{"id":10096,"date":"2022-02-05T12:06:35","date_gmt":"2022-02-05T12:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/05\/consider-a-retro-pc-build-for-a-fun-nostalgic-project\/"},"modified":"2022-02-05T12:06:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T12:06:35","slug":"consider-a-retro-pc-build-for-a-fun-nostalgic-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/05\/consider-a-retro-pc-build-for-a-fun-nostalgic-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Consider a Retro PC Build for a Fun Nostalgic Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Santi S\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though projects like DOSBox<\/a> and a surge in remasters can help satisfy your nostalgia for games from your childhood, many titles remain unplayable on modern systems. A fun and affordable solution is to build your own retro system using original hardware.<\/p>\n

Satisfy Your Urge to Build a PC<\/h2>\n

At the time of writing in January of 2022, buying a GPU is a difficult and expensive endeavor<\/a>. The global semiconductor shortage<\/a> has touched many industries, including kitchen appliances and auto manufacturing. For gamers, the crisis has hit the price and availability of GPUs the hardest.<\/p>\n

Not only are there so few brand new graphics cards available, but scalping<\/a> has also made getting your hands on a card even harder. Legitimate customers are competing with each other and automated bots that swallow up every shipment of high-end to mid-range NVIDIA and AMD cards. The addition of cryptocurrency miners who are looking for cards further adds pressure on the market.<\/p>\n

With brand new cards hard to come by, the second-hand market has also felt the squeeze. Two and three-year-old NVIDIA 20 series and 10 series cards are selling for vastly inflated rates. It\u2019s one of the reasons that consoles like the Xbox Series X present a real value proposition<\/a> for playing the latest titles if you\u2019re able to get your hands on one.<\/p>\n

\"NVIDIA
NVIDIA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The sad reality of buying a graphics card in early 2022 is that you either have to be very lucky or prepared to spend a lot of money on cards that could be a year or two old. It\u2019s a terrible time to be upgrading your PC<\/a>, let alone building a new one from scratch.<\/p>\n

This has put the brakes on the entire market, since for PC gamers the GPU<\/a> is the \u201cheart\u201d of the system. If your GPU is a few years old, you might not fancy spending money on the rest of the system (not that high-end CPUs<\/a> have avoided a similar fate).<\/p>\n

Fortunately, vintage computer equipment hasn\u2019t seen the same increase in demand that the latest GPUs have. You can\u2019t use them to play the latest games, but they play old games better than many modern machines. If you\u2019re itching to build something, a retro PC might just be the ticket.<\/p>\n

Obsolete Parts Are Cheap and Easy to Find<\/h2>\n

A computer can\u2019t go \u201cout of date\u201d if it was never \u201cin date\u201d to begin with. When you build something to the specification of a bygone era, you\u2019re not expecting top-end performance or compatibility with today\u2019s latest titles. If you buy a Game Boy on eBay, you\u2019re not doing so with the expectation that it can play Nintendo DS titles. A retro PC build should be treated the same way.<\/p>\n

Because these parts are already outdated, there are plenty of them available at bargain prices. Some sellers may attempt to exploit enthusiasts with inflated prices, but there are plenty of legitimate sellers out there who simply want to get rid of hardware for a fair price<\/a>.<\/p>\n

eBay is probably the best resource for old computer gear, especially graphics cards. You can use the Advanced Search feature<\/a> to see what items are selling for, simply check \u201cSold\u201d and enter a query like \u201c3dfx voodoo\u201d to see auctions that have cleared.<\/p>\n

\"GeForce<\/p>\n

Old graphics cards generally go for anything from $10 to $200, depending on how sought-after they are, the condition, and whether or not the auction has a detailed description and good photos available. You may also have some joy at a thrift store<\/a>, many of which hold old PC parts and entire pre-built systems.<\/p>\n

Thrift stores can be a good source of cases, hard drives, optical and floppy drives, and even RAM. You may need to turn to auction sites like eBay for specific components like CPU and GPU models and motherboards<\/a> though.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> What’s the Best Way to Buy a Vintage Computer?<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Pick Your Games and Era<\/h2>\n

What you build likely depends on which games you want to play. There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all retro PC build since the platform has a long and storied past. For example if you want to hear the squeals of a PC speaker while playing DOS<\/a> titles like Commander Keen<\/em><\/a> and Space Quest\u00a0<\/em>then your build will differ wildly from someone looking to enjoy early 2000s titles like Black & White<\/em> or Aliens vs. Predator 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n

One easy way to approach the build is to look at the \u201crecommended\u201d system requirements for a few games that you want to play and build a PC around that. You can go a little higher if you want, but you ultimately want to remain within a few years of these titles for best compatibility. This is easier if you already have a collection of old CD-ROMs<\/a> in the attic.<\/p>\n

\"Unreal
System requirements for Unreal Tournament (1999)
Epic Games<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Your choice of an operating system<\/a> is of course important since many games don\u2019t function correctly on newer platforms. Many Windows 95<\/a> and Windows 98 games stopped working properly on Windows XP<\/a>, and many that worked using compatibility mode stopped with the arrival of Windows Vista.<\/p>\n

From here it\u2019s a case of researching parts to make sure everything is compatible. You may find subreddits like r\/buildapc<\/a> and r\/retrogaming<\/a> useful if you have questions or simply want to see what others have built.<\/p>\n

Original Hardware Provides the Best Compatibility<\/h2>\n

Some games simply can\u2019t be played on modern systems. While many retro games are released on services like GOG.com<\/a> with compatibility fixes, some lie dormant for years. They never receive the patch they need to work on modern platforms, or they\u2019re tied up in licensing hell as the companies that published them have long been absorbed or carved up.<\/p>\n

This includes classics like aforementioned landmark god game\u00a0Black & White<\/em>, the original Civilization<\/em> and its sequel\u00a0Civilization II<\/em>, mechanized combat sim MechWarrior 2<\/em>, and movie making tycoon curio\u00a0The Movies<\/em>. PC Gamer produced a list of games<\/a> that aren\u2019t playable at the moment on any platform; unless you happen to have original hardware.<\/p>\n

While some games are playable on modern platforms<\/a>, it can be difficult to get them up and running. Some require third-party compatibility patches, while others were optimized for Windows 7 or 8 and may not work properly on a new Windows 10 PC. Then there are bugs, random crashes, and all the other instability that playing on a modern platform can introduce.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say games didn\u2019t crash\u00a0a lot<\/em> back in the day, they most certainly did. It\u2019s just that your chances of getting a game working as the developers intended are a lot better when running on the hardware of the time. The only real exception to this is DOS games, the vast majority of which seem to run well under DOSBox. According to DOSBox.com<\/a>, over 91% of tested games are fully supported, with only 1.45% of games being broken in the latest build.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Forget the CRT<\/h2>\n

Finally, don\u2019t forget that the PC is only one part of the equation. To truly scratch the nostalgia itch and experience these games as you played them, back in the day, you\u2019ll likely need to get your hands on an old CRT monitor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like the GPUs and other hardware of the time, only a limited number of these CRTs remain. Unlike graphics cards and processors, CRTs are incredibly heavy and bulky objects that don\u2019t travel well. You\u2019ll likely be limited to what you can get your hands on in your local area.<\/p>\n

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Benj Edwards<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Scour your local Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist adverts to see what\u2019s available. With the retro gaming scene kicking up a notch in the last few years, what you can get can vary wildly. Some sellers will practically give away quality CRTs while others will charge obscene prices to ride the renewed interest in these vintage items.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that a CRT isn\u2019t absolutely necessary. Provided your monitor can accept the output on your graphics card of choice (likely VGA<\/a>, DVI, or DisplayPort<\/a>), either natively or using adapters, you\u2019re good to go. Foregoing the CRT is a great way to save on space (a compromise you might need to make if your significant other or housemates aren\u2019t crazy about dedicating the shared living space to outdated technology).<\/p>\n

A Nostalgic and Educational Project<\/h2>\n

There are many hurdles to overcome to build a working retro PC build, from sourcing parts that still work to solving compatibility issues and hunting down old drivers<\/a>. You\u2019ll also need a copy of whatever operating system is appropriate for your build, likely Windows 98 or Windows XP.<\/p>\n

If you just want to play old DOS games, considering giving DOSBox a go<\/a>. If it\u2019s retro console games you\u2019re after, a modern Xbox console with RetroArch<\/a> is one of the best investments you can make right now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n