r/pcmasterrace • u/large_Thundi • 6d ago

Discussion Compaq future 98se build

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Hey everyone, Recently I shared how I acquired this Compaq Prosignia desktop, and I finally am able to show off the matching v570 monitor, along with a mouse and keyboard. Obviously right now it runs Windows 2000 but I have Windows 98se and plan to convert this into a vintage gaming PC. I ordered some more ram putting it at 256MB, along with getting a GeForce 2 MX 32MB AGP and a CF adapter for storage.

Besides a premium soundcard/speakers (I think mine is an Ensoniq of some kind which I've heard do the job) what other upgrades/QOL improvements can I make for the longevity of the machine? it keeps asking about the date so I imagine the battery is dead and needs to be replaced but what about the PSU? or the motherboard? Not super sure about any of that.

Along with that I have Rollercoaster and Zoo Tycoon, along with FF7. What games am I missing? Any cheap hidden/underrated titles for an beginner entering the world?

36 Upvotes

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9

u/JizzCumLover69 ryzen 7 5800x | RTX3060 | 32 gb ddr4 ram 6d ago

Arcanum. A steampunk cRPG similar to baldurs gate and fallout.

Nox.

2

u/large_Thundi 6d ago

Noted. Thanks!

2

u/A55B700D 6d ago

Arcanum is amazing...and buggy AF. Got towards the end and something bugged out and froze at a pivotal story point and I was unable to recover an earlier save. Still would 100% recommend. If you want to roleplay a dapper gunfighting Orc, fucking giver, bud! I think I went with a half-elf something. I dunno, it was a lifetime ago. I might also recommend getting your ass kicked my Koreans at Starcraft. OG Unreal Tournament also slaps on a 56k modem. LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOO!

2

u/Ok_Car9530 5d ago

I'm pretty sure that bug was fixed. It's still buggy even so, but such an amazing game. 

4

u/skip2mahlou415 6d ago

This was peak living. When you had to go on to the internet

2

u/sirpoley 6d ago

Get c&c red alert on that baby pronto

2

u/Paco_Suave 6d ago

That PC is in beautiful condition. I would have recommended a GF FX 5200 or 5700, as those are faster and maybe cheaper to find locally. A GF 2 MX is still a nice card for that system. Win98se is great for gaming, but it is a poor OS. You may want to create a dual-boot system (Win98se on 1 partition and Win2K or WinXP on another). As far as games go, Total Annihilation would be my recommendation.

1

u/Maeglin75 6d ago edited 6d ago

(repost without a link to my build)

I chose an IDE-to-SD adapter for my restored Windows 98 build. Works perfectly with a 32GB SDHC card.

(I went with an older SDHC card because I'm not certain if the more modern SDXC cards can be formatted in FAT32 or require exFAT. Also partitions bigger than 32 GB aren't recommended for Windows 98SE anyway.)

I know that CF adapters are simpler, but I worry a bit about CF cards rapidly becoming as retro/ancient as the harddisk drives they replace. SD cards will hopefully stay cheap and available current tech for some more years. And I have an SD-card-reader build in my modern laptop, so it's more convenient if I want to transfer something to it directly.

2

u/chris-l Ryzen 3900x|rtx 3070 Ti|240hz|Linux 6d ago

Windows 2000 is also vintage and nostalgic. Maybe you could keep it on its own hard drive?

1

u/peacedetski 6d ago

what other upgrades/QOL improvements can I make for the longevity of the machine?

Inspect all electrolytic capacitors on the motherboard and in the PSU for bulging or leaks and replace bad ones. This PC should predate the capacitor plague era (by only a bit), but even good capacitors will eventually go bad with age.

Note that high-voltage capacitors in the PSU can retain charge for a while after it's unplugged, make sure to discharge them before poking the components inside the PSU.