I'm really fond of the case - good looks and ample space!
The inside of the Pentium 3 PC. Cable placement may vary.
| Specs | |
|---|---|
| Mobo | Chaintech 6VTA2 (Slot 1, ATX) |
| Chipset | VIA VT82C693 (Apollo Pro+) |
| CPU | Pentium 3 667MHz |
| RAM | 256MB SDRAM |
| GPU | Nvidia TNT2 M64 32MB |
| Sound | Sound Blaster Live! CT4830 Onboard Yamaha XG YMF740C-V (unused) |
| Storage | Western Digital WD800 80GB |
| Extras | Realtek RTL8139 PCI NIC |
| Operating System | Windows 98 SE |
What's up with it?: This PC is one of my earlier "fully-fledged" builds and has been through various iterations over the past - in short, from being a mid-90s PC, to a late-90s PC, to the current one. It serves all my needs for the turn of the millenium and was built to comfortably cover games between 1998 and 2001 (though, admittedly, some 2001 games struggle with FPS).
Impressions: I use it a lot since I built it. It's very snappy and stable once I sorted everything out, and I have been comfortably enjoying some classics of the past on it. Some games I've played are Half-Life, Kingpin: Life of Crime, Re-Volt, Carmageddon 2, Age of Empires II, NFS Porsche Unleashed, Crimson Skies, and Chicken Invaders 2.
The choice of parts is as listed simply because that's what I have; I haven't done any serious part-hunting except for the CPU. The motherboard (and a Pentium 2 450 with a CoolerMaster cooler that I have to fix and slap on the Pentium III), RAM and graphics card I received from my uncle; hard, CD and DVD drives I already had, and the SoundBlaster Live! was a cheapie I bought online. The case was an incredible bargain as well (10$) and I really, really like its looks. That said, there are a couple of talking points and future plans regarding this build, as it definitely could be better and more fulfilling.
Why no 3dfx?: Short answer: I don't have one. Long answer: I don't have a Voodoo 3 - I didn't catch the bus and now they're incredibly expensive for whatever reason. It's not that they didn't stick them to lots of OEMs... but alas, I can't justify spending eBay prices on one singular video card at this moment. I'm constantly on the lookout for one, one that perhaps is missing a bracket, or needs a little work - anything that would make it a bit cheaper. That might take some time. Also, I do own a Voodoo 2 12MB, however I decided not to use it in this build for now. It would only make sense in my opinion if it were in a SLI config and even then, I think that for this CPU and this era a Voodoo 3 would work better. (Not considering a PCI V3 as they're rare as hen's teeth)
One thing to consider is that I could go with a non-3DFX cpu in the AGP slot and V2 (singular or plural) in PCI slots for compatibility, i.e. to run D3D/OpenGL and Glide games comfortably on one pretty powerful PC. I'm still on the fence about the idea mostly due to not having all the necessary parts - had I had those, I would be able to test them and figure it out myself. Buuuuuuuut... I'm really fine with having a non-3dfx graphics card in this computer - it doesn't hurt at all, I don't feel it's missing something. Really! Maybe that's because I don't quite know what I'm missing out on. Thus, in a pragmatic fashion, I went with what I had and what was period-correct. And I'm a bit disappointed! ;D
It Ain't Easy Bein' Steezy:It was very easy (time- and money-wise) to build this PC, however it can be better. By far the biggest issue I have is the graphics card - the TNT2 M64 is the lie that nVidia sold after presenting TNT2 Pro and Ultras to testers, reviewers and others. Its performance could be compared to the original Riva TNT and the 64-bit memory bus can be felt at times. I think it's the biggest "bottleneck", or rather the most problematic part of the build; the thing is, I don't really have any alternative. I have a GeForce 2 MX400, but it has noticeably worse video signal, even worse that all the cheaply-made M64s and Vantas are famed for, and it makes enough of a difference to discourage me from using it. There are a couple of options I consider, and ultimately I think it's a matter of being able to get any of them first: GeForce 256 (unlikely);a Voodoo 3 AGP (also likely unlikely); a TNT2 Pro/Ultra (these pop up online from time to time); or draw a wild card and check out a Kyro card! While I'm at it, I'd also replace the motherboard for an Asus or an Abit, something that has a 440BX chipset and a 133MHz FSB and change the caps for some quality ones. Just for good measure.
| Planned specs | |
|---|---|
| Mobo | Asus P2B/P3B-F or Abit BE6 (Slot 1, ATX) |
| Chipset | Preferably 440BX |
| CPU | Pentium 3 667MHz |
| RAM | 384MB SDRAM (3x128MB) |
| GPU | Nvidia TNT2 Pro/Ultra or Voodoo 3 AGP or Kyro I/II |
| Sound | Sound Blaster Live! CT4830 Onboard Yamaha XG YMF740C-V (unused) |
| Storage | Western Digital WD800 80GB |
| Extras | Realtek RTL8139 PCI NIC |
| Operating System | Windows 98 SE |
It's fun to wonder and speculate, but the bottom line is that this PC will continue the lineage of various parts and iterations into the future. Speaking of future: I'm planning to come back to this PC in a greater detail and go over the full process of testing, building, considerations and hurdles I had to jump through. Until then, ogle away!
