Should I build a Windows XP gaming PC? - "Use virtual machine!" /thread

[skykiii]

One niche benefit of an older PC is word processing. Call me crazy but I hate any word processor more complicated than classic Wordpad. Hell whenever I write, I do all my drafting on a Win98 PC (XP's version is barely any different).

Also being on a comp with no internet access means no leaks will happen, so you'll never end up in that situation. (I forget what flash-in-the-pan author it was whose book got leaked months ahead of schedule).

 

[GhostButt]

emulating win98 on an xbox just seems surreal to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrpkFuKh4CI

 

[ks99]

I have built a windows xp/ windows 98 gaming pc that can boot into either os from startup. It is really cool to have until you realize all the cool games from the early 2000s run better on new hardware and emulation. It collects dust most of the time then I sometimes decide to play doom or medal for honor or sim city on it.

There's actually a fair amount of semi-popular games (at least, semi-popular back then) that just run like shit or don't run at all on modern Windows because the compatibility is semi-broken.

 

[IamnottheNSA]

>"Use virtual machine!" /thread
This is actually not a good idea - virtual machine's video drivers usually don't have hardware acceleration so the games would often look and run like shit.

As for your question, get yourself a used Socket 775 mobo with a Core 2 Quad (or instead of getitng a Core 2, install modded BIOS for Xeon compatibility and get a Xeon E5450 from AliExpress - they are usually already hardware-modded to work with S775 mobos) and a GeForce GT730. That should cover all your Windows XP needs.

Also if you are willing to experiment, there are versions of Windows XP repacked with drivers for modern hardware, modded and otherwise - XP Integral Edition is a good one. With this one, any modern cheap PC with a GT730 and a separate USB 2.0 controller will do. Just make sure its BIOS is not UEFI-only.

EDIT:

Anything newer doesn't have the instructions for XP to work right.

You can run Windows XP on modern mobos, as long as your mobo has CSM/legacy boot support (most of them still do), and you have WinXP drivers for your SATA controller (there are modded drivers out there on win-raid and MSFN).
ACPI support is gonna be a problem that will result in a 0x000000A5 blue screen, but you can install XP without ACPI by holding F7 during the initial install screen (where it asks to press F6 if you want to install additional drivers).
Hell, you can even run Windows 98 on a modern machine, as long as you have the correct drivers and the correct hardware (and install it without ACPI of course).

 

[Stasi]

Update. A windows XP build is back on the menu.

In doing research for my next gaming PC, I learned my current gaming PC is running a 4690k. ie. Haswell. It's a great CPU that has only now started to struggle. If it can run Resident Evil 2 Remake at high settings, it should run anything from the XP era no problem. And despite claims that Haswell support is spotty due to lack of drivers or instructions, it seems to work for what matters.

Worst case scenario, I can combine it with that XP machine in storage that refuses to post.



This is the most likely option I'll take. At the time of this thread, prices had become more than I wanted to spend (£100+). Now they're down to £60 or so, which is much more reasonable. However, most local places seem to be selling 8th gen or newer office PCs, and postage really eats into the cost.


While I dismissed using Linux as yet another emulation or compatibility nightmare, I was watching a video about proton and, either by design or by accident, Proton has compatibility with old windows games that are difficult to get running on modern OS'. I'm considering Linux for my os on my next main PC, so I'll try it then.

Did you end up going ahead with the XP build? I was watching some Phil's Computer Lab videos and was reminded of this thread. Those SFF office machines would seem like a good option given price and also the relatively small size.

I haven't tried XP on it but I recently got a Dell Optiplex 7020 for just under £50, my old computer was also a Haswell (4790) and I basically replaced everything in the Dell machine with what was in my old PC. Works great, its my new living room media machine and been playing Mafia Definitive Edition on my TV with it.

 

[Judge Dredd]

No, I didn't build a XP rig ...yet.

My Haswell PC is my main daily driver. Issues with my bank are preventing me from buying online, and the local places are were charging a fairly steep premium. I'm talking £400 for a 6600 non-xt, a £100 mark-up from online prices. I checked to see the mark-ups for this post and most seem to be a £10-£20 premium per part which isn't too steep. That's still an extra £100-£200 for the cost of the PC before GPU however.

Related, they do have a used Ivy Bridge machine, no hard drive, for £100. No postage means it's within budget if I cheap out on a HDD. I'm tempted to go for it, but priorities.

 

[Xarpho's Return]

What games are you specifically trying to play? Even Half Life 2 won't work natively because of the Steam requirement and they dropped XP support several years ago. 16-bit games might work well in 32-bit XP, but older games tend to be janky in weird ways.

 

[Stasi]

Even Half Life 2 won't work natively because of the Steam requirement

HL2 is actually completely DRM free, you can launch the exe from the game folder to completely bypass steam.

 

[Judge Dredd]

What games are you specifically trying to play? Even Half Life 2 won't work natively because of the Steam requirement and they dropped XP support several years ago. 16-bit games might work well in 32-bit XP, but older games tend to be janky in weird ways.

There was a version of Steam that was archived that, last I checked, worked on XP albeit with limited features.

I don't have a specific list of games, but I have a few off the top of my head I'd like to get around to some day. Elite Force 1 and 2, FEAR, Project Snowblind, StarSiege, You Are Empty, Secret Service, Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth, games like that. I might try MechWarrior 3, though I don't expect it to work.

FEAR and Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth are two games that are (or were) notoriously difficult to run outside of XP. Dark Corners of the Earth specifically has small, obscure errors that don't appear until late game (such as enemies you have to snipe in a turret section being invisible). I've heard the GoG version or Proton fix those problems these days, but I don't know for sure. And that's the whole point of this project. I won't have to worry about applying weird fan patches or messing with ini files and registries, and any jank will be part of the game, not a compatibility problem.


I might as well give a small update. I have built a new PC (the VR capable one I mentioned in the OP and other threads). I'm just slowly making the transition as I move things from one machine to another. Hopefully within the month, I can find a used gpu and some hard drives and turn my old daily driver into a XP gaming PC.

 

[Cpt. Stud Beefpile]

There's actually a fair amount of semi-popular games (at least, semi-popular back then) that just run like shit or don't run at all on modern Windows because the compatibility is semi-broken.

Can confirm. Thankfully between Dosbox and SCUMMVM there is a huge library of legacy stuff you can play to your heart's content. 98SE era and later will GENERALLY work with a few tweaks or just run straight.

The problem is when you get in to the early Win95-98 era in my experience because, as you said, there is shit that just will not work right with anything beyond XP and will sometimes give you absolute hell even if you are running XP.

I've had very good luck with Win7 except for the fact that Microsloth deleted Force Feedback from the later DirectX driver stacks. Lazy fuckers.

 

[Judge Dredd]

Remember when the XP source code leaked? I remember hearing of people working on a version of XP that works on modern hardware, but never heard anything about it since.

The problem is when you get in to the early Win95-98 era in my experience because, as you said, there is shit that just will not work right with anything beyond XP and will sometimes give you absolute hell even if you are running XP.

Yes. MechWarrior 3 being one I hear brought up a lot.

Win95-98 are almost before my time. A friend had a PC back then, and I have fond memories of playing Hidden and Dangerous, but that might have been on XP?

The problem with building a Win 98 machine is that Win 98 parts were heavily scalped by retro "collectors". 3dfx Voodoo graphics cards can be found on ebay for £100+. I want to say they were £300 last time I checked. I remember retro YouTubers recommending budget Win 98 builds made from less desirable parts.

 

[Road Work Ahead]

The problem with building a Win 98 machine is that Win 98 parts were heavily scalped by retro "collectors". 3dfx Voodoo graphics cards can be found on ebay for £100+. I want to say they were £300 last time I checked. I remember retro YouTubers recommending budget Win 98 builds made from less desirable parts.

Spending that kind of money on old hardware is retarded. All of my old computers were things I got from other people that were throwing them out. I found my WIN 98 PC buried in my dad's closet and my XP machine is a repurposed dell that one of my mom's coworkers was getting rid of and originally had Vista on it All I did was put a cheap 9800gt in it.

To be honest, the WIN 98 PC is pretty pointless as my XP computer handles the games I wan't from that era fine. The only reason I have to use the WIN 98 machine is because it has a 3.5" floppy drive.

 

[Neil McCauley]

Remember when the XP source code leaked? I remember hearing of people working on a version of XP that works on modern hardware, but never heard anything about it since.

Giant rabbithole, basically they got pwned by the ultimate goyum warriors of M$

For Steam on XP, I'll ask around my nerd communities if someone knows how to get it to work. I know I saw someone who did not too long ago (even got it running on Windows 2000)
If you decide to get one just for XP (or even general use if you aren't using JS-electron tranny pooware), look at the Core 2 lineup. They hold their value to this day and can churn out great gaming performance when paired with a era fitting video card, plus have SSE2 to handle all the modern stuff.
FYI for you guys since you all don't care about Windows XP but very modern browsers (FF 68 and Chromium 89) can run on XP, so you are pretty much covered for the most part, even pushing it so far as to use Discord it'll work just fine, I joined a voice call on it once and it actually fucking worked.

 

[⠠⠠⠅⠑⠋⠋⠁⠇⠎ ⠠⠠⠊⠎ ⠠⠠⠁ ⠠⠠⠋⠁⠛]

To be honest, the WIN 98 PC is pretty pointless as my XP computer handles the games I wan't from that era fine. The only reason I have to use the WIN 98 machine is because it has a 3.5" floppy drive.

You can get USB floppy drives pretty cheaply. If you just need to read the odd floppy and write conventional 1.44MB ones for earlier computers, they'll do the job. They should work with XP.

 

[Judge Dredd]

I'm still trying to decide on a graphics card. I've heard AMD has the best drivers for XP, supporting things like pixel scaling. I've not had much luck search for specific AMD cards, but generic searches like "radeon 1gb" give a lot of results.

I'm also looking to pick up a SATA drive for my XP install. Since it will only be games and a few programs, I shouldn't need anything big. As said in the OP, I hear mixed things about using SSDs, but the speed isn't much of a concern for me.


Today I stumbled across a great example of why I want to build this machine. I know must still reading will already be on board with the idea, but for anyone still wondering...

I decided on a whim that I wanted to play The Sims 2 again (3 performs poorly, 1 is a bit primitive, 4 is largely hated). However I soon found that to be tricky. Physical copies don't work due to DRM, digital copies have been pulled from sale, so only the pirate "Sims 2 Ultimate Collection" (which is almost all the content minus the IKEA dlc and a few crappy items).

But you have to play it on medium graphics or else the shadows get corrupted. The game will run up to 120 fps but the camera moves slow over 60fps, you need to edit ini files to allow modern resolutions, and it sometimes fails to recognize modern graphics cards. There is also an optional 4gb patcher.

...Or I could just run it on XP and avoid all theme problems.

 

[The Ugly One]

For XP-era gaming, Geforce cards make more sense than Radeon. Despite some of the Radeons being the best for their time, a lot of games were co-developed on the original Xbox and have graphics glitches on ATI/AMD cards (KOTOR series being one example I know of). High-end cards from the late XP era (2005-200, like the Geforce 7900, will crush any game you throw at them and can be had for $50 or less.

Example:

BFG NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT OCE 256 MB GDDR3 SDRAM PCI Express x16 Graphics Card | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for BFG NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT OCE 256 MB GDDR3 SDRAM PCI Express x16 Graphics Card at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Neil McCauley]

For XP-era gaming, Geforce cards make more sense than Radeon. Despite some of the Radeons being the best for their time, a lot of games were co-developed on the original Xbox and have graphics glitches on ATI/AMD cards (KOTOR series being one example I know of). High-end cards from the late XP era (2005-200, like the Geforce 7900, will crush any game you throw at them and can be had for $50 or less.

Example:

BFG NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT OCE 256 MB GDDR3 SDRAM PCI Express x16 Graphics Card | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for BFG NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT OCE 256 MB GDDR3 SDRAM PCI Express x16 Graphics Card at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

The 2000s weren't the 90s, game devs didn't have to add support for specific sound and graphics cards (Looking at you S3). As long as the video card you're using supports the graphics API of the game, there will be no issues.

3 performs poorly, 1 is a bit primitive, 4 is largely hated

I have a shit ton of patches for 3 to optimize it if you want them.

 

[Morris Schaffer]

I have a dedicated Athlon64 PR3400+ with 4 GB RAM and a nVidia 6600GT just for Windows XP gaming. Unfortunately GPU gave up the ghost recently (I'm gonna miss you buddy) and so I'm looking for a replacement card. The thing is I don't really know if the ebay listings are just a bunch of shit so I'd like to ask people here if they can recommend a reputable seller/company that I could buy an AGP card from?

 

[PC LOAD LETTER]

I have a dedicated Athlon64 PR3400+ with 4 GB RAM and a nVidia 6600GT just for Windows XP gaming. Unfortunately GPU gave up the ghost recently (I'm gonna miss you buddy) and so I'm looking for a replacement card. The thing is I don't really know if the ebay listings are just a bunch of shit so I'd like to ask people here if they can recommend a reputable seller/company that I could buy an AGP card from?

Really, any eBay seller based in America with a 100% feedback score will do. Common sense also applies - don't get the cheapest one, don't get the most expensive one, and if your gut tells you something seems off, move to the next listing. eBay has very strong buyer protection so if the seller even so much as hints as the card works and it doesn't, you can escalate up to eBay directly if the seller won't cooperate.

One thing to keep in mind is the capacitor plague. In short, almost every single piece of consumer and professional electronics made in the time frame you're looking at was made with faulty capacitors that will die and keep your equipment from functioning. That issue can be repaired, but you need the right tools and knowledge or you need to know someone who has that skill set.

 

[TVB]

The 2000s weren't the 90s, game devs didn't have to add support for specific sound and graphics cards (Looking at you S3). As long as the video card you're using supports the graphics API of the game, there will be no issues.


I have a shit ton of patches for 3 to optimize it if you want them.

This is why the 2000s will always be a great decade, especially considering games during that decade still acted more like games and less like movies. I'm not saying all of them are like this by the 2010s as there are some good modern games (or at least games that still play like games), but the majority are just hellbent on focusing the graphics than the actual gameplay. It doesn't help that the current video card shortages, especially on both PS5 and XBSeries, is also ruining the current generation of gaming.