DOS gaming PC - SOLD

[cwilbar]

 

Recently built this but have decided to use different hardware instead....  so I have a Compaq Deskpro 386s 386SX-16 DOS gaming computer that I have put together.

 

It is in excellent cosmetic condition.  The (genuine compaq) 3.5" floppy drive's face is a lighter color, and either the blanking bezel or the 5.25" drive's faceplate has changed color with age, so that is the only cosmetic flaws with it.

 

I have replaced the battery with a CR2032 cell, I replaced the dead hard drive with 100+ M working unit.

 

It has DOS 6.22 on it, Windows 3.1 (for playing Windows Entertainment Pack and other small Windows 3 programs), and a multi-config boot menu for DOS, Windows, or Compaq Setup utility.

 

I have added a 3.5" drive (genuine Compaq) (now as drive A:) and it retains it's original 1.2M 5.25" drive (as drive B:).

 

I have added a sound card to the system.

 

I have tested this with SimCity and Commander Keen series and it works nicely for old DOS games.

 

System does have only 1MB of RAM so would not make a good Windows 3 system (and will not run in 386 Enhanced mode w/o a memory upgrade).

 

Currently selling the bare system, but I should have a keyboard and mouse around if ones were needed (PS/2).

 

Open to offers, was going to sell it on eBay, but decided to offer it here first.

 

-- Curt

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by cwilbar

[oo7]

Umm dos box.

[Sir Guntz]

55 minutes ago, oo7 said:

Umm dos box.

You could say the same of literally every old platform that's popular on this site. Please don't clutter sale threads with anti-retro nonsense.

[jesusc]

(anti-vintage)

[oo7]

2 hours ago, Sir Guntz said:

You could say the same of literally every old platform that's popular on this site. Please don't clutter sale threads with anti-retro nonsense.

Except that running “retro x86 code” native on new chips cycle accurate requirements does not include emulation its native. Sorry its just the truth. Now if we were talking things such as voodoo graphics at least different story. Sorry but I honestly find that one funny. The software is classic, the hardware replaceable even without emulation.

[Keatah]

1 hour ago, oo7 said:

The software is classic, the hardware replaceable even without emulation.

True enough. The software is runnable in emulation or virtualization or even hardware similar to what the OP described. It's all generic stuff.

 

But..but.. the stuff the OP is selling may be nostalgic to someone looking for those specs or exact parts. Period specific. And that's where some $$$ may come into play.

[bluejay]

On 9/26/2021 at 10:12 AM, oo7 said:

Umm dos box.

I think it’s rather clear that physical retro PCs are still desirable even with emulation being a thing. One isn’t buying vintage hardware because there aren’t other options to enjoy the software. For a lot of us, emulation simply isn’t as fun as playing on actual, period correct hardware. If you don’t understand that, then I dunno what to tell ya, cause that’s just how it is. Either way, someone’s for sale post isn’t the right place for people like you to remind all of us about the existence of emulation. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by bluejay

[Asaki]

11 hours ago, oo7 said:

Umm dos box.

Correct: some people call these "DOS boxes". Very cool setup for games that play too fast on anything newer than a 386.

Sometimes you can disable turbo and other features and get even older games running properly.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Asaki

[cwilbar]

thanks (I think?) for bumping my listing ?

 

This one might have to go to eBay, as it only has created discussion here and no sale ?  ...

 

One more bump for anyone interested.

 

[3DFXgamer]

It sounds like a nice DOS rig. If I didn't already have too many vintage PCs I'd throw an offer your way. Maybe pics would help to catch people's attention?

[cwilbar]

Yeah I can toss a pic up....

It is in great physical shape, with that classic Compaq desktop design.  Only issue is the 3.5" floppy drive was from a different Compaq (it didn't have one when I started work on it), and the 5.25" drive and the blanking bezels yellowed differently.... so the drive bay area presents 3 different colors between white and a darker beige ?

 

It is clean and I replaced the battery with a CR2032 coin cell.  I'll see about attaching some pictures.

 

 

[Asaki]

15 hours ago, 3DFXgamer said:

It sounds like a nice DOS rig. If I didn't already have too many vintage PCs I'd throw an offer your way.

Ditto, it sounds like a nice machine.

[DragonGrafx-16]

On 9/25/2021 at 11:51 PM, oo7 said:

Except that running “retro x86 code” native on new chips cycle accurate requirements does not include emulation its native. Sorry its just the truth. Now if we were talking things such as voodoo graphics at least different story. Sorry but I honestly find that one funny. The software is classic, the hardware replaceable even without emulation.

Except DOSBOX is an emulator and you can't natively run code for DOS on a modern PC. Some like me don't want emulated sound either... I want hardware FM synthesis.

 

You also can't run 16bit Windows programs on most modern PCs either. And DOSBOX also has it's flaws in emulation too... I've run the same games in DOSBOX and on real hardware and noticed the real hardware running much more smoothly (this depends on your hardware though). 

[Keatah]

3 hours ago, DragonGrafx-16 said:

Except DOSBOX is an emulator and you can't natively run code for DOS on a modern PC. Some like me don't want emulated sound either... I want hardware FM synthesis.

I don't mind either emulated FM Synthesis or a real OPL-3 Yamaha chip. I've been rather impressed at how close the two sound.

 

3 hours ago, DragonGrafx-16 said:

You also can't run 16bit Windows programs on most modern PCs either. And DOSBOX also has it's flaws in emulation too... I've run the same games in DOSBOX and on real hardware and noticed the real hardware running much more smoothly (this depends on your hardware though). 

IDK. I get pretty smooth and consistent play of tons of games. I also find configuring and working with the virtual system easier and faster than the older real hardware. Mostly.

[DragonGrafx-16]

I enjoy my DOS system and that's all that matters to me... also it was cheap to put together. I only paid $20 for the PC (not including hard drive and the sound card).

[oo7]

1 hour ago, DragonGrafx-16 said:

I enjoy my DOS system and that's all that matters to me... also it was cheap to put together. I only paid $20 for the PC (not including hard drive and the sound card).

there is a reason $20.... Just being honest.

[DragonGrafx-16]

3 hours ago, oo7 said:

there is a reason $20.... Just being honest.

You're not being honest... you're being an ass.

Edited September 29, 2021 by DragonGrafx-16

[bluejay]

4 hours ago, oo7 said:

there is a reason $20.... Just being honest.

Yep. $20 is totally market value. DOS PCs of this era for sure aren’t selling for hundreds of dollars and he can’t possibly have just got lucky because everybody except you want them. Nosiree. 

[DragonGrafx-16]

BTW my DOS PC was $20 because I bought it from another retro computer enthusiast from another forum who was letting it go at a discount because my original DOS PC stopped working. 

[oo7]

my biggest point is without dos box, without emulation you can still get modern hardware to natively run 16 bit software.

 

 

its not the same kind of retro as needing special chips etc. 

 

 

the is nothing classic about it. Do your homework and you will see what I mean, heck you can even enable native 16 bit support on Windows 10 32 bit. for this I would install secondary os 32 bit in dual boot and enable native 16 bit. then you have a system with true 32 bit and true 16 bit with modern hardware easy to find and the ability to then even drop to native dos mode.

 

I mean if people like that hardware obviously that is cool, but im hoping people know they have options to run proper true native code without having to buy old hardware.

 

its not the same as going from custom ics to pc when your talking x86 to x86.....

 

[cwilbar]

Maybe I should have started a retro dos pc discussion instead of posting a system for sale ?

 

Like anything else, there are those users that want it to just work, emulation or other non retro solutions are just fine.... and that is OK.  And there are others who like having an old retro system.

 

For instance, I use Altirra to emulate Atari for testing disk images/etc.... but I prefer to use the software on real hardware.  And I really like my old retro hardware.

 

I just bought an IBM PS/2 Model 70.  386DX-25 w/64K cache (top of the line config PS/2 model 70).  Why.... (especially considering this is microchannel architecture, and we all know there are so many microchannel cards out there that they are dirt cheap and easy to get, right ? .....)..... because of nostalgia.  I learned most of my early PC stuff back in the days just after the PS/2 came out.... and working for the academic computing department in the University I was attending, I worked in a lab full of PS/2 Model 50s, supporting student use of the equipment.  So, there is nostalgia there.... the 70 looks all of what the 50 does... but it's much better than the 50 ?

 

I'm sure someone will appreciate this, and I do still need to get a photo of it up here.  Its a nice clean vintage PC.  Game with it, use it to recover data from 360K and 1.2M 5.25" drives, etc.... 

 

I don't mind all the free bumping... but this is a reminder it is a for sale post... so if all this discussion has gotten a lurker interested in it... just PM me ?

 

 

 

[DragonGrafx-16]

2 hours ago, oo7 said:

my biggest point is without dos box, without emulation you can still get modern hardware to natively run 16 bit software.

 

 

its not the same kind of retro as needing special chips etc. 

 

 

the is nothing classic about it. Do your homework and you will see what I mean, heck you can even enable native 16 bit support on Windows 10 32 bit. for this I would install secondary os 32 bit in dual boot and enable native 16 bit. then you have a system with true 32 bit and true 16 bit with modern hardware easy to find and the ability to then even drop to native dos mode.

 

I mean if people like that hardware obviously that is cool, but im hoping people know they have options to run proper true native code without having to buy old hardware.

 

its not the same as going from custom ics to pc when your talking x86 to x86.....

 

Right because you can totally natively run DOS games on modern Windows 32bit. Windows 9x games? Sure... but even then you'll have issues. Windows stopped supporting most DOS programs since XP. Now if you install DOS on a partition it would work but most games would not run correctly.

[oo7]

6 minutes ago, DragonGrafx-16 said:

Right because you can totally natively run DOS games on modern Windows 32bit. Windows 9x games? Sure... but even then you'll have issues. Windows stopped supporting most DOS programs since XP. Now if you install DOS on a partition it would work but most games would not run correctly.

Running nicely here.

But what do I know? lmao

 

Well hey if I was right no one would be lining up to buy a 386 cpu......

[DragonGrafx-16]

5 hours ago, cwilbar said:

Maybe I should have started a retro dos pc discussion instead of posting a system for sale ?

 

Like anything else, there are those users that want it to just work, emulation or other non retro solutions are just fine.... and that is OK.  And there are others who like having an old retro system.

 

For instance, I use Altirra to emulate Atari for testing disk images/etc.... but I prefer to use the software on real hardware.  And I really like my old retro hardware.

 

I just bought an IBM PS/2 Model 70.  386DX-25 w/64K cache (top of the line config PS/2 model 70).  Why.... (especially considering this is microchannel architecture, and we all know there are so many microchannel cards out there that they are dirt cheap and easy to get, right ? .....)..... because of nostalgia.  I learned most of my early PC stuff back in the days just after the PS/2 came out.... and working for the academic computing department in the University I was attending, I worked in a lab full of PS/2 Model 50s, supporting student use of the equipment.  So, there is nostalgia there.... the 70 looks all of what the 50 does... but it's much better than the 50 ?

 

I'm sure someone will appreciate this, and I do still need to get a photo of it up here.  Its a nice clean vintage PC.  Game with it, use it to recover data from 360K and 1.2M 5.25" drives, etc.... 

 

I don't mind all the free bumping... but this is a reminder it is a for sale post... so if all this discussion has gotten a lurker interested in it... just PM me ?

 

 

 

Don't worry about assholes. I'm sorry he had to derail this thread. You can ask mods to fix this thread.

[Turbo-Torch]

On 9/29/2021 at 1:22 PM, oo7 said:

there is a reason $20.... Just being honest.

 

I've been looking for a good used 5¼" 1.2mb floppy drive.  I don't care what brand or even the faceplate color as long as it works.

Apparently I've been looking in the wrong places, can you please point me to one for $20 bucks?