I also hope to get a CRT monitor when I can get the money for that, although that will be last.

This should be a fun DOS machine; do you have any games specifically in mind that you'll be playing on it?

TheIpex wrote on 2026-04-08, 00:11:

This should be a fun DOS machine; do you have any games specifically in mind that you'll be playing on it?

Yup! Specifically:

• Wolfenstein 3D
• Half-Life
• Doom 1 & 2
• Duke Nukem 3D
• Shadow Warrior
• Blood
• Redneck Rampage

Would post my art commissions page in case anyone would want one to help out with this, but I'll not do it just in case the mods won't like it.

EmberBlitz07 wrote on 2026-04-08, 00:20:

Yup! Specifically: […]
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TheIpex wrote on 2026-04-08, 00:11:

This should be a fun DOS machine; do you have any games specifically in mind that you'll be playing on it?

Yup! Specifically:

• Wolfenstein 3D
• Half-Life
• Doom 1 & 2
• Duke Nukem 3D
• Shadow Warrior
• Blood
• Redneck Rampage

Would post my art commissions page in case anyone would want one to help out with this, but I'll not do it just in case the mods won't like it.

Oh, and how would one forget - the almighty Rise of the Triad.

Well, the PII's just came and...

I got a little more than I bargained for. See that? That's 400MHz, not the 233 I ordered. Guess I got insanely lucky on that one.

The thing is that the 400 MHz P-2 runs at 2.0V whereas the 233 is a 2.8V CPU. This might limit your choice of motherboards, as not all LX chipset boards may support the lower voltage. (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). On the other hand, the 400 could be set to 66 FSB thus running at 266, and probably very cool even 😀

Oh, and if I'm not wrong, your CPU is from Week 32 of '98 - this means that it could be with an unlocked multiplier, thus having even greater versatility in clock settings.

H3nrik V! wrote on 2026-04-08, 13:13:

The thing is that the 400 MHz P-2 runs at 2.0V whereas the 233 is a 2.8V CPU. This might limit your choice of motherboards, as not all LX chipset boards may support the lower voltage. (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). On the other hand, the 400 could be set to 66 FSB thus running at 266, and probably very cool even 😀

This is why I'm seeing about getting the Siemens Nixdorf motherboard with a 440BX chipset that supports both 66 and 100, so that I can take full advantage of it.

Thing is though, 50 is big money for someone like me without a steady source of disposable income, and the only income I really get is from art commissions (although I may start working as a video editor). I may post the link for info on commissions in case anyone wants to help out, if the mods are okay with it. If not though, that's okay.

Have fun. Should be great for the games you mention.

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2026-04-08, 14:38:

Have fun. Should be great for the games you mention.

Yup! HL1 would probably stress it out the most, but the 400MHz PII should be fine for low-res software rendering.

Despite what the game says the min requirements are, this game is very demanding. My PII 300Mhz can just about play it in software mode at lowest resolution.

I would probably put a cheap 3D accelerator in there for half-life. Maybe a TNT2 M64 or something. But you can make do with software if thats not an option.

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2026-04-08, 16:53:

Despite what the game says the min requirements are, this game is very demanding. My PII 300Mhz can just about play it in software mode at lowest resolution.

I would probably put a cheap 3D accelerator in there for half-life. Maybe a TNT2 M64 or something. But you can make do with software if thats not an option.

Yea, money comes in pretty slow, considering as previously mentioned, people looking for commissions also come pretty slow and that's my main source of income, although I might try working as a video editor.

EmberBlitz07 wrote on 2026-04-08, 16:59:

Yea, money comes in pretty slow, considering as previously mentioned, people looking for commissions also come pretty slow and that's my main source of income, although I might try working as a video editor.

I imagine AI image generation probably isn't helping with your income.... certainly I have seen several people using it to generate art for their home

Yea, shame really. Although I'd say my artstyle isn't everybody's cup of tea either, so that may be another reason.

Here's an example of my artstyle, a sort of self portrait.

Apologies in advance for steering this sort of off topic.

EmberBlitz07 wrote on 2026-04-08, 00:20:

Yup! Specifically: […]
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TheIpex wrote on 2026-04-08, 00:11:

This should be a fun DOS machine; do you have any games specifically in mind that you'll be playing on it?

Yup! Specifically:

• Wolfenstein 3D
• Half-Life
• Doom 1 & 2
• Duke Nukem 3D
• Shadow Warrior
• Blood
• Redneck Rampage

Would post my art commissions page in case anyone would want one to help out with this, but I'll not do it just in case the mods won't like it.

Another game I'll definitely get on:

Carma-fuckin-geddon.

EmberBlitz07 wrote on 2026-04-08, 15:02:

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2026-04-08, 14:38:

Have fun. Should be great for the games you mention.

Yup! HL1 would probably stress it out the most, but the 400MHz PII should be fine for low-res software rendering.

I found my old Rage 128 in a box and if it’s any use to you, I’d be happy to pass it on if you can cover the postage. It should fit as a Large Letter.

It’s a 3.3V AGP card so it’ll work in your board. Not the best card ever, but it’s definitely a step up from the Trio3D for Half‑Life, and it’s apparently not too bad in DOS either (though not as bulletproof as S3).

No pressure — just thought I’d offer it in case it helps the build along.

Matth79 wrote on 2026-04-09, 20:37:

I found my old Rage 128 in a box and if it’s any use to you, I’d be happy to pass it on if you can cover the postage. It should […]
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EmberBlitz07 wrote on 2026-04-08, 15:02:

RetroPCCupboard wrote on 2026-04-08, 14:38:

Have fun. Should be great for the games you mention.

Yup! HL1 would probably stress it out the most, but the 400MHz PII should be fine for low-res software rendering.

I found my old Rage 128 in a box and if it’s any use to you, I’d be happy to pass it on if you can cover the postage. It should fit as a Large Letter.

It’s a 3.3V AGP card so it’ll work in your board. Not the best card ever, but it’s definitely a step up from the Trio3D for Half‑Life, and it’s apparently not too bad in DOS either (though not as bulletproof as S3).

No pressure — just thought I’d offer it in case it helps the build along.

I'll see when I can get the cash for it. How much would it be?

Also, so far, here's what the total cost of the whole build would be:

S3 Trio 3D/2X 4MB - £6 (current total: £6)
Pentium II 400 - £17.30 (current total: £23.30)
128MB SDRAM - £3.88 (current total: £27.18)
MediaForte SF16-FMI - £20 (current total: £47.18)
Siemens Nixdorf D1064 - £50 (current total: £97.18)

Total: £97.18

It'll be expensive, but I'll see if I can scrape together cash working as an editor for YouTuber Rob Law and commissions from my Ko-Fi.

Might also see if I can get a CRT from Marketplace or eBay, there's a Gateway near me from £50, although I might see how low the seller will go.

All of the parts I've currently ordered have arrived. Now just to wait for more money to come in from commissions (and working as a video editor) to order more.