Hello, World! :D - Robert B's PC builds - oogle away freely :) - OLD Hardware Emporium

[Robert B]

You can try Amibay - the prices are usually more friendly

http://www.amibay.com/forumdisplay.php?26-Other

 

[stinger608]

Very cool on the Pentium overdrive Robert!!!!

I've actually got one of those in an old Packard Bell computer that I've had since the system was new. LOL.

I couldn't afford another system and decided the best "upgrade" at the time was to buy one of the overdrive units.

Made a hell of a difference in its glory days.

 

[Robert B]

Nora En Pure - Deep House & Tech House ' Best Dance Summer Mix 2018

Rumble in the jungle with RaaaAAAaaAAmmmMMMMMMMMBbbBBBBUUuUuuuSSSS



RAMBUS. This name stuck in my mind, when back in the day, I read in the local CHIP computer magazine, about the mighty Pentium 4 with RAMBUS memory, the next best thing after sliced bread.

As we know, RAMBUS didnt get to dominate the market and DDR got to be THE KING. This is already ancient history. I couldnt afford a P4 RAMBUS and when I could buy one, it was already obsolete.

What it is certain is that I still had a few sectors allocated in my memory for the RAMBUS thing so when the opportunity arrived I pulled the trigger.

This year, around the beginning of February, I found on the local OLX site a RAMBUS kit: Intel D850EMV2 + 4x128MB RIMM PC800 + Pentium 4 SL683 2.26GHz.

If we take into consideration the fact that only in 2018 I woke from my slumber, all due to the retro bug , I wasnt fussy and I wasnt put off by an Intel Desktop Board and only 512MB RIMM. I would've wanted a motherboard with OC capabilities and some PC1066 RIMM. Even so, I was pleased with my purchase. 28EUR / 33USD well spent.

The add said that the kit was in good working condition and that it only had two bulged capacitors. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I called as soon as I saw the add and I spoke with the owner. We agreed upon the price, shipping and other details. I also received additional pictures on email. ALL GOOD!!!

The RAMBUS kit came with the local Post transport and it was packed in a sturdy cardboard box.

The first thing I did after I took the box from the Post Office was to shake it a little. Immediately I heard a suspicious rattle.

When I got home, I opened up the box and BEHOLD: the four RIMM sticks were moving freely inside. Blue Danube GOD DAMN IT!. What the...I fished the RIMM sticks and I inspected them. NO DAMAGE. I also found the bag in which the sticks were put and I wondered why wasnt the bag sealed with tape or even better why werent the RIMM sticks in their socket?!? The kit was packed in some thick spongy stuff the kind that it is put under parquet. Bonus points for the seller as he also included the motherboard shield. A nice bonus indeed!

.........I went on to inspect the motherboard. Immediately I found a broken little black plastic piece from the CPU cooler and the northbridge cooler retention system was held in three points instead of four..........I looked further and I saw that a 1500uf/6.3V capacitor had a small dent in its casing.......... by this time I was already apprehensive and I wasnt in the mood for additional checks. In the end I took a big breath and I went over the parts with a fine-comb.

After a thorough check, I arrived to the conclusion, that besides the facts mentioned above, all was OK. I wasnt bothered by the dirt on the motherboard . This stuff comes with the territory.

For sure, the package was handled with velvet gloves and stood on soft pillows and for that matter I was happy that it didnt arrive sliced and diced.

I called the seller and I informed him that the package arrived and all was OK. To my question why were the RIMM sticks taken out of their slots and the bag wasnt sealed with tape I received the answer that they are SAMSUNG RIMM sticks and they work for sure...

I thanked him for the kit and I didnt say anything more.





A few weeks after I received the package I got to test it. I powered it up and all was as it should. In an uncharacteristic fashion I didnt clean the parts before. I removed the old metalic thermal pad and I applied fresh Arctic MX-4 on the dried up stuff. I only cleaned the dirt from the CPU cooler. DONT DO LIKE I DID!




I removed the offending corpses of the two dead Nichicon 3300Uf/6.3V caps.





There she is in plain daylight. The motherboard has a deformation due to the fact that it is missing a backplate to relieve the stress put up by the CPU cooler.




How to remove the Intel P4 Boxed Cooler. Screwdriver time!





First, I cleand the CPU heatsink and all the plastic bits. I wasnt able to remove the northbridge heatsink no matter what I tried and for fear that I might do more bad than good I left it in place.





I soldered two new Nichicon 3300uf/6.3V caps.





I restored the shine to all the chromed parts. I paid great attention to detail.





Isopropyl alcohol 99%.





FINAL RESULTS.





Shine my precious





gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/yocg6ktq/

This was the RAMBUS story. I didnt have a particular hard time restoring the kit and in the end all was fine.

I also found at the flea market another plastic retention harness to replace the damaged one even if the damage was just cosmetic and I glued back the broken piece.

While I did the final assembly of the bits I took off from the motherboard, I also saw that the retention lever for the northbridge heatsink wasnt in the correct position. I put it as it has to be.

The motherboard has the final BIOS version. The check of the motherboard revision - AA number, revealed, that it doesnt support the faster Northwood 3.06GHz/512/533 CPU and at max only a Northwood 2.80/512/533 CPU can be used. I dont intend to further upgrade the system in the near future and it will be used as is. I did find a mobile P4 SL7NA 3.06GHz/1MB/533 but it has a Prescott core.

C ya later with the next episode

 

[Robert B]

Flea market surprise!

Because in my recent visits at the flea market I found a few smaller pieces I decided to include them in shorter episodes. These episodes will be called: Flea market surprise.

In these episodes I'll keep the details at a minimum and I'll let the pictures do the talking.

The stars of today's episodes are:

1. Diamond Viper V550 SDR ATXNLX 16MB AGP Rev. B - RIVA TNT
2. AMD K6-2/450AFX - 450MHz
3. Intel Pentium III 1GHz - 1000/256/133/1.7V SL4C8
4. AMD Duron 1.2GHz - DHD1200AMT1B
5. Two C.O.A.S.T. sticks (at least I think they are?) - SMART 1995
6. PS/2 cable



Diamond Viper V550 SDR ATXNLX 16MB AGP Rev. B - RIVA TNT

A little bit of elbow grease...



AMD K6-2/450AFX - 450MHz *** Intel Pentium III 1GHz - 1000/256/133/1.7V SL4C8 *** AMD Duron 1.2GHz - DHD1200AMT1B

I straightened a few bent pins and I cleaned the K6-2 and Intel CPUs.

The only CPU that still looked like hell after it was cleaned it was the DURON. So, I decided to use metal polish paste and a cotton stick. I gently cleaned the ceramic surface of the CPU and then I washed it with lots of isopropyl alcohol 99%. In the end I was amazed by the results



The PS/2 cable and the C.O.A.S.T. sticks were cleaned well.



When I prepared to put the cleaned CPUs in their box, I decided to take out a few of the CPUs I own and let them take some air . When I did a headcount I came to the number 35. I raised my eyebrow as I didnt think that I have so many. The pictures dont show the other socket 3, socket 4, socket 7, socket 370, Slot 1, Slot A and Socket A CPUs that are on the stored motherboards or in completed builds.

The wide majority were bought from the flea market along the three years since I started "going back in time".



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/385p0lu7s/

More later.

 

[phill]

I do wonder where you store all this too @Robert B and wonder, if there's some more space for any of my hardware as I'm running out of space myself!!

 

[lexluthermiester]

Intel D850EMV2 + 4x128MB RIMM PC800 + Pentium 4 SL683 2.26GHz.

I'd get yourself a set of 256mb sticks if you plan on running XP or even WinME. If you're planning on 98SE, those 128mb sticks are good.

 

[biffzinker]

Your CPU collection is incomplete without the Pentium Pro.

 

[Robert B]

@phill - I want to store my parts in a different way and I'm going to post pics and details on the thread.I still have space as the bulk of my collection is made of VGA cards
@lexluthermiester - I too want at least 256MB sticks but I found only ECC and PC800-45. If the board detects anything slower than PC800-40 then it lowers the CPU/BUS speed. I would like PC1066 but I didnt see any localy For now the RAMBUS system wont be made into a complete build. I keep it as a curiosity.
@biffzinker - no Pentium PRO yet but I saw a dual PPRO at one of my contacts. The board is ＡＳＵＳ Ｐ／Ｉ－Ｐ６５ＵＰ５ with the CPU card and two PPRO - the price is outrageous though

THIS WEEK: Creative, the manufacturer with unmistakeble labels CT! CT! CT!



More later.

 

[AltCapwn]

You should do videos about your builds; Search for parts, cleanup, mounting your stuff, installation and then benchmarks and gameplay. Could be a good series. Can speak of the history and the context of the parts when they were released, the games and apps of this time and compare that to today, etc... I would definitly watch that (Who doesn't like nostalgia?).

Cheers,

 

[lexluthermiester]

@lexluthermiester - I too want at least 256MB sticks but I found only ECC and PC800-45. If the board detects anything slower than PC800-40 then it lowers the CPU/BUS speed. I would like PC1066 but I didnt see any localy For now the RAMBUS system wont be made into a complete build. I keep it as a curiosity.

Ebay. If you're not in the USA, ask a seller in the USA if they'll ship to you. Many will for the cost of extra shipping. Trust me, it'll be worth it.

 

[Robert B]

Daso - Meine Song


RAMBUS - - MINI-episode.

Last Sunday I went to the flea market because I didnt have anything else to do.

It was almost closing time but even then, you could find something: a socket 7 motherboard with an intel chipset, some socket A stuff, Matrox cards, HDDs, various CPUs, graphic cards in various states of decay etc. Because my "HW hunger" isnt as strong as in the past, I dont buy each piece I find. I've become a lot more selective.

I found an acquaintance and I looked at what he had to offer.

I browsed some 20 CPUs and in the end I stopped at two Pentium 4 CPUs. Why P4? Because my i850 RAMBUS wanted the fastest it can take.

So, I found a 2.80GHz Northwood, the maximum the revision of my Intel Desktop Board D850EMV2 motherboard supports. And to top it off, I also found a 2.53GHz Northwood. I wanted the 2.80GHz P4 eversince I knew that the RAMBUS kit I bought had a 2.26GHz CPU.

With the 2.80GHz P4 I put to rest a few of the many demons that haunt me. The other demons want 2GB of PC1066 RIMM or at least PC800-40

For my RAMBUS system I have the following CPUs:

Pentium 4 SL683 2.26GHz 533/512 - came with the kit
Pentium 4 SL6EG 2.53GHz 533/512
Pentium 4 SL6QB 2.80GHz 533/512

The 2.53GHz and 2.80GHz CPUs had many bent pins. Surprisingly, I managed to straighten all of them and I even came close to the ideal ZERO INSERTION FORCE. Please dont ask how many hours it took I wasnt going to dump the 2.80 CPU as I really wanted one.

I've never straightened the pins on a P4 - s478. The pins were so soft that they got bent just by looking at them. They are more densely packed that other CPUs and more difficult to put into the correct position . I used credit cards and a thin piece of textolite. I had to use a 0.5mm mechanical pen as I didnt have something else. The tip was way bigger than the pins. Even so, my sensitive fingers helped me and I finished the job. I was surprised that no pin broke off as they look fragile.

Picture time.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/218ndd6zg/

I didnt stop at straightening the pins and I took out of storage the cleaned Intel Dektop Board D850EMV2 motherboard and I tested the rescued CPUs. SUCCESS! All systems are GO!. Windows XP time. BIOS - DEFAULTS - NO TWEAKS - GF3 Ti200 Hercules 3D Prophet III.

Pentium 4 SL6EG 2.53GHz



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/l6bmpiu4/

Pentium 4 SL6QB 2.80GHz



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/mbo2dva4/

All is well that ends well.

More later.

 

[phill]

Amazing Love these posts

 

[Robert B]

Creative, the manufacturer with unmistakeble labels CT! CT! CT!

Ahhh CREATIVE. Only hearing this name makes me recall many nice components that I couldnt afford back in the day. Annihilators, Blasters and such.

My first contact with CREATIVE came in 1999 and it took the shape of an integrated sound card Creative AUDIO PCI 128 - Creative® ES1373. Nothing fancy. I never had a Sound Blaster 16/32 or AWE.

My first good sound card was a Creative Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Digital bulk. I was in extasy after I installed the Demo Audio stuff from the setup CD. Good times! This was roughly around ~2002 when I bought the 1.2GHz Duron / SiS 735 which was soon replaced by an Athlon XP 1900+ / KT333.

Only in 2016 I bought another Creative product, a Creative Sound Blaster ZX sound card. (Second Hand)

So, "my history" regarding Creative isnt something to speak about, but I like many Creative products, especially those launched before 2000.

The cards featured in this episode "are pretty common" but I liked to return them to their former glory. All of them were bought from the flea market at very low prices.

Every time I see a label that has a CT model number my pulse spikes. Some time ago I found at the flea market two Creative 3dfx Banshee PCI graphic cards at a very low price as the seller didnt know what they were. Their plain Jane looks helped me to buy them very very very cheap.

Creative cards are easy to identify. The CT product numbers are visibile, the label are made from quality materials and the Creative logo is usually present on the PCB. When you see the CT letters you know what you have in your hands, no question about it.

*** Creative Labs Sound Blaster CT4170 ISA
*** Creative Graphics Blaster CT6710 nVidia RIVA TNT AGP 16MB
*** Creative Labs CT6950 nVidia Vanta 32MB PCI (CT6954)

Creative Labs Sound Blaster CT4170 ISA

The card was dirty and it was missing a screw that holds the bracket. Easy fix.



I took the necessary steps to protect the stamped ink markings that are easily removed by IPA 99%.



I did what I do best.



Like new!



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1dca02zta/

Creative Graphics Blaster CT6710 nVidia RIVA TNT AGP 16MB

This is my second CT6170.

I like RIVA TNT cards and I buy them every time I see them. Usually collectors have eyes for TNT 2 and sometimes overlook the first TNT.

I found this card in a cardboard box at the flea market. I saw a corner of it popping out from one side. The green squares from the top of the PCB attracted my eyes like a magnet and I soon was all over it . RIVA TNT? YEAH! NICE!

Initial state.



A little magic.

I also had to solder a missing ceramic capacitor. The solder job isnt my best but I left it alone as the solder job is strong. I need better equipment for fine soldering than what I have now.

v

Running like a champ!



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/14xzvvefi/

Creative Labs CT6950 nVidia Vanta 32MB PCI (CT6954)

I had to repair this card but it wasnt too difficult.

On the Saturday I found the Ati Radeon All-In-Wonder 8500DV 64MB I also found a Creative Vanta PCI graphic card. I looked at it and I saw that it was missing two capacitors and a pad was torn from the PCB so I said MEH and I put it back where I found it.

When I got home I searched on the internet the model number CT6950 and I found more about the card.

On the night between Saturday and Sunday I had on my mind only the damned Creative card, so, early in the morning I took a cold shower, yeah right, I went to the flea market of course. I looked for the seller and I found him. Initially I didnt find him as he wasnt in the same place as the day before. That's what you get when you dont pay attention I said to myself! Next time peel your eyes MORE! I walked around the flea market and I found him.

Behold! The card was still there but it looked like it had a few more scratches than before.

I paid the price and I took it home.



After I got home I started the restoration process.



I looked for ways to replace the missing pad. I wanted to thread a fine wire through the PCB but the hole didnt communicate with the back of the card. Bummer....what to do???

I took a fine solder wick wire. I cut a little piece and the thing broke into small pieces of wire all over my desk. DAMN!!! $^@*$*(@&^(*###~~~@@$$$$...let's add some solder in a thin layer and then cut a small piece. SUCCESS!!!



I glued the small solder wick piece with super glue then I added a little more solder to establish the contact with the PCB.



I searched on the internet for pictures with the CT6950 and it took me a while to find what I wanted. I needed the specs for the missing caps.



When I found what I needed I saw that I didnt have replacement capacitors. I wanted to use regular electrolytic caps but I didnt have something even remotely close, so I used what I had at hand.

The required caps were 22uf/6.3V (good luck finding those)...so I used solid caps with 47uf/6V. I said lets shoot and see what falls down.

Not only that nothing happened but the card worked well.



I was pleased with my repair but the fact that I used caps that had different specs was still nagging me, so when I had to order caps for the repair of 3dfx cards, i850 motherboard, etc I also bought 22uf/16v caps.

After I repaired the card I was back to SQUARE ONE Talk about obsession...

I had to make another pad as the first one went MIA after I desoldered the capacitor....

This time the repair came out better. Like a BO$$!



NICE! LIKE NEW! Almost...



I successfully repaired the card (AGAIN) but is it still working?!?!



No stress MAN! ALL IS WELL!!!

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/1zqk5b2z2/

Remember to not pass on Creative stuff. Remember the CT label. Sometimes you might find better cards than the ones presented above.

C ya later with more shiny stuff.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Creative Graphics Blaster CT6710 nVidia RIVA TNT AGP 16MB

In it's time, that was a damn good card. Rock solid, and if you added a fan to the heatsink and heatsinks to the RAM chips, it would OC a solid 20%. The Vanta's were also solid, but didn't OC as well. Ah, the memories..

 

[phill]

Such an inspiration for us all @Robert B

 

[Robert B]

French Horn Rebellion - Won You Over (Jamie de Von Remix)

Flea market surprise!...without the fleas of course

The parts that I am going to present, are the result of a visit at the local flea market made on 21.04.2018. The weather was superb.



THE LOOT!

1. V7 Mirage P32/PCI / Diamond Stealth SE V1.02 / SPEA Software AG (P103/R20) / MIRP32PCI - S3 Trio 32 - 1MB PCI
2. Fastware VC963C-3D - S3 Virge/Dx 86C375 - 4MB PCI
3. 3dfx VooDoo 3 2000 - AGP 16MB - 1999 STB Systems 210-0364-003 Rev. C
4. Creative AWE64 Value CT4520 ISA



V7 Mirage P32/PCI / Diamond Stealth SE V1.02 / SPEA Software AG (P103/R20) / MIRP32PCI - S3 Trio 32 - 1MB PCI

I tested the card and I found out that it was dead. YEP! Black screen aka no signal...oh well...it happens...

Initial state.



Cleaning time.



Shiny!



Fastware VC963C-3D - S3 Virge/Dx 86C375 - 4MB PCI

I bought this card for the EXTRA VRAM. You never know when you might need the mighty 2MB. Better safe than sorry.

Initial state.



In working order.



Dismantled.



Clean as a whistle.



3dfx VooDoo 3 2000 - AGP 16MB - 1999 STB Systems 210-0364-003 Rev. C

2.17 EUR / 2.56USD well spent!

Initial state.



Test OK!!!



Lets get on with the show.

The card was missing a screw from the VGA port. Me being me, I had to find a screw and a washer as close to the original as possible. After some searching, I found a washer that fit the bill. I also found two screws that were a little bit shorter. So, I took off the washer from the factory screw and by magic I restored "the equilibrium". Now it was whole again.



Looking at the card I saw that the heatsink had a few bent fins. I straightened the fins as much as I thought it was safe. I didnt want to remove the heatsink from the chip by using too much force. Again, the card was on its way to a full recovery.



Some polish, some IPA 99% FLOWING!!! OVERFLOWING!!! and don't forget the correct dose of ELBOW GREASE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



10/10!



Creative AWE64 Value CT4520 ISA

Restored to its former glory.

Initial state.



Lights, Camera, Action!



Final results.



If all the visits to the flea market would have the same outcome I would go there a lot more often

Group photos.



As I said in the past, the Flea market surprise! episodes are presented in a short and concise manner. Don't worry though, I still have a few heavy shells left in the ammunition depot.

As usual, all my adventures will be posted here.

These days I'm waiting for something interesting. I said that I'm not going to buy more HW but ... as they say: NEVER SAY NEVER. I dont know where I heard this before...maybe I said it myself...



More later.

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/319s2tl7c/

 

[lexluthermiester]

Creative AWE64 Value CT4520 ISA

While this was a "value" card, it had premium features like built on ram for sound-fonts and whatnot, rear channel outputs for surround sound and the main chip was an actual DSP processor which off-loaded audio processing from the CPU instead of acting like a pass-through IC like most sound cards of the time(an even some current onboard crap). Way ahead of it's time and set one of the bars for high quality, even in the budget market. I used this card for system builds for years! Nice find!

 

[Robert B]

I really like these sisters too!

 

[Robert B]

John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom

BOOM BOOM

 

[phill]

I love this thread!! Infact, so much I might have to put up something for @Robert B to advise me on.....

 

[lexluthermiester]

John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom

BOOM BOOM

Frickin SCORE! Nice find! Only thing now is to find a matched pair of Slot2 Xeons to get it running at it's best. Recommend Windows 2000 for it. Xp will work, but 2k SP4 will be much better in the long run. Is that the revision of board that supports Xeon 3's, or was it just Xeon 2's? If it takes the Xeon 3's, eBay has a few good deals. Looked using the following search;
https://www.ebay.com/sch/164/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=xeon+slot+2&_sop=15&LH_BIN=1

 

[Robert B]

The chipset for Super P6DLS is 440LX so it wont take PIII. The max supported is a PII 333/66 but I got it to work with a 366MHz Celeron.

I have 2x333MHz Celereons which might be modded for SMP but I might take the easy route and buy 2x333MHz/66 PIIs.

The board works with 2x350MHz/100 PIIs and it boots as a 2xPII 233MHz/66

I managed to make my only PII 333MHz/66 run a at a measly 133MHz.

I might buy two slotkets and run two Celerons without mods. There are slotkets that do this. MS-6905 comes to mind.

For my first dual CPU setup I wanted something a little out of the ordinary. After I bought my first LX board from the flea market I jumped and bought the P6DLS as soon as I saw it

I see this as something overkill and for sure I'll run two CPU even if the OS I'll end up using wont support SMP. Why? Because: reasons Not everything has to be by the book and for sure I wont use it (if I end up making a system with it) with just a CPU I might do an ioverkill VooDoo 1 build just for kicks.

Shes HUUUUUUUGEEEEEE

 

[lexluthermiester]

OH! It's a dual slot 1 board! At first glance it looked like a dual slot 2. My bad..

 

[Robert B]

Solomun - Somebody's Story (Original Mix)

Today, after a quick nap, I woke up and one thought kept popping in my mind: One's work is never finished. Something along the lines: Art is never finished, only abandoned. - Leonardo da Vinci

This made me want to post a quick update on one of my 3dfx cards.

Maybe you remember the hero of The GREAT Voodoo 3 3000 16 MB rescue episode that I posted a while back.


https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...ly-old-hardware-emporium.228932/#post-3574698
alternative link: https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?p=511988#p511988

It was about a 3dfx V3 3000 16MB AGP, Made In China, which was bought for a trivial sum of money from the good ol' flea market. It was in bad shape but somehow I managed to repair it and it proved to be alive and kicking.

A moment of great satisfaction at that time.

Years have passed and I didnt forget that particular card.

So, this June, came the moment to make it right and again I was successful in my attempt.

The regular electrolytic capacitors I used to repair the card were replaced by new ones made by Panasonic. 22uF/16V, SMD, Panasonic EEE1CA220SR, 10uF/16V, SMD, Low Esr, EEEFP1C100AR PANASONIC.

The problem was that everytime I took the card in my hands I touched the capacitors and there was a risk I could snap them off because they were too tall. The looks were important too.

Initial state.



I removed the four caps and I prepared the card to receive the new ones.



Almost good as new.



Success.



Because I dont like to leave matters at the whims of chance I decided to fix the caps that were mounted on the missing PCB pads with some transparent Poxipol. Better safe than sorry. The glue is easy to remove if needed.



gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/16dkvkhwc/

More later.

 

[phill]

Loving it @Robert B !! I think I should have a spare PSU tomorrow, so I might even be able to by the weekend, have a few things tested.. Time to break out the Socket A rig and see what we can manage to get working!! Hopefully not damaging hardware in the process!!