Re: What does it take to run Brutal Doom with complex maps on GZDoom with acceptable (24+) framerate?

Posted on 2024-05-16, 21:17

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by MadMac_5

in Milliways

in Milliways

That Xeon is a Sandy Bridge-era chip topping out at 3.7 GHz, so it's about on par with the old i5-3470 that I replaced back in 2018. I upgraded to a a Ryzen 2600X then and the performance gain in games was substantial (although I don't play Brutal Doom), and I noticed even more performance gains …

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Re: PicoGUS: ISA sound card emulator with Raspberry Pi Pico (Gravis Ultrasound, AdLib, MPU-401, Tandy, CMS)

Posted on 2024-05-07, 21:46

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

I just ordered mine from Joe's Computer Museum after getting on the wait list back when DOS Storm made their video. I am excited to get my hands on it, mainly because I'd like to try out a GUS for myself. I always kind of wanted one, but by the time the Sound Blaster compatibility was solved or it …

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Re: Headers on Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Posted on 2024-05-01, 03:33

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

Ahh, I haven't bothered to ever try Jedi Knight on this PC with my Vortex 2 installed. I should toss it in and give it a test on 2048!

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Re: Headers on Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Posted on 2024-04-30, 13:24

by

by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

That is very odd indeed! Which drivers are you using? I'm using version 2048 from Phil's Computer Lab (https://www.philscomputerlab.com/aureal-vortex-2.html), but it should also work with 2041 if I remember correctly. I'm using the 2015 driver because it works with DirectX 7.1 and higher. Could …

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Re: Headers on Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Posted on 2024-04-29, 14:48

by

by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

That is very odd indeed! Which drivers are you using? I'm using version 2048 from Phil's Computer Lab (https://www.philscomputerlab.com/aureal-vortex-2.html), but it should also work with 2041 if I remember correctly.

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Re: Are there regular users here with profession away from tech industry?

Posted on 2024-04-27, 18:24

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by MadMac_5

in Milliways

in Milliways

This stresses me out and I'm not even involved! I hope you have an image on hand that could be used after a failure. Drive image? Hell, we don't even have the original floppy disk set or CD-ROM with the software anymore, at least I didn't find it when cleaning out crap two years ago. If that hard …

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Re: Headers on Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Posted on 2024-04-27, 17:49

by

by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

Alright, here are the steps you need to unmute the MPU-401 output on your Vortex 2: 1) Open the volume panel by double-clicking the speaker icon in the system tray. 1-volume_icon.png 2) From the Volume Control panel, go to Options and choose Properties. 2-volume_panel1.png 3) Scroll down the list of …

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Re: Are there regular users here with profession away from tech industry?

Posted on 2024-04-26, 20:49

by

by MadMac_5

in Milliways

in Milliways

This stresses me out and I'm not even involved! I hope you have an image on hand that could be used after a failure. Drive image? Hell, we don't even have the original floppy disk set or CD-ROM with the software anymore, at least I didn't find it when cleaning out crap two years ago. If that hard …

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Re: Rebuilding my First Voodoo computer. ( Made in USA )

Posted on 2024-04-26, 18:44

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ System Specs

in Marvin \ System Specs

I have that EXACT case for my 1998/1999 build! It's pretty great, aside from the way that the power supply gets in the way of the CPU socket and the CMOS battery on my particular 440BX motherboard.

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Re: Headers on Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Posted on 2024-04-26, 14:48

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding here; I'll take some screenshots on my Windows 98 PC this evening to show what I am talking about. 😀

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Re: Headers on Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Posted on 2024-04-25, 16:59

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

I had the exact same problem with my Vortex 2. You need to open the Windows volume control, then go to its Properties and select the "MPU-401" option so that it's visible. That volume control is likely to be muted by default, so unmute it and you'll be able to hear your wavetable module.

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Re: Are there regular users here with profession away from tech industry?

Posted on 2024-04-24, 18:17

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by MadMac_5

in Milliways

in Milliways

I'm a nuclear engineer and health physicist. I specifically didn't get into IT as a profession because I didn't want to lose my love of it as drudgery day job. I'm a health physicist too, but working at a cancer centre! My work is more related to ensuring that our staff are safe as we deliver …

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Re: What is there in New York City for a Retro PC Enthusiast to check out?

Posted on 2024-04-15, 21:11

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by MadMac_5

in Milliways

in Milliways

It's not retro PC-related, but I would HIGHLY recommend going to the Museum Of Natural History if you can make the time to go. I didn't even come close to getting through, but it's one of the most spectacular museums I have visited! And, if you find yourself Downtown, check out Mamoun's Falafel on …

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Re: Upgrade to AWE64, or keep SB16 + Wavetable board?

Posted on 2024-04-13, 04:06

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

I disagree that the AWE64 isn't worth it for DOS; a lot of mid-to-late 90s games had native support for AWE MIDI and sounded pretty good with it. But, since you have a X2GS daughterboard that should also sound amazing. As long as you're happy with the noise level of the SB16, there's not a lot of …

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Re: Help creating my Windows 98 SE perfect clean installation

Posted on 2024-04-11, 21:34

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Software

in Marvin \ Software

If that system has a GeForce 3 Ti 200, you'll want DirectX 8.1 to take advantage of the card's pixel shaders. In fact, I'd be surprised if the drivers for the GeForce 3 even work without DX8, to be honest. NUSB 3.6 is a sanity-saver for transferring files to a retro PC like this, and I'd recommend …

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Re: OPL3LPT : OPL3 FM Synthesis on parallel port

Posted on 2024-04-10, 21:29

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

The Serdashop mailing list message from April 2 stated that, yes indeed they are back in stock!

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Re: List of Windows games which look best when using 3DFX Glide

Posted on 2024-03-31, 04:08

by

by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

I finally got around to capturing a sample image for Descent: Freespace from the Tech Room. Both were taken on my Creative 3D Blaster Voodoo 2 using D3D and Glide rendering, with all graphical settings verified at maximum. You can see that the textures on the nose and "nacelles" of the ship look …

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Re: List of Windows games which look best when using 3DFX Glide

Posted on 2024-03-28, 03:12

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

It will take me some time to get screenshots ready (maybe this weekend?), but I do know that these two games also look better when run under Glide compared to Direct3D: -Wing Commander: Prophecy (some special effects not available when running in Direct3D mode) -Descent: Freespace (Direct3D …

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Re: List of Windows games which look best when using 3DFX Glide

Posted on 2024-03-22, 20:37

by

by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Video

in Marvin \ Video

It will take me some time to get screenshots ready (maybe this weekend?), but I do know that these two games also look better when run under Glide compared to Direct3D: -Wing Commander: Prophecy (some special effects not available when running in Direct3D mode) -Descent: Freespace (Direct3D renderer …

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Re: AWEUTIL /s needed for EMU8000 initialization on AWE64 CT4520?

Posted on 2024-03-21, 16:05

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by MadMac_5

in Marvin \ Sound

in Marvin \ Sound

When I was using an AWE64 on a 486 in pure DOS, I did indeed need to use AWEUTIL to initialize the sound card properly for FM synthesis emulation. I would also often use AWEUTIL /EM:GM or /EM:GS to let it emulate a General MIDI device, as long as I wasn't using a protected mode program afterward. On …

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