Here comes Part 2 😊

• Variant #4
  
  Monitor: LG's High Resolution LCD Monitor That Supports 4:3 Aspect Ratio
  Speakers: Modern 7.1 Speakers
  Midi synthesizer: Roland MT-32 (Old), CM-32L, SC-55/88
  Keyboard & Mouse: Modern one
  Chasis: Lian-Li
  MOBO: ASUS P3B-F Rev 1.04
  Memory: Kingston SDR-SDRAM PC-100 1GB (4*256MB)
  PSU: Platimax 600W
  CPU: Pentium 3-S Tualatin 1.4Ghz 512Kb Pinmodded
  GPU: Voodoo 5 5500 AGP
  NIC: Intel PRO/100+ PCI Management Adapter
  HDD: 4 Hitachi Deskstar IDE HDDs
  ODD: SONY DDU1615 Internal 16X DVD-ROM IDE
  FDD: SONY MPF920-Z 3.5 IDE/CU1 Internal, Teac FD-55GFR 5.25" 5-1/4 INTERNAL FLOPPY DISK DRIVE BEIGE
  Sound Card: Gravis Ultrasound PNP/Pro ISA SIMM 8MB (for some games that don't support Roland like Tyrian 2000), Sound Blaster AWE 64 Gold ISA 24MB, Roland MPU-401AT ISA Intelligent Card, Vortex 2 PCI Sound Card
  Fans: Evercool EC-ND-18 Socket A/ 462/ 370 FC-PGA (2) Aluminum Copper CPU Cooler, Noctua NF-R8 Raised-Blade design and SSO Bearing Fan
  Other Miscellaneous: PCI ATA-133 IDE Adapter Card, Socket 370 Slot 1 CPU, 5.25 & 3.5 Dual FDD Cable, 4-Pin 3-Wire Audio Cable CD/DVD-ROM drive to sound card, PCI USB 2.0 Card, PS/2 Adapters For Keyboard & Mouse, Various Audio Cables
  OS: Windows 98 SE

• Variant #5
  
  Monitor: LG's High Resolution LCD Monitor That Supports 4:3 Aspect Ratio
  Speakers: Modern 7.1 Speakers
  Midi synthesizer: Roland MT-32 (Old), CM-32L, SC-55/88
  Keyboard & Mouse: Modern one
  Chasis: Lian-Li
  MOBO: ASUS P3B-F Rev 1.04
  Memory: Kingston SDR-SDRAM PC-100 1GB (4*256MB)
  PSU: Platimax 600W
  CPU: Pentium 3-S Tualatin 1.4Ghz 512Kb Pinmodded
  GPU: Voodoo 5 5500 AGP
  NIC: Intel PRO/100+ PCI Management Adapter
  HDD: 4 Hitachi Deskstar IDE HDDs
  ODD: SONY DDU1615 Internal 16X DVD-ROM IDE
  FDD: SONY MPF920-Z 3.5 IDE/CU1 Internal, Teac FD-55GFR 5.25" 5-1/4 INTERNAL FLOPPY DISK DRIVE BEIGE
  Sound Card: Gravis Ultrasound PNP/Pro ISA SIMM 8MB (for some games that don't support Roland like Tyrian 2000), Roland MPU-401AT ISA Intelligent Card, Vortex 2 PCI Sound Card
  Fans: Evercool EC-ND-18 Socket A/ 462/ 370 FC-PGA (2) Aluminum Copper CPU Cooler, Noctua NF-R8 Raised-Blade design and SSO Bearing Fan
  Other Miscellaneous: PCI ATA-133 IDE Adapter Card, Socket 370 Slot 1 CPU, 5.25 & 3.5 Dual FDD Cable, 4-Pin 3-Wire Audio Cable CD/DVD-ROM drive to sound card, PCI USB 2.0 Card, PS/2 Adapters For Keyboard & Mouse, Various Audio Cables
  OS: Windows 98 SE

• Variant #6
  
  Monitor: LG's High Resolution LCD Monitor That Supports 4:3 Aspect Ratio
  Speakers: Modern 7.1 Speakers
  Midi synthesizer: Roland MT-32 (Old), CM-32L, SC-55/88
  Keyboard & Mouse: Modern one
  Chasis: Lian-Li
  MOBO: ASUS P3B-F Rev 1.04
  Memory: Kingston SDR-SDRAM PC-100 1GB (4*256MB)
  PSU: Platimax 600W
  CPU: Pentium 3-S Tualatin 1.4Ghz 512Kb Pinmodded
  GPU: Voodoo 5 5500 AGP
  NIC: Intel PRO/100+ PCI Management Adapter
  HDD: 4 Hitachi Deskstar IDE HDDs
  ODD: SONY DDU1615 Internal 16X DVD-ROM IDE
  FDD: SONY MPF920-Z 3.5 IDE/CU1 Internal, Teac FD-55GFR 5.25" 5-1/4 INTERNAL FLOPPY DISK DRIVE BEIGE
  Sound Card: Sound Blaster AWE 64 Gold ISA 24MB, Roland MPU-401AT ISA Intelligent Card, Vortex 2 PCI Sound Card
  Fans: Evercool EC-ND-18 Socket A/ 462/ 370 FC-PGA (2) Aluminum Copper CPU Cooler, Noctua NF-R8 Raised-Blade design and SSO Bearing Fan
  Other Miscellaneous: PCI ATA-133 IDE Adapter Card, Socket 370 Slot 1 CPU, 5.25 & 3.5 Dual FDD Cable, 4-Pin 3-Wire Audio Cable CD/DVD-ROM drive to sound card, PCI USB 2.0 Card, PS/2 Adapters For Keyboard & Mouse, Various Audio Cables
  OS: Windows 98 SE

• Partition Scheme
  
  1st HDD: 60GB for OS (C:\)
  2nd HDD: 200GB for gaming & program (D:\)
  3rd HDD: 200GB for storage use (E:\)

The question part

• 1. Do I have to download both DOS & Windows 98 SE for each component?
  2. Where can I get Aureal Vortex 2 driver 2050 for Windows 98 SE (I downloaded 2040 on phil's computer lab)?
  3. Is SC-55/88 good for retro gaming?
  4. Can I install other programs & games on other drive rather than C:\ like modern PCs?
  5. I downloaded ATADRV98 and found that I must install that program first before the starting installation. How should I do it?
  6. I have latest BIOS for P3B-F called 1008f.004 and tweaked version (1008f3m.004). How to flash the BIOS on Win 98 SE and which BIOS shoud I flash?
  7. How to use multiple sound card on single PC?
  8. How to install drivers especially Gravis, Aureal Vortex 2?
  9. Is there any good other than Evercool EC-ND-18 Socket A/ 462/ 370 FC-PGA (ppl said it's just an average brand like Cooler Master)?
  10. Is Platimax 600W useful for such kinda retro rig? It's very hard do find PSU IDE cable 😢
  11. What's the difference DOS Navigator DOS/Real Mode & DPMI (I downloaded it phil's computer lab and seems to be DOS/Real Mode)
  12. Do I have proper drivers (I'll upload them on the Google Drive)? Link: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9iB- … Ukk&usp=sharing.
  13. Can I install PNP AWE 64 Gold (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiSM5pUGab4) after install AWE 64 Gold (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6HzttM6wS0)
  14. How do I get extra memory for sound card (like AWE 64 24 MB memory module)? What does extra memory module w sound cards?

The References That I Used For Constructing That Plan:

• 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiSM5pUGab4
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6HzttM6wS0
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLvsaJ4h-VY
  4. http://www.dnosp.com/
  5. http://www.philscomputerlab.com/
  6. http://release.narod.ru/2048.htm#w9x
  7. http://www.mdgx.com/files/atadrv98.php

So all the variants are the same when it comes to most components except for sound cards, optical drive and 3.5" floppy drive? You could probably condense that info quite a bit into a list of components common to all in order to make comparing the variants a ton easier.

Either way, all of those configs are pretty similar and will have zero troubles with the games you listed in your other thread. Keep in mind that to do the Tualatin mod you'll need the proper Slocket adapter, as some don't have the voltage configuration options on them to suit.

IMO the only thing you'll be missing is an EAX-capable sound card. I would probably get rid of the USB card (since you have a NIC and file transfers can be handled through a network) and use the onboard USB 1.1 ports, then use that PCI slot for a SB Live! or Audigy card. But that's just my opinion!

Finally, provided you don't have it yet (sounds like you don't), I wouldn't bother with a Roland MPU-401AT and would instead use a really cheap MPU-401 capable card like the Terratec TT1816 and use SoftMPU. The cost and rarity of those Roland cards is enormous.

I can answer a couple of your questions:

3. Yes, it's great for games with General MIDI and GS soundtracks! I have one that I use on my DOS machine and it sounds excellent. You probably won't be disappointed in it!

4. Absolutely. It works exactly the same as it does now, you can choose where to install stuff when you run the installer.

7. An external mixer is your best bet here, especially considering you'll have external sequencer modules too. Just run them all into a cheapish stereo mixer for complete control. In Windows you can change the active sound card by right-clicking the volume button in the system tray IIRC.

14. The official Creative memory upgrades are rare and expensive. Instead, it's recommended to use a Simmconn and 72-pin SIMM.

Many thx pal! Do I need MPU-401 capable card for Sound canvas?
Socket 370 slot 1 CPU Adapter: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201240708897
Intel NIC: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261053683967

The Serpant Rider wrote:

Many thx pal! Do I need MPU-401 capable card for Sound canvas?

Yes, but you don't need Intelligent Mode. Most newer ISA cards have MPU-401 compatibility and work fine with the SC55. In my DOS machine I have an AWE32 and a Terratec TT1816 - the SC55 could be attached to the AWE32 no problems, but I decided to use the TT1816 as a dedicated MIDI card for the SC55 instead. Your AWE64 will work fine with it if you don't want to run another MPU-401 capable card!

So, sound card combination can be :

ISA: Gravis Ultrasound PNP/PRO, AWE 64 Gold
PCI: Aureal Vortex 2

or

ISA: Gravis Ultrasound PNP/PRO (AWE 64 Gold), Terratec TT1816
PCI: Aureal Vortex 2

Is it possible to connect Sound Canvas & Roland variants as daisy channel? Is it possible to use Terratec TT1816 as an external w other Midi Synthesizer w this rig?

Ah, the P3B-F only has 2 ISA slots... well if you have to choose between the two, take the GUS and the AWE64. The AWE64 is compatible with SoftMPU if you need it for an MT-32 module, and supports the SC-55 out of the box in MPU-401 UART mode. Not sure what that'll do with the AWE64's onboard wavetable though - if it's anything like my AWE32 it will disable the onboard synth so you can output MIDI to the gameport.

Also, if you do decide to run a dedicated SoftMPU card, it doesn't necessarily have to be a TT1816. There are a ton of cards that are supported (there's a list at the SoftMPU Github page).

And yes, the Sound Canvas has a "MIDI Thru" port where you can attach an MT-32, but the SC-55 needs to be powered on and muted for it to pass the data on.

I've just look through the github of softMPU and AWE 64 Gold is compatible with that 😀 Thanks for your help. If I need additional MPU-401 card, how do I use it as an external card? Do I have to do same thing (mute MT-32) when I'd like to use SC-55/88? Can you tell me some good external mixer, external sequencer modules, stereo mixer to me?

I second the suggestion to just use one of the many sound cards you'll install anyway as a MIDI-out. Specially given the limitations of ISA slots.
Btw the extra RAM in the AWE64 is used to load soundfonts, which is only useful in Windows. With a GUS and two external synths, I'd just skip it. If you really want to mess with soundfonts you'd be better off doing so on a PCI Live! or Audigy, since you have plenty of system RAM anyway.

Got it. For GUS, It's one of the good sound cards in 90's & there are some games like tyrian that doesn't support Roland at all. Can you tell me which is better for gaming between Sound Blaster Live! Audigy? If not, I'm just stick w AWE 64 Gold, GUS PNP/Pro, Aureal Vortex 2, SC-55/88, MT-32, CM-32L.

The Serpant Rider wrote:

there are some games like tyrian that doesn't support Roland at all.

Playing Tyrian with Roland SC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc4K-ndMnUY

Srsly?!?!?! I'm surprised that SC (not MT-32) works on Tyrian. How did you configure it?

The system uses a EWS64XL and MIDI-2 is on Port 330 where an internal Roland SCB-55 is connected (in the EWS64XL Front Module). This means I just set Music in the Tyrian setup to MIDI-330.

Well, it's a good news for me 😀. For the GUS PNP/PRO drivers, they might be p20disk3 (PnP-ROM Update), pnpv22b (DOS+Win3.1 driver installation, seems it is DOS+Win3.1 driver installation), SETROM4 & SETRAM (I have both DOS & Win 98 SE). Then, I need to use pnpv22a (Windows 98 SE), PPL150/160/PPL161 (I know what these patches are and attempted to emulate w DOSBOX about several months ago), UTOPIA Sound Bank (I don't know about this but I find some links for that http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=429, http://toogam.com/software/archive/drivers/so … nd/gussound.htm), QEMM97. Can you tell me what is the best external mixer (I've already got a post from someone that I definitely have to get external mixer) and external sequencer modules (not too expensive but high quality)?

P.S. Do I have to download other files on your website like GUS0043.RAR, GUSdump, pp3_1-19?
Do I still need to download Mega-EM despite of PNPV22B.ZIP installs Mega-EM?
Is GUS PNP/PRO has Ultramid (I can't find it at all)?

Any mixer with enough channels to handle all your sources would be more than adequate. Behringer make a decent line of value mixers, like the 10-channel Xenyx 1002 (about 60-70eur here in Germany). But really, any mixer would do the job as long as it has enough channels.

As for the external modules, the SC-55 (or SC-88) and MT-32 are good starting points. A Yamaha XG module might be interesting, but you would probably have most of it covered by the two Rolands.

I got it. Then, I'm going to use SC-55/88, MT-32 & CM-32L as external modules. Thanks for your help. How about fans for socket 370 CPU (I've never heard such a thing "Evercool" and seems kinda crude brand)?

The Serpant Rider wrote:

P.S. Do I have to download other files on your website like GUS0043.RAR, GUSdump, pp3_1-19?
Do I still need to download Mega-EM despite of PNPV22B.ZIP installs Mega-EM?

GUS0043.RAR is an update package for several tools and a few of the original patches. Check what versions you have and if it is newer or not. Check the Readme
You probably won't need GUSDUMP.
PP3 are Pro Patches 3.
For MegaEM the same applies, check what version you have installed. The latest for GUS PnP is AFAIK 3.12.

As soon I checked MEGA-EM version, it installs 3.11 and I should download it right now. What are GUS_complete part 1/2, guspatch.zip and do I have to download these files? Where is Mega-EM 3.12 (rough to serch)?

GUS_complete is an archive of a installed folder for GUS classic with all important tools/programs included, ready to be used.
guspatch.zip is just a folder with PAT files for use with Cubic Player with any sound card. Some PATs like acpiano have been replaced with larger higher quality versions. However this should not be used by default with a regular 1 MB GUS as it won't fit to memory as defined in the ini. (Which is no problem for Cubic Players software MIDI playback)