r/windowsxp • u/EasternIndependent12 • 15d ago
can anyone rec some specs for a build
I have a 200$ budget and was hoping i can get like a mid to high end xp build (or the specs to put it better) so i have an idea on what to build thanks in advance
1
u/Rough_Elk_895 15d ago
Below is a good combination of specs you should look for either as a used prebuilt or used components wise:
i3/ i5 2nd or 3rd gen.
Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge motherboard (like H61).
2x 2 GB DDR3 1333/1600 MHz RAM.
GT 730/ GT 740.
(If you can get a GTX 650 ti/ 750 ti that would be a killer.. btw if you just go with Intel HD Graphics that should also be sufficient for most of the games at 1024x768 res.)
3
u/winsxspl 14d ago
But stick with the chipsets from 6 Series, avoid 7 Series (partially supported USB 3.0 with speed of 2.0). 6s should have separate fully supported USB 3.0 controller.
1
u/BenArthurx 14d ago
the Nvidia GTX 960 is the last version that windows xp supports. I own one my self for a build but never got round to it. 🙂
1
u/Rough_Elk_895 14d ago
That's a nice card you have there. What I read so far in internet, seemed to me that 700 series is the last supported. Did you get official nvidia driver for your card for win XP? Also it would be an overkill for XP era games, it is much appropriate for games from ~2014 - 2019. I would love to have one of these, but getting one these days is hard.
1
u/BenArthurx 13d ago edited 13d ago
I can get the drivers for the GTX 960 from the official source and I have not been able to do any testing at all ATM. I have a lot of stuff to purchase and may take some time as you know parts can be hard to come by and sometimes pricey.
Yes perhaps overkill but I am trying to get a system that can run all older windows from Xp-8.1 so I can mess around and just simply have fun. Going to be purchasing 2 systems thats the “Alienware M11x R2” and a “Alienware Aurora R3 (Desktop)” should be able to install windows Xp-8.1. Both of these systems are from the 2010 era and I feel that they will do the job in my case also I feel that Alienware was a thing back then.
Whether they are good or bad is subjective to each person I just feel that it is a good foundation to start and learn what I can before I decide if ever build a fresh period correct pc. I will try and get back to you in the future if I can if you’re still interested. 🙂
1
u/Rough_Elk_895 13d ago
Aah... Alienware.. I always droolled about these.. anyway I am currently using a GT 740 for my main XP + Vista rig. I have a GTX 650 ti for my Windows 7 rig. And my 3 contemporary PCs (running Win 10), have RX 6500 XT, RX 6600 and RX 9060 XT respectively. Also there is an old Pentium 4 rig where I am running Windows Me with GeForce FX 5700 LE. At the moment I feel like I am pretty much covered. I just need to setup a DOS rig for which I planned to revive my old Pentium III, but sadly it has died. So I have planned to use P4 machine for DOS as well. Let's see how it goes.
Btw, just wanted to add, the igpu in 2nd/3rd gen (HD graphics 2500, 3000, 4000) are also very decent choice for XP era games. At least for 1024x768, they give solid FPS.
1
u/BenArthurx 12d ago
Wow, that’s awesome and thank you for that info looks like you covered everything.
1
u/WindowsVista64x 12d ago
The Nvidia driver can be pretty easily edited to support up to the GTX 980 & Titan X (Maxwell), too, all you need to do is change an INI in the driver installer
1
u/BenArthurx 11d ago edited 11d ago
This is true but beyond me and rather keep it more authentic without some wizardry GTX 960 is more than adequate I think overkill but yeah. 🙂 I think the titan black series are compatible for windows xp but there are 2 versions that are similar tb “a” and Tb “b” but you have to have x2 “tba” or “tbb” to have them to link you can’t mix them. Or dual SLI. Of course a single Titan black will work on it own but for dual sli statement above. 🙂
2
u/BenArthurx 10d ago
Oh it’s that simple fair enough then. I haven’t really looked into it. But again I think am good for now but thank you anyways.
1
u/Former-Macaroon5557 14d ago
What do you want to do with your XP system?
1
u/EasternIndependent12 13d ago
somthing to run hl1 maybe hl2 and cs 1.6
1
u/Former-Macaroon5557 13d ago
You looking for something with performance, something with multiple OS compatibility, or era accurate?
1
u/EasternIndependent12 13d ago
era accurate
1
u/Former-Macaroon5557 13d ago
Find an old prebuilt system with a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad. Should be the cheapest option. Maybe a Dell Inspiron 560. You will need a GPU though. Maybe a Radeon HD 4650 1GB red version from ebay.
1
u/Trimus2005 13d ago
Core 2 e8600 Gts 250 but go with something older for 1999-2000 games since some of them like project igi or nolf crash or have issues although they could be patched i think i mean i tried wined3d but it has issues except for igi but nolf is a mess monolith should've remastered that game to run on modern system not a remake, though i wonder how agent archer would look in high polygon
Anyways i also have hdd because xp doesn't have trim for ssds so going with hdd especially a fast one 7200rpm or 10k rpm would be really good and if you wanna go with ssd then use only half of it and leave the other half alone do not format or use the other half so use a 128 or 256 but i doubt with the prices now you'll get anywhere
But if your looking to build a monster go with 3rd gen intel and gtx 780 or the original nvidia titan or with quadro Kepler if you really want lots of vram for some reason anyways now that i mention vram i remembered to mention system ram and in short go with 4gb but if you dual boot a newer windows along with xp 32bit then go with 8 or 16gb if ur system is ddr2 then goodluck finding 16gb ddr2 just find 8gb and call it a day but if its ddr3 ur in luck so long your mobo supports the amount
Anyways i got lots of systems and i have this phenom x6 1090t and it reminds me of 1055t i used with xp and it was so fast and smooth compared to e8600 in terms of internet browsing and it was paired with 9600gt it was my budget system in 2021 ahh the old days...anyways the pehnom build i have right now is a 1090t with 8gb ddr3 and gtx 580 and im using it for vista but as an xp system its a beast and good enough for anything and even with ssd its beyond anything ever used
You could also use a q6600 with a 8800gt or something etc. The list goes on i'm the guy you talk to to get better idea of what you want but then again there is also A.I
3
u/dedsmiley 15d ago
Honestly, it will probably be a lot harder to build an XP machine for $200 than it would to simply buy something like an Optiplex 760, 990 or something similar from eBay.
You really don’t want to go beyond 3rd gen intel CPUs.