Update on the planned build - The GPU has arrived, the CPU and RAM should be here by Thursday or Friday. Just need the sound card, motherboard and case

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JasonPacker611@reddit

Is it just me or is it always the case that's the hardest part? Every time I pick up an old PC so I can use the case I wind up saving the innards and my number of "boards that need homes" stays fixed.

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nopelobster@reddit

nice.

fun factc this picture is ~12 Mb witch is about 3X the size of this card's Vram. ^-^

also i hope the build goes well without any hitch. happy retro computing

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SpecialistCompote993@reddit (OP)

Ha, that's funny.

Anyways, the good thing is - I've already ordered most of the main parts, those being the CPU, RAM and display adapter.

The bad thing - my main source of income is very sporadic, being my Ko-Fi commissions, so I'm not sure how long it'll take me to get the money to get the £50 motherboard, idk how much as I haven't chosen yet case and £25 AZTech SG MM Pro 16 IIIS+ soundcard.

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Accomplished-Camp193@reddit

Doesn't really qualify as a GPU. It's a VGA card. Very good compatibility with DOS games.

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SpecialistCompote993@reddit (OP)

Fair. Guess it's just sort of a catch-all term for display adapters for me

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2raysdiver@reddit

Back, then there was a distinction between graphics and graphics accelerators. It is a graphics card, but it isn't a 3D accelerator, despite having 3D in the name. Most of the 3D function was implemented in the driver software, not the chip itself. It was usually slightly better than fully software rendering, though. S3 was very popular with motherboard manufacturers for their onboard graphics, though, until AMD and Intel started building graphics into their CPUs.

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MWink64@reddit

S3 was gone way before GPUs were integrated into the CPU (like by about a decade).

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2raysdiver@reddit

Oh, I'm sure they were. They got bought by Diamond in the late '90s and then VIA, I think, a few years later so VIA could integrate video into their motherboard firmware chipsets. I think they are owned by HTC, now.

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TorazChryx@reddit

And of course graphics functions made their way to the chipset level first before getting integrated into the cpu die...

And now I guess they're back with the chipset, the IO Die on a Ryzen is basically a classical northbridge in all ways but physical location, with the mainboard chipset functioning as a southbridge.

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MWink64@reddit

I see you're a masochist. I had no idea those god awful chips made it onto AGP cards.

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aussiepunkrocksV2-0@reddit

I remember when these were used by cheap PC builders just so they could put a tick box next to '3D Graphics'. It was a very disappointing card.

Things started to change for low end gaming with the i740, later with the TNT2M64 .. but especially the GeForce2 MX. That chip changed the budget landscape.

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SnooPuppers5489@reddit

You getting a sound blaster?

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SpecialistCompote993@reddit (OP)

A compatible AZTech card, yep.

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orion3311@reddit

You...you...you mean...you dont just grab them out of the giant bin in the garage?

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SpecialistCompote993@reddit (OP)

Very sadly I do not have a garage with a bin I can just pull random computer parts out of. For £6 though I wouldn't say it was horrible for a display adapter.

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Scoth42@reddit

Interesting choice for a video card, it's going to be almost useless for any sort of Windows gaming. But if you're looking to replicate the experience of a cheap business-oriented machine I suppose it fits.

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SpecialistCompote993@reddit (OP)

Mainly plan to just play software rendered games like Half-Life or Quake, so the GPU isn't too big of a problem for me. Can't really complain for £6 either

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to3cutter@reddit

Gpu? Wait, what?!?

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No_Lynx_4470@reddit

Are we supposed to know what the planned build is supposed to be?????

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SpecialistCompote993@reddit (OP)

https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/s/ox7kHIIi4o