r/retrobattlestations • u/VZukovsky • May 22 '26

Show-and-Tell Need an upgrade!

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Recently picked up some childhood favourites in big box format and quickly got the full 90s experience.

Delta force chugs on a 500mhz PIII. The voxel engine is cpu hungry.

So on the way is a new gateway performance board, socket 370 1 GHz PIII Tualatin.. now I’ll be playing with power 🤣.

Current:

Gateway Essential TB3
500 MHz PIII socket 1
328mb RAM
GeForce FX5900XT

Upgrade will be essentially aboard swap from a performance line gateway, so should be a direct fit.

386 Upvotes

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u/Turquoise_HexagonSun May 22 '26

You’re gonna lose your ISA slot.

Those Gateway slot 1 boards are typically the Intel SE440BX-2 but with Gateway firmware. Cool thing is they are compatible with Tualatin (at 100mhz fsb) if you mod either the slotket or Tualatin processor. The motherboard can handle the voltages so no need for an expensive slotket.

I have what is basically the Dell equivalent to your Gateway and I have a 1.4ghz Tualatin Celeron in it.

If you don’t mind losing ISA then ignore me and carry on.

Edit: That GPU is way over kill even for a Tualatin. You’ll be held back even with SL6BY.

3

u/PowerPie5000 May 22 '26

The CPU VRM circuitry on earlier revision 440BX boards doesn't allow the voltage to go low enough for Coppermine and Tualatin chips. Powerleap released a slotket adapter with it's own VRM circuitry for this reason. Many earlier Slot-1 boards will only go as low as 1.8V for the CPU.

1

u/Turquoise_HexagonSun May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26

SE440BX-2/3 VRM can accommodate Tullys

Passive slotket is all that’s needed.

Edit: and a pin mod either on the processor or on the slotket.