90s Rig Project

[Epifire]

Basically what you want to find is a Pentium 3 era system. Typically to me the best for speed and "oldness" would be the 1GHz socket 370 setups that can run PC133. Make sure it has an AGP slot as well on the board.

For graphics you can go with something like a Voodoo 3 to Voodoo 5, or something a little more powerful like a Geforce 2 Ultra or Geforce 3 TI500. My personal 98 box has a 6600GT AGP in it, but my box was also built for speed. If you want all means of nostalgia I suggest a Voodoo card.

Grab yourself a Sound Blaster Live! card for this project if you can. Preferably the Live! 5.1 Platinum if you can although the Live! Value has a nice MSDOS Midi emulator for 98se in software.

The worst part about this project is HDD support. If you have some extra pennies to mess around with I suggest getting a PCI SATA card and getting some WD Raptors. This is the exact card I use and it works on boot without drivers because of it's VIA chipset.
SYBA SD-VIA-1A2S VIA PCI SATA 1.5G / IDE ATA 133 Combo Controller Card / Supports Raid 0, 1, 0+1, JBOD, non-RAID mode - Newegg.com

I use 3 74GB Raptor drives in RAID 0 to make 98se scream. Alternatively if you want to trash a good SSD you can use that too but I don't recommended that unless you really don't care about the SSD. Otherwise if you don't do the above setup you'll be stuck with IDE drives for the best support and ease of use.

Most Pentium 3 Socket 370 Asus boards are ATX so a standard ATX case and PSU will suffice.

Down to RAM, one stick of 128MB PC133 and one stick of 512MB PC133. You can go to one GB (2 512MB) if you want to use the software I have. Speaking on that, I have a load of official and non-official updates that makes 98se much easier to work with and gives 1GB RAM support as well as a lot of other stability and speed tweaks. If you're serious about it give me a shout and I'll hook you up. The one stick of 128MB is for the install as 98se can be a pain and sometimes BSOD with more than that at first. After my patch you can go to a full GB without problems.

Been cross-referencing this with info over at Vogons.org which has been really interesting. Firstly I'm so amazed there're this many people still working on/giving support for old builds (which makes me kinda giddy). A couple things in response to what you were saying...

First of all I have an old SSD I pulled out of my Falcon Northwest rig to replace with a higher capacity one I have running in it now. So I technically have that option, but I'd probably prefer to do it right with the raptors in Raid 0. Never done that before so that'd be something totally new.

GPU- A lot of people seem to side with Voodoo while some swear up and down it's the worst thing to ever put in a case. Honestly I've always used Nvidia where I could help it but if there wasn't any large sacrifice I'd very much like to put a Voodoo in just to say I did. I saw one guy make a build by putting two V2s in SLI but is that just overboard or is that actually a decent boost (two in SLI that is)?

RAM- I don't think I'll have to hit a full gig as I don't think there would be any game heavy enough to require that for what I'm wanting to run. If possible I know there're a lot of cranky DOS restrictions to getting those to work, but I'd like to build with DOS still being kept in mind to an extent. I don't wanna drop the board specs too far but kinda keeping it around a 95 friendly build would be great (yes I'm looking at you DooM).

Somebody dropped off an old Dell pc that was running Windows Millennium, it'll probably run '98 2nd Edition on it. If your interested, you can have it for the price of ship

Any info on the system I could go off of? Cause even if I end up getting different parts that system's chassis would work for housing extra modifications I'd think?

I really appreciate all the quick responses, since I was originally thinking this was gonna be near to impossible to get resources on.

 

[PP Mguire]

Been cross-referencing this with info over at Vogons.org which has been really interesting. Firstly I'm so amazed there're this many people still working on/giving support for old builds (which makes me kinda giddy). A couple things in response to what you were saying...

There are a few of us who do love to play with stuff like this. When I first decided to dive back into the 98box scene I was floored by how much 3rd party support had come out in the past 10 years. It's not all perfect, and neither is 98se, but the stuff I have really makes it a much better experience.

First of all I have an old SSD I pulled out of my Falcon Northwest rig to replace with a higher capacity one I have running in it now. So I technically have that option, but I'd probably prefer to do it right with the raptors in Raid 0. Never done that before so that'd be something totally new.

Raptor in RAID is just what I do because I can't bring myself to tear up an SSD yet, but you don't necessarily need to do that either. A modern 7200RPM drive would still do the trick. Also, if the SSD in that thing is older it'll get trashed rather quickly. 98se reads/writes to the drive a metric **** ton.

GPU- A lot of people seem to side with Voodoo while some swear up and down it's the worst thing to ever put in a case. Honestly I've always used Nvidia where I could help it but if there wasn't any large sacrifice I'd very much like to put a Voodoo in just to say I did. I saw one guy make a build by putting two V2s in SLI but is that just overboard or is that actually a decent boost (two in SLI that is)?

Most who say this only remember dealing with them back in the day. Idk I've never personally had a problem with them, and the games developed for the Glide API really are amazing running a fast Voodoo card. Voodoo 2 in SLI? I used them back in the day, but haven't really tested to see any real benefits. My advice is stick with a Voodoo 3 2000 or find a cheap Voodoo 5 5500 AGP.

RAM- I don't think I'll have to hit a full gig as I don't think there would be any game heavy enough to require that for what I'm wanting to run. If possible I know there're a lot of cranky DOS restrictions to getting those to work, but I'd like to build with DOS still being kept in mind to an extent. I don't wanna drop the board specs too far but kinda keeping it around a 95 friendly build would be great (yes I'm looking at you DooM).

With the patch I'm referring to everything is 100% ok minus the normal quirks of 98se. Not really RAM specific either, and it does help to make sure some programs don't hang. 512MB would still be fine but just remember resource management in 98se was pretty nonexistent. Doom works fine too, as does other DOS classics like Descent and Wolfenstein.

If you have any troubles or more questions don't hesitate to ask here. When I say I love 98 builds, I really mean it. I've paid money on new hardware for this stuff.

Last state of my 98 box.

 

[Epifire]

The P3 was just the new boxed CPU I came up with (not sure if that clocks to high for what I'm looking for though?
Intel Pentium III E 800 MHz BX80526U800EB Processor | eBay

Here is a board I was directed to as well. Thought I could swap the CPU for something a bit higher if that didn't hurt performance.
100% TESTED & GUARANTEED INTEL SE440BX-2 MOTHERBOARD 450MHz CPU 512MB COMBO ISA | eBay

Interested in seeing what unit Joe C was talking about. Otherwise this is sorta what I had in mind (another lead from recommendations).
Antec Solution SLK1650 ATX Mini Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply New | eBay

 

[PP Mguire]

Top CPU won't work with linked motherboard.
It would go in something like this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-CUV4X-...441847261?pt=Motherboards&hash=item35e30253dd

Do you really want a case like that?

 

[Shannon]

This sounds like a fun and nostalgic project. Windows 98SE was my favorite OS for a long time before XP came around. The first build I did for myself had 98SE on it. Millennium Edition was the worst!

People have given much better suggestions than I could, but what about checking for schools or offices that are getting rid of old machines, for a starting point?

Sidenote: Just logged onto this forum for the first time since February of 2007, and this is my first post. There's a chance you're seeing my 2007 signature.

 

[Joe C]

Had to dig it from a pile... but here is the info on that Dell...
Model# Dimension L733r
Service Tag 24C8101
Specs from Dell:
Product Support | Dell US
Looks to have a 733ghz P III processor, and 256 mb DIM Memory (2-128's) Floppy/zip and cd drives. You can still get drivers for '98 from the Dell link

 

[PP Mguire]

This sounds like a fun and nostalgic project. Windows 98SE was my favorite OS for a long time before XP came around. The first build I did for myself had 98SE on it. Millennium Edition was the worst!

People have given much better suggestions than I could, but what about checking for schools or offices that are getting rid of old machines, for a starting point?

Sidenote: Just logged onto this forum for the first time since February of 2007, and this is my first post. There's a chance you're seeing my 2007 signature.

Welcome back! I can't understand why all the hate for ME. I never personally had many problems with it compared to 98se.

Had to dig it from a pile... but here is the info on that Dell...
Model# Dimension L733r
Service Tag 24C8101
Specs from Dell:
Product Support | Dell US
Looks to have a 733ghz P III processor, and 256 mb DIM Memory (2-128's) Floppy/zip and cd drives. You can still get drivers for '98 from the Dell link

Is it slot 1 or socket 370? Does it have an AGP slot? Dell's site doesn't say much.

 

[Joe C]

370
1- AGP

ME was a b*st*rd cross between 98 and NT which made it a very buggy OS

 

[Epifire]

Top CPU won't work with linked motherboard.
It would go in something like this.
Asus CUV4X E Motherboard Socket 370 P3 | eBay

Do you really want a case like that?

I don't mind the color, as long as it fits the parts which it looked pretty accommodating. Personally I'd like a case with as much room as possible, it'd be nice if it also had a PSU that came with it (cause I've had passed issues with wrong PSU sizes). Are there any cases you'd mention out of personal experience or preference?

Also that CPU just caught my eye since it was actually a still-in-the-box chip. At this point I'm just trying to get a parts list together that are compatible. Is Ebay just my best bet, or are there any specific sites that specialize in carting off old hardware?

1- AGP

Still debating the L733r as the case is seems a bit crammed without as much options for expansion. Forgive me for my lack in knowledge, but 90s rigs for gaming require two cards right? Like 2d and 3d cards (or at least that's what I was lead to believe). Wasn't sure if both used AGP as you said there was only one slot in that system. Just because I'm wanting the experience of building a system from the ground up I'm more siding with ordering the parts all individually.

I'm still floored to think someone would basically just give me a system for free, but you can see my point on wanting to go it from scratch. Still would very much like to hear any suggestions you might have on other parts.

 

[Joe C]

Yes...it is a very cramped case, I'll see if I can post a pic later but I have a full schedule today with family