King_Corduroy wrote on 2022-07-07, 15:16:
So what I'm hearing is it's not really suitable for anything. Bummer. 😒 I would certainly prefer a 286 model anyway.
Nah, don't despair. I'd recommend checking the games you would want to play in an PC/XT emulator first.
That would give you a "worst-as-possible" experience.
An 8086 system is quite a bit faster than that, at the same clock speed.
Generally speaking, 286 titles are no problem, either, if a V30 is installed:
If the 286 games don't need Windows or XMS, they should run (Windows 3.0 in RM runs, but not all games like that).
With enough conventional memory, things should be fine, I tnink.
Some games do also support EMS to some degree (I know of Commander Keen IV, MegaTron, later Sierra interpreters?).
Personally, I'd really use PCem/86Box to do some tests.
Check how your favorite games run on an XT, a Turbo XT and a 8086 PC.
Maybe also an 6 or 8MHz AT. 🙂
Edit: I'm an owner of a 4,77 MHz PC/XT and some 286/386 PCs.
From what I can say, things aren't always as expected. Sometimes, a lower specced system runs faster, actually.
Example: Playing my old MIG-29 flight sim works nicely on my 10MHz 286 (OAK OTI67 VGA), but was a slide show on my former 12MHz (ATI VGA Wonder).
On top of that: My 10MHz system with a fine VGA roughly equaled my father's 386DX40 PC with a (not so fast) VGA.
That's at least how I remember it. The flight sim runs as well as on my father's PC.
With merely a 10MHz 286! 😃
Edit: "The original Model 30 ran an Intel 8086 at 8 MHz, with no wait states."
Source: Wikipedia
That doesn't sound too bad to me.
This PC should be faster than the usual Turbo XT! 🙂
The only downside would be 4,77MHz ISA with 8-Bit I/O bandwith.
But that may or may not matter so much for VGA.
It's merely a 64KB memory segment that must be updated for VGA in 320x200 games.
Maybe some experts can provide some feedback from experience.
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