you can expand into an earlier system like a Pentium MMX build.

Agree with previous posts, good Win9x machine, but for DOS and XP you might want other machines.

If you want to pimp this one just because, here's some options:
- More RAM - no need, really, but 512 MiB would be an easy upgrade. Don't go too high, Windows might seem to work at first but develop all kinds of funky issues. 256 MiB is safe and sufficient.
- A more recent Sound Blaster would give support for later EAX versions - maybe do that if you actually want to play a game that can make use of it. Alternatively, an Aureal card for A3D support (EAX competitor), but do look up which games support it first. Don't bother with cards that emulate either API - stick to "official" ones.
- Lastly, if you have money to burn, a 3DfX card to swap in only for games requiring (or simply looking better on) one - but, again, hold off on that until you know you can make use of it. Do keep the Geforce around, it'll be the better choice for most titles. Or maybe an ATI or Matrox card from around the same time just for funsies and comparison.

Imho leaving that PC as is and hunting down a CRT instead would be a better use of your resources. And consider a good keyboard. Pick up a shitty ball mouse for dem propa retro feels. Find a decent joystick that'll work on systems that old (an analog gameport one would also be useful in DOS).

What a cool system. My advice is to start using it and have fun (assuming it works without issues). You'll find out what it can and can't do that way.

Do you have RDRAM in that system? If so, then you have something a little uncommon there.

@elszgensa thankfully (or maybe not since this is now my sixth CRT, though it's the only PC CRT so far) this came with a 2003 era CRT, a Samsung SyncMaster 997 DF, which has been wonderful so far (CRT TV's really should have had the same geometry fine tuning tools as this monitor). It also came with a Dell QuietKey SK-8000 (it's fine but will keep an eye out for something perhaps better) and a Microsoft IntelliMouse 1.2a. Will be on the hunt for a joystick though for sure.

@douglar I am unsure, out of town at the moment but I will check when I get home.

This is very similar system to the first one I picked up getting back into the retro gear, mine was a pentium 3 733Mhz, has a VIa chipset not as good as your intel one, but still does the job. Only thing I needed was an ISA sound card to do the DOS games. Mine came with a crappy ATI rage, I put in a GeForce 2, and its perfect.
Enjoy your new machine 😀

douglar wrote on 2025-11-11, 00:25:

Do you have RDRAM in that system? If so, then you have something a little uncommon there.

Most likely - the Dell Dimension XPS B-series came with two different motherboards (Slot 1 vs So370 FC-PGA), but both sported i820 chipsets and thankfully did not have an MTH, so assuming info in topicstart is correct, this will be RDRAM.

As for upgrades: even though it's theoretically possible, no game that would run well on a P3-866EB would need more than the 256MB that's already in there. If you still want to go higher, be aware that regular SDRAM doesn't work in this system and you need RDRAM. In terms of performance, if it's PC800 it will perform on par with an i815 with PC133SDRAM, but it's possible you may have slower PC600 or PC700. If so, getting PC800 instead would give a significant performance boost. As the i820 is a single-channel RDRAM chipset (indeed the only one), you can place single RIMMs, but if you mix, everything will run at the slowest speed. Also, if you only have one RIMM on the board, you need to put it in the first RIMM slot and fill the other slot with a C-RIMM continuity module (which you will only have if the system currently only has a single 256MB RIMM). If considering buying a C-RIMM, be aware that there also exist CT-RIMM terminator modules, which are something different that won't work as a C-RIMM. (CT-RIMMs are a holdover from Caminogate, one of Intel's biggest mess-ups).

Please don't upgrade it at all. It's perfect as it is, a very authentic combination of components. Something like this would be my dream Windows 98 machine, fast enough to enjoy any game, but not so overpowered that it feels unrealistic. The Geforce 256 is a rare collector's piece today, did the seller know what he had?

If I had to name one thing: If DOS gaming is important to you and you don't have an ISA slot, get something like a ESS Solo-1 PCI sound card. The SB Live's FM emulation under DOS sounds terrible to be honest.

Well thank you all for the feedback and information, very happy to have found this site. I am going to leave it as is for now, outside of eventually replacing the fan on the GPU for longevity reasons.

@asdf53 it wasn't necessarily cheap and when I picked it up I even mentioned to him that from what I understand the DDR 64mb version is rare, so not sure if he did or didn't. I didn't mind paying what I paid for it though because it came with all the OEM software, some of which is still sealed, the original keyboard and mouse, a low/mid-tier speaker system that should serve me well, and the Samsung CRT. Plus the case is in such good condition, it's almost mint. I am very happy to have it, I have been wanting a 98 machine for a while now.

By the sound of it its a nice rig.
I wouldnt change a single thing with it.
Play the games you want to play and see what happens.

Congrats on purchasing what sounds like a lovely machine. I would keep it as it is and get Pentium MMX system for DOS.