First post, by Paul
Greetings!
After I've watched some cool and inspiring retro-PC videos on youtube from PhilsComputerLab, WaybackTech, Retro Machines etc (Phils especially), I decided to build my own PC of a kind. I know I've wanted to do so for quiet some time. It's always a great fun for me to delve in this old hardware anyway and I can beat some good old games after as a bonus. Sounds good!
To make it more fun I've decided that this'll be a challenge of sort with a set of rules:
-I wanted a "Glide" machine that can easily play games at maximum graphics settings using no less than 800x600 resolution up to, say year 2001. Yep, I wanted the 3dfx card, not just any 3dfx card but VooDoo3 3x00! And it's not an easy task to find one in Ukraine without using Ebay. Which leads to the next rule.
-No Ebay. Local e-auctions, flea markets, friends, but no Ebay. No time for this anyway! Gotta hurry!
-3 days to build everything!
-Only one gift from one friend can be used in the build (if any).
-No specific sockets or chipsets, only late 90s, early 00s stuff.
-The budget is 200$ (VooDoo's can be expensive).
Alright let's see what I was able to possess after only 2 days of raiding flea-markets, PC-repair shops, friends and local e-auctions (with prices).
1. Motherboard
Acorp 6A815EP1 v 2.0 (3$) - not bad, it's a pretty decent working horse. Since I do no need that much overclocking and other fancy abilities this is not a bad choice. Tualatin support is alway a good thing. Universal AGP. Also learned that Acorp is still around!
MSI MS-6318 ver. 5 (3$) - not a big fan of MicroATX MBs. But the main problem here is 1.5v AGP, that'll be a problem with some AGP VooDoo cards. Tualatin support is present, which is good.
ASUS TUSL2-C (4.5$) - whoa, what a beast! Shame I do not care about overclocking stuff with this build. It was a pleasant surprise to have been able to find this one, what a great candidate for the build. This one has it all!
ECS P6VXA (3$) - Decent MB with universal AGP slot & up to 1.5GB of ram support. Tualatin support. Good.
Soltek SL-65ME-T (2.7$) - I remember them used to be pretty good and not crazy-expensive motherboards until Soltek simply wanished one day. Universal AGP & Tualatin support. Nice.
Yep, ASUS TUSL2-C is the best choice here. 😀
2. CPU + Coolers
Pentium III 733Mhz Coppermine (1.5$)
Pentium III 1133Mhz Tualatin (3$)
Celeron 1300Mhz Tualatin (3$)
Bought a whole lot of coolers for (10$) Including GlacialTech Igloo 2420.
Aww, I wanted to find Pentium III-S 1400Mhz Tualatin so much, but I failed. Well, I did not want to pay 55$ for the one I actually found.
Alright, Pentium III 1133Mhz Tualatin it is then.
3. RAM
I bought lots of different sdram cheap. Any working 512mb (2x256) pc-133'll do the trick. (20$ total)
4. Sound Card
Sound Blaster Live! (CT4830) (4.4$)
Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 (SB0100) (4.4$)
Sound Blaster Audigy SE (SB0570) (Free from a friend №1)
Yamaha (YMF724) (0.8$)
Hmm I'm not sure if there's a difference in sound quality between the first two. Ah, well. Sound Blaster Live! (CT4830) it is. I'm going to use Yamaha HPH-200 along.
5. HDD and Cables
200GB Samsung SP2014N (11$)
80GB Samsung SP0812N (4.6$)
80GB Samsung SP0812N (4.6$)
40GB Samsung SP0411N (2$)
Surprisingly I had lots of IDE cables.
At first I wanted to use 200GB drive, but it was kind of lound with it's vibrating. Strange.
Anyway 80GB Samsung SP0812N it is. It's more than enough.
6. Optical Disc Drive & FDD
LG CD-R/RW GCE-8525B (2$)
Teac CD-W552E (1.8$)
Toshiba-Samsung DVD-RW SH-S182 (free - has been in my possesion for ages)
Regular no-name FDD (0.8$)
Didn't want to use DVD drive for this old build. Had to go with LG CD-R/RW GCE-8525B here, the most vibration-less CD-drive of the two (with CDSlow).
6. Mouse
My two old mice from the era were: Logitech M-S35 (PS/2) and Primax unknown model COM mouse (FCC ID:KH2MUSGE). Primax is still alive!
It'll be Logitech M-S35.
7. PC Case + PSU
I needed something more or less oldschool, desktop format preferably but not necessarily. Didn't have much luck at first. Everything was either old and in bad shape or just plain ugly. But then I saw this beauty at one of the auctions, and I still had the time to buy it. As you can see at the pictures it is a pretty good looking aluminium Wincor Nixdorf desktop atx case with 150watt SFX PSU (with a scratch here and there, but nothing critical). So I bought it for (9$). And it is possible to put ATX MBs inside, not bad at all. Plus I've installed 12cm Scythe slim fan with double-sided tape right in front of the ventilation holes.
Here's something I was not that happy about, but I had to do it. I had to buy a new, more powerful PSU just in case. Minus whopping (50$) for the 450watt Chietec SFX PSU. Didn't really wanted to risk there.
8. Monitor
Now that's funny because my friend №2 appeared to have my old and last CRT monitor lying at his home for many years. I just took it back. it is Samsung 959NF. Well, hello there old boy, long time no see! Freebies!
Friend №3 kindly offered to take his old Samsung 4:3 LCD monitor with some good panel. Didn't have time for this, but I'll take it soon anyway!
9. Keyboard
At first I thought I'll buy any modern white keyboard and be done with that. BUT somewhere at the later hours of the 2nd day I've been able to find and buy this legendary k/b - IBM Model M keyboard made in UK in 1995 by Lexmark for (18.5$)! Very happy about that!
10. The Videocard!
Nvidia Riva TNT2 32MB PRO (1.5$) The price made me buy it! And I like it!
Geforce FX 5700 128mb (3.6$) It appeared broken! Scammers!
As I've said it is not an easy task to find VooDoo3 3000 or 3500 (plenty of velocities and 2k though).
I actually know a guy who owns 3 of V3 3k - 2 pci, and an AGP one. But I do not like him very much for a reason, so no buy from him.
At that point It seemed that my Glide-PC idea was falling apart quickly. I was not able to find the videocard.
And then one of my friends called me saying that he's looking at the VooDoo3 3000 lot right now for 18,5$!!! The thing is due to some kind of a glitch I was not able to see this auction lot. Only because he gave me the exact lot's name I was able to find it and buy it finally!
3dfx STB VooDoo3 16MB AGP (18.5$) - YAY! It is mine! I've installed additional Scythe Mini Kaze 50 fan & ram heatsinks (almost forgot about them lying around).
Everything arrived and was ready by the end of the 3rd day. With total money spent no more than ~190$.
It was a fun little thrilling challenge which I managed to successfully complete with some luck and a help of my friends which have always been my biggest treasure.
P.S. Pardon my English, please. 😀
P.P.S. I think I need to install PCI USB2.0 controller.
P-III-S 1400Mhz, ASUS TUSL2-C, 2x256 Hynix, STB Voodoo3 3000 AGP, Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 (SB0100) / Aureal Vortex 2, 80GB Samsung SP0812N, Teac CD-W552E, Logitech M-S35, IBM Model M, FSP Blue Storm FSP350-60THN-P, USB 2.0 via PCI, Samsung 959NF.