Hardware Suggestions \ VOGONS

Hardware Suggestions

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First post, by rick12373

Posted on 2010-05-24, 19:22

rick12373 Offline

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Rank: Oldbie
Posts: 522
Joined: 2007-03-01, 22:19
Location: Idaho, USA - Originally Fareham, UK

So, my recently built 486 is running great (thanks for the help everybody). My specs are as follows:

ASUS 486 Socket 3 Motherboard PVI-486SP3
AMD 486DX4 100
PCI Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 4MB
SOUNDBLASTER 16 ISA CT2230
64MB RAM
80GB hard drive formatted to 8GB
DVD ROM

With my limited knowledge of the era I think the hardware choices are good ones. But I was wondering in regards to the video card mostly and maybe the sound card, what recommendations you have. What would you put in there?

I ran Quake to see what the video card could manage, and it is really only playable on the lowest resolutions (which I expected really). Are there any video cards that would give better performance but also have good compatibility with all games from the era? I realize a 486 is not the ideal platform for Quake though.

Reply 1 of 5, by F2bnp

Posted on 2010-05-24, 19:26

F2bnp Offline

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Quake is using software rendering which means the CPU makes the difference. Quake is one of the most CPU and FPU intensive games of the time and 486s don't go well with it, so it makes total sense that it's only playable on the lowest resolutions. The videocard would make absolutely no difference. The S3 Virge (diamond stealth 2000) you've got there is a really great card for DOS compatibility.

Reply 2 of 5, by rick12373

Posted on 2010-05-24, 19:29

rick12373 Offline

Rank Oldbie

Rank: Oldbie
Posts: 522
Joined: 2007-03-01, 22:19
Location: Idaho, USA - Originally Fareham, UK

F2bnp wrote:
Quake is using software rendering which means the CPU makes the difference. Quake is one of the most CPU and FPU intensive games of the time and 486s don't go well with it, so it makes total sense that it's only playable on the lowest resolutions. The videocard would make absolutely no difference. The S3 Virge (diamond stealth 2000) you've got there is a really great card for DOS compatibility.

Thanks. I guess there is the sound card but I don't know much about them. It is currently ISA SB16 CT2230. I probably have an AWE32 and AWE64 lying around somewhere, not sure if it would be worth switching. If not I guess this machine is pretty much perfect.

Reply 3 of 5, by TheLazy1

Posted on 2010-05-25, 00:07

TheLazy1 Offline

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Joined: 2010-02-11, 01:28
Location: Toronto, Ontario

I wonder if someone will take up a project to make Quake use only integer math.
I know you can't really compare archs but Quake on the DS is quite playable without an FPU. (ignoring here it has 3d hardware)

Maybe it would boost things a bit?

Reply 4 of 5, by leileilol

Posted on 2010-05-25, 00:11

leileilol Offline

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TheLazy1 wrote:
I wonder if someone will take up a project to make Quake use only integer math.

That would break BSP rendering. Believe me I want to speed Quake on 486s as well, a way to do it is use the waterwarp code to render a lower resolution stretched up similar to Doom's low detail mode and unfilter the lightmap rendering

long live PCem

Reply 5 of 5, by Davros

Posted on 2010-05-26, 21:40

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Rick if you are just having problems with quake play gl-quake on your modern pc

Guardian of the Sacred Five Terabyte's of Gaming Goodness

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