Making XP look like Win95?

[Geezer57]

I built a DOS box out of old parts, just to be able to play old DOS games in their native environment. It uses an unlocked Slot-1 Pentium-II 300mhz CPU, which can be underclocked to 133mhz (2x66mhz FSB) by changing the BIOS settings. The rest of the system: 16 megs of PC100 RAM, a Voodoo Banshee PCI video card, two 512 meg (yes, that's megs, not gigs) Quantum Fireball hard drives, and an ISA bus SoundBlaster AWE32 sound card. The CPU overclocks just fine to 400mhz (4x100mhz), so it gives me potential processor speeds anywhere from 133mhz to 400mhz at need, depending on the age of the game involved.

It's just about perfect for trips down "Nostalgia Lane".

[Mikeus Caesar]

Those last two PC's sound like dreams come true...

[caravel]

Voodoo Banshee PCI video card

That's an oldie, but not quite as old as my Rendition Verite V2200. I've no idea if it works as I've never fired it up.

The Banshee was in fact the Voodoo3 with one of the Texture Mapping Units disabled. It also differed from the Voodoo3 in that it was based on a 0.35 micron process whereas the Voodoo3 was built on a 0.25 micron technology. Apart from that there's not a lot of difference apart from the core clock/memory speed. The later drivers for the Voodoo3/4/5 also work on the Banshee.

The old "Velocity" 100/200 cards are also Voodoo3's that have been Banshee'fied. In their case the second TMU can be re-enabled via the registry, dramatically improving performance.

[x-dANGEr]

Lol.. I remember we had some GPU with 8 MB ram.. Though, I was such a little kid, that I don't have the slightest memory of it's name.. (8, then 32, then 128.. Till just 1 year ago.. The idea of how good a GPU was it's ram size.. :~) )

[caravel]

Lol.. I remember we had some GPU with 8 MB ram.. Though, I was such a little kid, that I don't have the slightest memory of it's name..

That could have been anything from a Voodoo2, Rage128, Riva128, RivaTNT, Voodoo3 1000 etc. Older 2D graphics cards commonly had less than 1MB of RAM.

(8, then 32, then 128.. Till just 1 year ago.. The idea of how good a GPU was it's ram size.. :~) )

The GPU is the processor that sits on the board, a separate entity to the memory modules. The board itself is commonly known as a "graphics card". You are correct that large amounts of cheap RAM were commonly used on low end cards to provide more of an incentive to buy. Unfortunately lots of cheap ram on a board with half it's pipelines neutered and low core/memory clock does not equal performance.

[x-dANGEr]

That could have been anything from a Voodoo2, Rage128, Riva128, RivaTNT, Voodoo3 1000 etc. Older 2D graphics cards commonly had less than 1MB of RAM.

The GPU is the processor that sits on the board, a separate entity to the memory modules. The board itself is commonly known as a "graphics card". You are correct that large amounts of cheap RAM were commonly used on low end cards to provide more of an incentive to buy. Unfortunately lots of cheap ram on a board with half it's pipelines neutered and low core/memory clock does not equal performance.

I forgot to add "for me". I mean I had it the wrong way! :P

[Geezer57]

Voodoo Banshee PCI video card

That's an oldie, but not quite as old as my Rendition Verite V2200. I've no idea if it works as I've never fired it up.

I think I've also got one of those laying around, a Canopus Total3D that cost almost $300 new - a new one's now getting $15 bids on eBay. Hmmm, we're showing our age, Caravel.

[caravel]

I think I've also got one of those laying around, a Canopus Total3D that cost almost $300 new - a new one's now getting $15 bids on eBay.

That was the one with the glasses based on the Verite 1000 IIRC? The later one was I think based on the Riva128. The Pure3D was a Voodoo Graphics based accelerator. They cost a fortune back then, and now you can get one for next to nothing on ebay. I picked up a pair of Voodoo2s (for SLI) for running old Glide API games a few years back for £5. I sold them off on ebay again for £15 last year.

Hmmm, we're showing our age, Caravel.

I gave up on graphics cards and all things hardware years ago. I've done all kinds of modifications to both hardware and software for 3dfx cards. I still have my old Voodoo5 that is OC'd through the bios (the only way to OC a Voodoo5), and has replacement coolers and ramsinks hanging around gathering dust. It does about 190MHz, which is a jaw dropping gain of 24MHz!

[Xiahou]

I always revert to the classic theme and classic task bar on any XP box that I'm going to be spending any significant amount of time working on. The XP theme and start menu are absolutely obnoxious in my opinion. Having 'My Computer', ect. under the start button is just one extra click that I'd rather not be making when I'm trying to work on a PC. With 2000,XP & 2003, most of what I need to do on a server can be accomplished by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Manage.

[caravel]

The XP theme and start menu are absolutely obnoxious in my opinion.

Seconded. That appalling start menu is the first thing that get's turned off, and I mean the very first. I simply cannot work with it.

[x-dANGEr]

Well.. I believe it is nice.. !