Suggestions for a Windows 95 build

purplesky · 5 Dec 2021 at 14:47

A mate is wanting to put together a Windows 95 (or maybe Windows 98) machine and is wanting some advice about what type of parts to go for. Thought i'd ask here as I don't really know.

I know buying complete machines from this era is probably a bit on the expensive side considering their age. I was thinking it would be more cost effective to buy the parts separately on ebay. It's a long time since I played with these old machines and old versions of Windows, and personally don't see the attraction, but I guess if he's wanting to play retro games from back in the day, I can sort of see why. I was thinking a Pentium 133 or 166, Soundblaster 16, ATI Rage of some sort for the graphics. What about the motherboard? Any suggestions for something fairly cheap and will get the job done? I have a few old cases with PSUs that I can offload to him, so it's really just the other parts that he'll need.

paradigm · 5 Dec 2021 at 21:10

To be honest, I’ve found the opposite is true. Buying individual parts tends to be more expensive than stumbling upon a semi-decent period correct machine being sold on Facebook, Gumtree, local carboot sale or even eBay.

The problem is that most sellers of components know that retro kit is “in vogue” right now, whereas some sellers of complete PCs just see generic “old PC”.

Unless he has a specific set of components in mind it’ll likely be better to find a base and customise it later.

!bluetonic! · 6 Dec 2021 at 06:01

Agreed that it's cheaper to buy a complete unit, than the separate parts.

Have a look on eBay 'local' to see if anything is nearby. Sellers hate posting big PC units. It's expensive and they can easily be damaged. So, grab yourself a bargain.

Now, the Windows 95 - 98 era spanned a generational change in gaming from DOS compatibility to Direct X 3D acceleration games.

So if can you provide a list of titles that your friend was looking to play, then we can spec retro.

purplesky · 6 Dec 2021 at 21:18

Thanks all, so looks like buying an old computer is the cheapest option.
I don't really know what titles he is wanting to play. I'll see if I can find out.

It's been a long time since I've messed about with Windows 95 and 98, I honestly had no idea there was much of a market today.