This listing is for a custom-built DOS/Windows 98 gaming PC with the following specs:-Dual Boot option at startup for Windows 98SE or DOS-Avance Logic ALS4000 Sound card w/SoundBlaster & FM Synth Support in DOS mode-Hardware OPL3 and FM Synth (not emulated)-15-pin Gameport-Your choice of AGP video card (from drop-down box) *-ECS K8M800-M3 Motherboard (Lenovo OEM) w/VIA K8M800chipset-Socket 754 AMD Sempron 3300+ at 2.2 GHZ-128GB Lexar solid state hard drive-Compaq 3.5" 1.44MB floppy drive (3.5" drive in a 5.25" enclosure)-Lite-on CD-rom drive (IDE)-SD/CF Reader-512MB DDR 333 ram-VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter (10/100)-7 USB 2.0 ports (3 front, 4 rear)-Serial Port-Parallel Port-PS/2 Keyboard and PS/2 Mouse port-Rosewill or Apex case (depending on my stock)-350 Watt OEM PowerMan Power Supply
*Note that all video cards have at least VGA output, some also have DVI. DVI to VGA adapter included when necessary.
This computer has PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports (green and purple plugs). A PS/2 keyboard and mouse are REQUIRED (at a bare minimum to install drivers for any USB keyboard and mouse you may intend to use) and are not included.
Every single part in this build, right down to the cables, is brand-new or new-old-stock.
About this build:My goal with this build was a (roughly) period-correct late 90s/early 2000s build with a few modern sensibilities including a solid state hard drive and a CF/SD reader. I tailored it to be optimally compatible with the vast majority of the Windows 98 game library as well as the latter half of the DOS game library. There is audio support when booted into DOS thanks to the ALS4000 sound card, and thanks to the solid state hard drive, this system boots and launches programs lightning fast.
Video Card:I have a number of new-old stock AGP video cards on hand, each and every of which I have tested and benchmarked as described below. ATI builds come installed with ATI Catalyst 5.9 drivers and NVidia builds come installed with version 77.72 drivers.Video Card Info/Benchmarks:Sound Card:The ALS4000-based sound card gets along nicely with the VIA chipsest onboard this motherboard. This card provides solid audio in Windows 98 and also provides SoundBlaster and FM audio for a number of DOS games when booted into DOS mode. The one advantage this card has over a Yamaha card is that it doesn't require a memory manager, and thus, games like Tyrian and Jazz Jackrabbit have full audio support. The one disadvantage is that some (though not many) games hang upon exit, requiring a restart. It is also a somewhat "noisier" card than other other cards (ie, background hiss). I have alleviatedmuch of this by muting several things such as the microphone port and also optimizing volume output levels.
Floppy and Optical Drives and SD/CF Reader:This motherboard has a number of legacy connections including 2 IDE connectors and a Floppy connector. I included a Compaq-branded 3.5" 1.44 MB floppy drive for those old late-generation DOS or Windows 95 game disks you might have lying around. I also installed an SD/CF reader, so you have plenty of multimedia options. The Optical drive supports CD's only.
Solid State Hard Drive:I was determined to get at least one of the SATA ports on this motherboard working, and after many hours of headaches eventually pulled it off. Using rleow's SATA patch adds SATA compatibility, but Windows would still not boot. What I had to do was install Windows to an IDE drive, install the SATA patch, disable the second of the 2 SATA ports in the hard drive controller settings (as Windows 98 refused to work with 2 SATA devices installed at the same time), and then clone the IDE drive image over to a SATA drive. It is now properly detected in the device manager and has its DMA mode enabled. The CD drive is an IDE drive but also has its DMA mode enabled. So while there is an unused SATA port on the motherboard, it is disabled and cannot be used. There is, however, an unused IDE port that you can use for adding an additional IDE device.
DOS Configuration:Upon powering up the computer, you will be greeted with a menu screen where you can choose to boot into Windows or DOS. DOS offers you several different configurations including whether to load a mouse driver (CTMOUSE) and a CD drive driver (which will assign the letter D to the CD drive).
I tested a number of games including Doom, Duke Nukem 3d, Commander Keen 4, Police Quest, King's Quest, Realms of Chaos, Jazz Jackrabbit, Tyrian, and Wolfenstein 3D. All worked perfectly with functioning sound (games without soundblaster support such as Police Quest will send sound to the motherboard's speaker which does work) except that a few games hang upon exiting and require a system restart and Commander Keen 4 has jerky video on ATI cards.
Windows Configuration:Installed on Windows 98SE is TomComm (an unzip utility), Sea Moneky web browser, DirectX 8.1, 3dMark99, 2000, and 2001 benchmarking software, and all hardware drivers.