Help me trick out my 486

Rekarp · Post by **Rekarp** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:07 am

Well I picked up a 486 for free today. Runs great but it needs to be supped up. So far I have taken the CPU and video card out.

Current Specs:
CPU: Am486 DX2-66
Video: Cirrus CLVGA542XVL
Ram: 8mb
Motherboard: Soyo SY-25P http://th99.dyndns.org/m/S-T/34602.htm
Harddrive: 420 mb
Sound: None

No Ethernet
Floppy
Zip Drive

---------------------------

Future Specs:
CPU: Am486 DX4-100 or P24T
Video: Top end ISA VLB card 2mb?
Ram: 128mb
Motherboard: Soyo SY-25P http://th99.dyndns.org/m/S-T/34602.htm
Harddrive: 420 mb
Sound: Gravis UltraSound,

3com Nic card
Floppy
Zip Drive

ArugulaZ · Post by **ArugulaZ** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:23 am

(scratches head)

Wow, this is really one of those "because I can" projects, isn't it? Well, I dunno. I'm an intermediate hacker at best; well below the skills of most of the other forum members. All I could really recommend is add more memory and try to overclock the CPU.

Unless you're trying to keep costs as low as possible, I don't see why you wouldn't just use a Pentium chip. I can't imagine the difference in power consumption being all that significant. What are you trying to do with this system, anyway? You've got me curious.

Rekarp · Post by **Rekarp** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 4:36 am

ArugulaZ wrote:(scratches head)

Wow, this is really one of those "because I can" projects, isn't it? Well, I dunno. I'm an intermediate hacker at best; well below the skills of most of the other forum members. All I could really recommend is add more memory and try to overclock the CPU.

Unless you're trying to keep costs as low as possible, I don't see why you wouldn't just use a Pentium chip. I can't imagine the difference in power consumption being all that significant. What are you trying to do with this system, anyway? You've got me curious.

I have a box of DOS games that I would like to play. Plus tweaking old hardware is fun

Dark-Aries · Post by **Dark-Aries** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:41 am

Take of the CPu and put some real pro thermal gloop on there...it's probably all crusty by now if there is any to begin with, update the BIOS if possible and then get some good memory for it, then begin overclocking it...with luck you should beable to get a real fast win98/95 machine there...You get windows programs plus the ability to play dos games!

Aguiluz · Post by **Aguiluz** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:27 am

I use a Pentium 100 MHz to host an IRC server.

Post by **bicostp** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:59 am

Dark-Aries wrote:Take of the CPu and put some real pro thermal gloop on there...it's probably all crusty by now if there is any to begin with

For the most part, don't 486s run cool enough to not need a heatsink?

you should beable to get a real fast win98/95 machine there...You get windows programs plus the ability to play dos games!

95, maybe. I've seen 98 run on a 486, and it's slow as all hell. (Probably about the same as running Vista on a 2.6 gig Prescott Celeron with integrated graphics.)

I recommend running MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1. Make sure you get Windows drivers for your video card. For a good laugh, check out MS Office 4, IE 2.0, and of course Netscape 4. (There is a Windows 3.1 version of IE 5, probably the most modern browser for the system.)

For file transfer, if you don't have an ISA Ethernet card, try a null modem cable. (or maybe even a removable hard drive chassis). Juggling floppies around isn't fun.

xtrmgam3r360 · Post by **xtrmgam3r360** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 10:08 am

bicostp wrote: I recommend running MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1.

I second that, lol. I have Windows 3.11 for Workgroups running on my old IBM PS/1 and it is speedy.

GonzoMPM-1 · Post by **GonzoMPM-1** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:31 pm

Well,

Consider finding one of the old 486==> Pentium chips.

Here's what they look like, but if you're careful you should be able to find one for less than $10:
eBay

Its only an upgrade from 66mhz to 83mhz, but the Pentium architecture is hugely important.

Then, go download the Scitech Display Doctor (free now in its ftp page), get version 5.3 which will cover that Cirrus Logic chip and provide about 500 additional graphics modes.

Get an old ISA Sound Blaster 16.

Good games for the 486 with the Intel 84mhz upgrade:

Nesticle and Genesyst -- emulators for NES and Genesis, respectively.

Warcraft II.

Doom and Doom II.

Duke Nukem 3d.

Betrayal at Krondor

timmeh87 · Post by **timmeh87** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:34 pm

Look for some bus speed/multiplier jumpers.

Multiplier is not locked.
Might be able to bump it up to 80-something with a good heatsink on it.

nitro2k01 · Post by **nitro2k01** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:50 pm

Get an ISA sound card with an OPL sound chip for maximum old-school awesomeness. (Like SB16) OR if you feel inclined, get a Gravis UltraSound, the Rolls-Royce of soundcards at the time. (Or get both, they work nicely side by side)
I recommend installing 98lite if you're planning to use anything Windows-related on it. Adds a bit of stability, and also lets you have a HD bigger than 4 GB without too much hassle. 98lite is a piece of software that lets you instal Windows 98 without IE and the new explorer - that lifts some weight off of it.
Windows 98 (And thus 98lite) has its own version of DOS, which you can run Windows 3.1 in. Another route to go is one partition for 9x, and one for DOS6.22+Win3.1. Yet another route is to install OS/2 on one partition. OS/2 used to be my favourite OS for a couple of years.
Get an ISA network card. 3com Etherlink usually works well on old computers. That way you can copy files to and from it much easier. You'll only get 10 MBit/s, but that should be enough for the purposes. Just make sure you never connect it in a way that it is exposed to the net - a win9x box is an easy target for malware.

grossaffe · Post by **grossaffe** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 4:34 pm

If you used an oscillating crystal, would you be able to overclock that way?

Ben Cebhrem · Post by **Ben Cebhrem** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:36 pm

I haven't seen anybody mention RAM. 60ns or faster, and you'd probably be full at either 32 or 64 MB of RAM, depending on make and model of the computer.

Rekarp · Post by **Rekarp** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:01 pm

Updated the specs of the 486

Seems I can pop in a Am486 DX4-100 or P24T as a CPU. Both of those are top end for my motherboard. Need to get a AT keyboard first tho.