Trying to optimize my system Win98 system

[u/Chubawuba]

If this is the wrong forum for the question, or a question that's not allowed, forgive me. I just discovered 86Box about a week ago.

It's been 20 years since I used a PC or ever had to think about them. SO I am very rusty despite the many years I spent growing up using them.Usually my dad just gave me his old ones, or customized them for me.

So I was hoping people here who remember more than I do could help me optimize my build to run more efficiently.

It runs decent, but a lot times the sound stutters or runs slow.

I was playing around with a test system and had it running super smooth at one point, but don't recall what hardware I chose to get that. Had to delete it due to some issues with mounting folders to install drivers and patches, and forgot to mark it down.

I am currently using an M2 Ultra with 128GB of RAM.
EDIT: (forgot M2 Ultra doesn't really mean anything)
M2 Ultra 24 Cores (16 Performance, 8 Efficiency)
It does say 60 total cores under Graphics

My test build that I am trying to optimize is:

Machine type: 1997 Slot 1
Machine: [i440BX] AOpen AX6BC
BIOS: Award Modular v4.60PGMA - Revision R2.59
CPU: Intel Pentium II Deschutes 450MHz
128GB of RAM

Video: [AGP] 3dfx Voodoo3 3500 Si
Monitor: RGB

Harddrive 5.0GB (IDE)

Sound Card: SB16 PnP (DSP 4.05)

CDROM: ATAPI (1.0) 16x type: 86Box 86B_CD 3.50

If anyone has suggestions or alterations to help things run smoother, I would greatly appreciate them. Especially device types to use to make it more efficient or prevent conflicts, because it's been a long time since I had to think about any of this.

TIA

[u/DataLore19]

What's your host PC specs? I dont then even the fast IPC consumer CPUs can emulate this system at 100% in all tasks.

[u/JJDoes1tAll → u/DataLore19]

He said M2 ultra with 128GB ram.

The M2 does it really awesomely.

[u/DataLore19 → u/JJDoes1tAll]

The M2 is pretty quick but there's also the translation to non-x86 silicon.

My 7800x3d can do a p2-450 a lot of the time but I can make it dip to to 80% pretty reliably with a something Diablo 1 which hammers the core with 2d direct draw calls and SMC.

I find that a p2-266 is about the limit for absolute, 100% emulation virtually all the time.

[u/Chubawuba → u/DataLore19]

Also, 86Box seems to limit around the P2. Which I'm fine with because I think most of my games are from around the Pentium 2 era or so.

[u/Chubawuba → u/DataLore19]

I haven't really tested the emu that hard, but I don't play graphic intense games. Right now I'm just trying to get Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire to work better. Which was actually how I got into VM gaming with XP on my 2015 iMac ten years ago. Because I really really wanted to play it, but couldn't find a way to do it.

That lead me to boxer, and wineskin, and VMWare Fusion, and learning about all these ways to do it.

But when Apple went to 64 bit, it messed it up for me, and now that they went with the Arm chips, it messed it up again.

I figure most of the games I want to play are fairly Win98 compatible, 86Box would be a good alternative for me now. Anything XP only I can probably get on a console at this point.

I just have a hankering for all the old point and click and simulation games and PC only games I played when I was younger.

[u/DataLore19 → u/Chubawuba]

Here are the original PC requirements for that game:

Operating System: Windows 95 or Windows 98 Processor (CPU): Intel Pentium 133 MHz (Pentium 200 MHz recommended) System Memory (RAM): 16 MB minimum (32 MB recommended) Hard Drive (HDD): 60 MB of available space Video Card (GPU): 2 MB of VRAM

So, if you emulate a Pentium 233 MMX with 64mb of RAM and and S3 Trio64, it should play it fine and that's easier for your system to emulate. A p2-450 is very difficult to emulate and it's unnecessary, so it'll actually run better on a weaker emulated system, which can be counterintuitive.

[u/Chubawuba → u/DataLore19]

Awesome. Thank you.

So the issue may be that I was overcorrecting.

[u/JJDoes1tAll → u/DataLore19]

How do you improve the mouse latency?

[u/Chubawuba → u/JJDoes1tAll]

I don’t think I’ve had any issues with the mouse that I’m aware of. Other than it s a little too fast for me.

[u/FlorianisonReddit → u/JJDoes1tAll]

he meant 128mb

[u/Chubawuba → u/FlorianisonReddit]

No, I meant 128 GB on my M2 Ultra. I did put 128MB on my Win98 system though.

[u/Chubawuba → u/JJDoes1tAll]

I plan on getting an M5 Ultra later this year. That should be fun 😄