Compaq All-in-one 486 MS-DOS Computer Overview - Lazy Game Reviews

During the early 90's the 486 ruled all. But when things started progressing so quickly, it wasn't enough and Overdrive CPUs and such addons became quite popular. Also following in the Macintosh's footsteps came all-in-one case designs for some PCs. This is an overview of the Compaq Presario 425 from 1993, a 486sx processor-based PC, as well 486 and Overdrive chipped machines in general. Also compares its speed to the 386 range of machines.

Footage of:
Windows 3.1
PFS WindowsWorks
Symantec Game Pack
Test Drive III The Passion
DOOM
Duke Nukem 3D
Wolfenstein 3D

This is a response to some requests for footage of some of my systems "in action" instead of just a review. But that would be boring I think - so lots of facts, commentary and history as well.

You can still read up on the official HP site about this particular machine:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00008524&lc=en&c...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• 486
• overdrive
• dos
• computer
• review
• compaq
• presario
• 425
• 100mhz
• 486dx/4
• 33mhz
• ms-dos
• windows
• 3.1
• workgroups
• id
• doom
• wolfenstein
• test
• drive
• apogee
• 80486
• processor
• cpu
• ibm
• clones
• gameplay
• pc
• lgr
• lazy
• gamer
• phreakindee
• retro
• vintage
• model
• intel
• dx4

[strydom666]

time to MoSlo that 486 mah friend.

[phreakindee]

@strydom666 Too bad MoSlo can often result in choppy, sometimes even glitchy, gameplay and performance...

[strydom666]

@phreakindee Yeah, it's a haphazard solution to the problem, had to use it once in Willy Beamish to get past a certain time based section which ended way too soon.

Anyway, I love love love your videos, keep up the good work, you are the boss!

[phreakindee]

@strydom666 I can see it working for something like Willy Beamish, where you just want to slow something down a little bit. It certainly has its uses. But on other games where constant movement is concerned, it drives me crazy due to the choppiness!

And thanks, happy to entertain!

[phreakindee]

@thelyniezian Thanks for looking past my over-reliance on exclamatory filler words!

It does boot quite fast, even on just a 5400RPM HDD. DOS was very quick if maintained properly.

Jerky motion was the sacrifice needed to make 3D games like TD3 run on systems like a 386. Smoother 3D at around 25fps was doable on the 486 but it then nerfed many 386-specific games.

Parallel 5.25" drives exist but are somewhat rare. Ext. CD-ROMs were of the rage & most who needed 5.25" support still had an internal.

[phreakindee]

@thelyniezian Yes, in the case of this machine the motherboard connector is the same 34-pin as 3.5" drives. Most often you'll connect both the 5.25" and 3.5" drive to the same motherboard socket using a cable with multiple connectors: a 3.5" 34-pin socket and 5.25" card-edge connection interface on the same cable.

The oldest floppy controllers use differing motherboard connections, but just about anything from about 1987 forward will use the same connection for both drive types.

[DirtyKameSennin]

I had a similiar little machine, with a 100 mhz 486 cpu, 16 mb ram, I don't remember what kind of vga and a sound blaster pro (if I remember correctly), Windows 95 and DOS 5.0. This piece of crap was even able to run Tomb Raider 2 in software mode 320×240... it was awesome althought a little choppy, but ok.

[TeamRocketReviews]

Could an Overdrive make a 486DX2 run like a P100?

[teknifix]

I remember my old 486dx2 66MHz machine. It was great. I got it,, man was in '93.. saved up $1400 for it because it was top of the line at the time. It died just before I got married. Got a good 12 years out of it. It was my internet router at the end running FreeBSD.

[weirdmindofesh]

I had an old Gateway 2000 486 based computer that had an overdrive chip in it. I think the original 486 was clocked at 33Mhz, the overdrive was clocked at 83Mhz. I remember playing Simcity2000 on it. I also remember the game did not like the sound card, so sound was spastic and often scared me.

[mogar]

OMG nostalgia attack!! I remember running doom, doom2, duke3d, wolfenstein3d, and simcity 2k on our old 486. On the sneak of course. My parents always thought games could "break" a pc, so I had to sneak install all of my games and only play them late at night after everyone was asleep. Thanks for the vid. Reminds me of weekend nights with my friends playing duke3d with the sound all the way down trying not to wake up my parents. Awesome.

[InnerPartisan]

Aaah, the mighty DX4. I remember that, when my Dad finally bought one in '95, I was simply blown away by what I consider to be the Holy Trinity of Origin Games: Strike Commander, Wing Commander 3 and System Shock.

Doom and Ultima Underworld I could kinda-sorta run more or less playably on our old 386 DX25, but these three? Not a chance. The DX4 could even quite comfortably run Duke Nukem 3D, at least in VGA.