Building The BiS Windows 98 SE Machine: A PC on Paper

[frohner1]

In this post, I am compiling what I think to be the best setup for a Windows 98SE rig. This is only based on overall speed, with no specific app or benchmark in mind while still maintaining a period feel.

Motherboard: ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe
Windows 98 SE supports an i865 Chipset. This is certain to be a stable board, with plenty of features.

CPU Socket: PPGA478
CPU Brand: Intel
CPU Model: Pentium 4
CPU Speed: 2.8 GHz
Processor Core Count: 1
L2 Cache Size: 512 KB
Bus Speed: 533 MHz
This is the best single-core Pentium 4 choice.

RAM: DDR PC2700 (184-pin DIMM, 333MHz) CL2.5
I have read that the OS has a stable limit of 512 MB RAM due to VCache, I have also read that the stable limit is 1 GB RAM with anything over 128 causing problems.

Graphics Card: Nvidia 6800 GT
The 6800 is the last Win 98SE card to be officially supported by Nvidia. I have one of these in my "Retro Rig", I love it. viewtopic.php?t=2

Power Supply: ~500 Watts
I like to use a PSU that will stay under 50% maximum load.


Case:


CPU Air Cooler:


Hard Drive:
Storage is limited to 128GB SATA 150.

CD/DVD:
Windows 98 SE can read DVD's.


Keyboard:


Mouse:

Another note, the last version of DX that worked on Win98/ME is DirectX 9.0c (Aug 07)

[frohner1]

Latest Build Revision: Jan 29, 2022