Ultra Magnus – My Win XP Build

[Watchful]

The base system was from a local seller who was quite friendly. It was a journey to get video working as the onboard was only VGA, first GPU acquired was DOA, and the second GPU seller said they didn’t actually have it in stock after the sale. Also learned that VGA-to-HTMI adapters usually require driver support, so may be unable display some video modes and/or can’t do audio. Thankfully the third GPU came through. Of course then a new power supply was necessary.

Now that we’re done with NOLF and playing Interstate 76, I wish I’d focused on a Win 9x build first. I-76 appears to dislike XP about as much as Windows 11. Still, not a wasted effort as I’m sure it’ll come in handy with other 2000-era games.

Specs:
– Pentium D
– GTX 960
– 1 GB DDR2 RAM
– 64 GB SSD with TRIM utility
– malfunctioning HD audio 😛

[Powerup Pete]

I also have a pentium D. I remember it got bad reviews back in the day. It would be the first dual core processor but very ineffecient for some various reason.
I found mine last month in the attic completely disassembled.
As I had to much free time on my hands, I decided to assemble it again.
it was a Pentium D 830, 2GB RAM, Geforce 6600 GT installed with windows XP.
After testing the system, I was pleasantly surprised. It ran games as F.E.A.R., Oblivion and Stalker very decent.
I got some more appreciation for the pentium D than back in the day.
Anyway, because I still had enough time on my hands, I decided to do some upgrade.
First, I added a sound blaster audigy card to enjoy EAX 4.0. it’s a nice addition in games like F.E.A.R. and Stalker.
Next, I replaced the Geforce 66OO GT by a Radeon 4670 graphics card. This upped my average fps in FEAR from 40 to 85. Not bad. 😉
The final small upgrade is still underway. I will change the processor to a pentium D 945. It runs on 3,4 GHz instead of 3 and it is more power efficient than the 830.
All in all, a very nice xp gaming machine than can run a lot of games with a more than acceptable speed.
The resolution I play in is mostly 1024 x 768 or 1152 x 864.
to summarize, my current xp build:
– Pentium D 945
– 2 GB RAM
– Radeon HD4670
– Sound Blaster Audigy 2

[Watchful]

Nice! I’d like to take advantage of more surround sound from XP era games. If I recall correctly it was harder to get working than modern games over HDMI, which is how I usually do it now. Apparently DirectSound3D isn’t quite as good as the older audio accelerators.

[Powerup Pete]

Apparently DirectSound3D isn’t quite as good as the older audio accelerators.

Really? Didn’t know that.

The hardest part for me with the audigy 2 was installing the drivers. The video mentioned below helped me on the way. There was some specific order I had to follow to get it working.
Is the Audigy 2 ZS the best Sound Card for Windows 98?

[Author]

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