Pentium MMX and SetMul for smooth Retro PC Gaming

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[Checkerlol]

Can we please take a moment to appreciate how much work that had to be? Wow:D thanks!

[mytube]

I once used Pentium MMX 133 MHz back in 1995. It was the best CPU of all time for overclocking. I overclocked it to 200 MHz and been using it that way in a couple of years so smooth never have any problem.

[senesiano]

At first I wasn't sure if the comparisons were about speeding up or slowing down the CPU. Now I get it is all about controlling how slow you want the CPU to go. It gives a whole new set of options for compatibility with older DOS games. I can think for example that this would work great with a game like Life & Death 1. Thanks Phil!

[quantumfoam]

Super Socket 7 boards are crazy expensive now, so this seems like an excellent option for building a DOS-focused machine. I had already been thinking about building a Socket 7 Pentium MMX, but now I want to do it even more knowing that I could slow things down for older games. Fantastic video, and my thanks to the awesome people at the Vogons forum who made these tools!

[greypatch]

I remember back in 2003, I was repairing a friends pc, had an old mmx cpu. Loaded its ram slots and other cards, made xp run nicely

[ravengaming]

P200 MMX, 64 MB RAM, 3dfx Voodoo Graphics, S3 Virge DX (for 2D), SoundBlaster AWE64, 20 GB HDD, some fast CD-ROM with a floppy drive, Windows 95 and you basically have the best possible 1996 PC. All that's left is some authentic 15 inch CRT screen and beige case and keyboard/ball mouse and several (boxed) classic PC games.

[aeros]

Creating a batch file with those commands simplified would be a good command line option. Thank you for another wonderful video.

[mattpierce]

SETMUL is one of the coolest programs ever written. Quite a few platforms get some benefit from using it. Thanks for another great video Phil, I had no idea the Pentium MMX could be so finely tuned. I love learning new stuff about things I've been working with for 20+ years!

[osgrov]

Oh that's very cool, I didn't know this. Makes a Pentium MMX much more interesing as a do-it-all DOS-box. If only I could find a decently priced mobo I can build one.. Still hunting a working board. :)
Top video, this is the kind of stuff I love to see!

[GabrielZ]

Amazing video Phil, as always! This is why I love Socket 7 builds, they are incredibly versatile.
This is my current retro build, focused mainly between '96 and '98:

Pentium I 233 MMX
Soyo SY-5BT
4x16 MB EDO SIMM RAM
S3 Virge/DX 4MB PCI
SoundBlaster AWE64 ISA
Quantum Fireball 6, 4GB HDD

I'm planning to add a Voodoo2 12 MB PCI in the future to enjoy some nice 3D acceleration!

[kargaroc]

I have an old Pentium MMX PC that I bought from an ebay seller just for the case (since I was building a Pentium 3 computer at the time).
The CPU was originally a K6 350AFR, but I have an old Pentium MMX 200 or 233 that I literally found stuffed in the back of a desk cabinet in 5th grade, and it works fine.
I might actually be able to try this!

[DeadlyGamingLV]

I will try this on my Pentium MMX 166MHz build tonight. I have two P MMX 166 builds so maybe both of them. It's good to see Wing Commander being played. Classic! Thank you for another great video Phil! :)

[mlucas]

You can further enhance this capability with some toggle switches allowing control of FSB and multiplier.

[ryersonfitzpatrick]

My First Retro PC was a gift from a friend in 2011 or so. A Digital Equipment Corporation DEC PC5100. Pentium 233MMX, 64MB RAM, Onboard S3 ViRGE, and a Crystal sound card. I had an ATI Rage II+DVD and a Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold that I'd salvaged from work, and I think this was an exceptionally good PC for costing me nothing.

[CMDRSweeper]

Watching Wing Commander is interesting, it gives me an insight into the game I love the most from the DOS Era.
Strike Commander, and I can see the similar design elements, but I can't ever see myself tackling a space sim that black, there is just no landmarks.
At least in Strike Commander you have the ground and sky to look for and orient yourself... I am so spoiled after all these years of nice graphics :D

[RetroTinkerer]

Yeeeyy just arriving home from work and a Phil video is waiting for me!

[wh]

Back when you had full hardware/software control over every component in your system...

[roguenova]

Hey Phil,
Thanks for another great insight into the slowdown techniques, the BPD switch was the last piece of a puzzle for my non-MMX P133 box.
Does your motherbord have the Soft Turbo feature invoked by CTRL+ALT+GreyMinus? There's usually an option called "Boot Up System Speed [Fast / Slow] in the BIOS if it's supported. This feature can actually make WC, TD3 etc playable in an instant (works in pure DOS only). If any of your S7 boards have it - this could make a killer material for time machine videos :)

I Love my Pentium 233 MMX and my P2 450, thanks man for more one excellent video for us.

[joshwitt]

Thanks again Phil! I really enjoyed this one if I didn’t already have a k6 system I’d be picking this one up.