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Can this ANCIENT PC be used? 100 Mhz CPU
DrewKaree:
I got this given to me the other day....it's got some scavenge-able parts if it won't work, but I figured I'd give it a go.
It's got:
100 Mhz CPU
16Mb RAM
800 Mb Hard Drive
I have another drive (or two) I can swap out if need be. I'm not sure what it's got for video, but I'd bet tall cash on NOT MUCH!
It's running Win98. I have Win95, 3.11, and DOS 6.
IF it's possible to use it, is my version of DOS the way to go, and what version of MAME should I use?
I realize this WILL NOT run anything new/modern, but what MIGHT be able to run on this setup?
crsdawg:
that comp. will run vantage with no problems. here's a link to some fps benchmarks with some older computers running mame, vantage, and retrocade.
benchmarks
here's a link to vantages main page:
Vantage
it supports 30ish vertical classic games, and all the good ones(ie. pac, galaga, etc.)
another thing to try is an early version of mame. .36B12 or before would be the version your after. they put in a feature in the next beta that added a lot of overhead and would kill your fps.
and of course running pure dos will help as well, windows sucks up a lot of resources, but there are many others on the board who know much more about that than i.
good luck
zaphod:
My Barcade has a P75 with 24MB on it. I run ArcadeOS/Vantage with MSDOS 6.x and the games run perfectly. As crsdawg mentioned, you will have a subset of games available but they are some of the very best from that era.
DrewKaree:
To add to this, I remember downloading something that would rip DOS 7 from the Windows install disk. Would that be worthwhile, or is it not worth the time?
I've already got diskettes for DOS 6, so if it's a relatively minor difference, or if it won't make a difference for this particular application, I'd rather not waste the time.
So Vantage OR MAME v.36b12 and DOS would be the way to go then? Would that version of MAME run more games than Vantage (I realize the FPS hit shown in the benchmarks)?
Thanks for the replies so far. I was thinking I'd just be SOL, but I'm glad to put this to some other use than just a "parts machine".
*edit*
UGH! "Versions from 0.36b10 to 0.36b16 are unavailable for an indefinite period of time."
I don't suppose anyone has v0.36b12 handy, do they?
zaphod:
MAME will run a lot more games than Vantage will. Just depends on what games you plan for the machine. DOS 6 should be fine for the OS.
There's nothing wrong with your machine; you just won't be able to run the newer games. Give it new life in a cabinet.