Computer Pentium III 1 GHz GeForce Ti 4200 OPL3 Windows 98 DOS Compaq AGP TESTED
InWin A500 YMF724 1000MHz NVIDIA Sound Blaster Compat.
Ready to use. Used item that has very few signs of cosmetic wear and is fully
working. Inspected, cleaned and repaired to full working order. In very
good condition. Software, drivers, games installed.
This listing is for a Mid-Tower ATX Pentium III Vintage PC for
Windows 98 and MS-DOS. With a fast Pentium III 1 GHz processor and
NVIDIA AGP graphics, this retro-friendly computer allows you to run most
games from the Windows 98 and MS-DOS eras (early 90s to early 2000s)
with high resolutions and smooth FPS.
This unit is also compatible with legacy software and software that needs
access to legacy ports.
After restoration, this machine is now in very good condition. All
components were cleaned and tested. Some, like the case, were
treated for corrosion and repainted. I devoted many hours bringing this
PC back to like and tried my best to make this build as good as any
new PC from the late 90s. I hope you can enjoy this PC as much as I did
building it!
Hardware
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Pentium III 1000MHz SL4C8 Socket 370
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384 MB PC133
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Compaq Garcia Socket 370 Micro-ATX
Chipset:
Intel i815
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NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB DDR AGP
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Yamaha YMF724 w/ S/PDI
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Seagate 30GB IDE ST330621A
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CD-RW 52x
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Floppy Drive 3.5 1.44MB
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Slots/Ports: 1xAGP, 3xPCI, 2xIDE, 1xFloppy, 2xUSB 1.01 1x9
pin serial RS232 port, 1x25 pin parallel port, 2xPS/2
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InWin IW-A500 Mid-Tower
Please note that the listing is just for the computer and it's internal
components. Monitor, mouse, keyboard, or any other accessories used for
testing, mentioned or not in the description, are not included. Please
read below.
The YMF724 gives you 3D sound, supporting EAX, A3D and Sensaura
technologies, which is great for late era Windows 98 games. It's also
compatible with the Sound Blaster Pro 2.0 and AdLib, featuring a
genuine Yamaha FM OPL3 implementation. Your classic MS-DOS games will
sound just like they were being played with AdLib or Sound Blaster sound
cards from back in the day. The card provides General MIDI Compatibility
for DOS games launched from inside Windows. You can also plug a MIDI
device to the Joystick port.
If you want to play old speed sensitive games, then you can reduce the
system performance by disabling the cache in the BIOS and/or by using
DOS tools like cpuspd, throttle or setmul. Games like Wing Commander,
The Secret of Monkey Island and even Descent will benefit from slowing
down the CPU.
Because the YMF724 provides Sound Blaster and AdLib compatibility in
hardware, you can slow down the machine without crippling the audio
(unlike what happens with sound cards that offer Sound Blaster emulation
via software).
Serial/RS232 ports were tested with a serial mouse and they work. The
USB, PS2 and Joystick ports were also tested and all work.
This PC was tested under Windows 98 and MS-DOS 7.1 for 10+ hours.
Software
This PC comes prepared for Windows 98 SE English, DirectX 8.1 and
MS-DOS 7.1. You can find all utilized drivers (chipset, usb, graphics,
audio, etc.) in the unit hard-disk. It also comes with shareware/free/demo
games installed and additional utilities: 7 Zip, CPU-Z, Everest,
Daemon Tools, etc. Via a shortcut in the Desktop, you can easily launch
MS-DOS with CD-ROM, mouse and sound drivers loaded.
From my experience with this machine, this is a very compatible computer.
The vast majority of games will run, even though you may find some
troublemakers. I've tested Half Life, Unreal, Unreal
Tournament 1999, Thief II, Expendable, Doom I
and II, Duke Nukem 3D, Prince of Persia 1 and 2, Blood, Lemmings,
Tomb Raider I and II, Rune, Crystal Caves, Dune, Commander Keen,
Dyna Blaster, The Secret of Monkey Island, Wing Commander, among others.
Note that, several DOS games require you to jump into MS-DOS mode in order
to run them without issues.
Condition
This is a used item which was cleaned and restored and is now in very
good condition. You may still find small signs of usage here and there.
For example, there is some wear on the IO ports and the metal cover of
the PSU clearly shows that this is a used item. From most angles, though,
the machine looks like a new PC.
Both the case frame and cover were treated for corrosion and then spray
painted. The front bezel was also spray painted to match the case cover.
Please refer to the pictures. Fresh thermal grease was applied to the
CPU and the BIOS battery was replaced.
The motherboard looks in good condition without bent pins or
bulging/leaking capacitors. The same can be said of the PSU, which
outputs good voltage signals (as measured with a multimeter).
Return Policy
This unit and all components were thoroughly tested and were
completely functional at the time of shipping. Being vintage items
with old parts, no warranty applies. This is sold as-is. No returns
accepted.
Please Take Note Of The Following Before Buying
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This listing is just for the PC. No keyboard, mouse, monitor,
cables, power cords or any other equipment or material is included.
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The parallel port wasn't tested (don't have the
equipment to test it). But it shows in the device manager without
issues so I presume it's working.
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The PSU has a 110V/230V switch. Being in Europe, I've only tested
the 230V operating voltage.
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The RESET button is non-functional (doesn't do anything). The
motherboard doesn't feature a reset header, so the button was
left unconnected.
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The onboard audio chip was disabled in the BIOS. I didn't even test
it. This bundle comes with a Sound Blaster Pro compatible
sound card, which offers much better compatibility with DOS games.
Connect audio cables and joystick to the appropriate connectors on
the back of the YMF724 sound card.
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Regarding DOS games, from my experience with this PC, the games that
I played usually run better when launched in MS-DOS mode. For this
reason, I created a desktop icon to launch MS-DOS and load the
YMF724, mouse and DVD/CD-ROM drivers (to get back to Windows 98,
just type "win" or "exit" at the command prompt). Also note that for
a minority of games you may also have to fiddle around with memory
configurations and/or CPU speeds to run them correctly.
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Windows 98 and MS-DOS are old and sometimes unreliable and unsecure
operating systems. As with all computers of that era, crashes and
incompatibilities will occur. Most software and games will run,
but you may encounter incompatibilities and vulnerabilities. That's
just how it is.
International Buyers
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This item is shipped from Portugal. Buyers
from outside the European Union must be aware that
import charges may apply. I'm not responsible for any customs or
import duties/taxes that you may incur. Not all countries will be
subject to import charges, but, in doubt, please check with your
local authorities before buying.
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Shipping for non-EU countries: I take no
responsability if an item gets retained or is blocked in customs
due to whatever reason. You take full responsability for importing
an item into your country/economic zone. When I ship an item, I
provide the authorities with all necessary information that is
demanded for a private sale. That includes contents, price and
shipping costs.
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Every shipped item is packed in a sturdy package, with lots of
bubble wrap and other padding materials. I take no responsibility
for damaged items during shipping.
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Every item is shipped uninsured. If you want shipping insurance
provided by the carrier, please contact me to get a shipping quote
with insurance.