Hello everyone!
I just showcased two of my DOS rigs in a new video - and they couldn’t be more different. One is a classic 486 setup with authentic early‑90s MIDI hardware, while the other is an absolutely over‑the‑top DOS/Win98/XP hybrid with ISA support running on a 1 GHz Athlon. Both fill their own very specific retro niche.You might already know the monster at the end of the clip - but the one at the beginning is a new (old) workhorse
Enjoy the video - it ended up being a bit longer than planned, including some nice fresh‑snow vibes…
40 mins video captioned “Best MS DOS gaming PC ever”
…so grab yourself some snacks 
I’d really appreciate any feedback on the video or the builds
I also linked my DOS config and other details below the video.
PC #1 - 486 DX2‑80 MIDI Workstation
A pure DOS machine built around a PC‑Chips UM8810PAIO board with four ISA slots. It runs a 486 DX2‑80, a Trident TGUI9440, and boots from two 2 GB CF cards.The highlight is the audio stack: Sound Blaster Pro, Arowana ALS100+, plus external Roland modules (SC‑55 and MT‑32). Perfect for DOS games and early‑90s MIDI tracks.Power comes from a fanless Silentmaxx PSU (with −5 V), making the system practically silent.
Specs:
- PC‑Chips UM8810PAIO (4× ISA, 3× PCI)
- UMC UM8881 chipset
- 486 DX2‑80
- Trident TGUI9440
- 2× 2 GB CF cards
- Sound Blaster Pro
- Arowana 1603 (ALS100+)
- Roland SC‑55 + Roland MT‑32
- Silentmaxx FL 350 fanless PSU (with −5 V)
PC #2 - DOS/Win98/XP Hybrid (starting at 41:56 in the video)
This one is more of a monster: a Gigabyte GA‑7IXE4 with ISA slots paired with an Athlon Thunderbird @ 1 GHz. It runs DOS, Windows 98, and Windows XP on the same hardware and carries sound hardware from three different eras.LAPC‑I and GUS handle DOS, the SB Live! covers the late 90s/early 2000s, and everything sits inside an Avance Airliner Terminator tower with a fanless PSU.
Specs:
- Gigabyte GA‑7IXE4 (2× ISA, 5× PCI, 1× AGP)
- AMD‑750 chipset
- Athlon Thunderbird 1 GHz
- Radeon 7000 + Matrox Millennium
- Roland LAPC‑I + MCB‑I
- Roland SC‑55
- Gravis Ultrasound Classic (1 MB)
- Sound Blaster Live! Value
- Seagate 80 GB IDE
- Colorado QIC‑80 streamer
- Avance Airliner Terminator case
- Thermaltake 350W fanless PSU (with −5 V)
Rough timeline of the XXL video, in case you want to pick your favorite parts
- 00:00 – 08:15 – Space Quest 3
- 08:15 – 11:10 – Overview of my MIDI setup + Arowana MPU configuration
- 11:15 – 15:10 – Under A Killing Moon
- 15:12 – 16:29 – Arowana sound card overview + Gameport‑to‑MIDI cable
- 16:30 – 18:45 – MIDI demo on the Roland SC‑55
- 18:46 – 19:50 – Introduction to the SoftMPU tool
- 19:51 – 27:44 – Wing Commander 3
- 27:45 – 28:26 – Weighing the 17‑inch CRT Viewsonic monitor (oof g)
- 28:27 – 34:02 – Weighing old and new PC keyboards + “comparison test” g
- 34:03 – 36:07 – Dallas BIOS chip battery piggyback mod
- 36:15 – 38:37 – Dialing into the Snobsoft BBS with the US Robotics modem
- 38:38 – 40:17 – Overview of the passive PSU and AT‑to‑ATX adapter + wiring to the case switch
- 40:18 – 41:55 – Conclusion
From 41:56 onward - Showcase of the DOS hybrid monster, including Turrican, Mortal Kombat 2, DOS demos, another BBS session, etc.
