IO Sam
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iosam.bsky.social
IO Sam
@iosam.bsky.social
140 followers 99 following 170 posts
Reviews, tutorials and DIY projects for PC, gaming and A&V enthusiasts. YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/IOSam
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iosam.bsky.social
Got one of these obscure VIA C3 cpus (from 2004) to play around... This one runs at 1.2 GHz (socket 370) and was one of the latest with the "nehemiah" core. Now to find a motherboard that works with this... 😬
The image shows a VIA C3 processor. This specific model is identified by the text on the chip as a VIA C3 1.2AGHz (133 x 9.0) 1.45V.
November 25, 2025 at 11:32 PM
iosam.bsky.social
A Fan Control (getfancontrol.com) update (from V248 to V249) just bricked my entire Windows 11 install... Made my main SSD unbootable.

Thank goodness I had JUST updated my backup via Acronis True Image an hour earlier, and was able to restore everything back! This saved me hours of frustration! 🙏
November 20, 2025 at 1:53 AM
iosam.bsky.social
Hmmm... I guess I didn't look hard enough... But I definitely take back what I said about my NOS copy being expensive! Holly smokes!!!
A screenshot of several eBay listings shows different prices for the 3dfx InterAct HammerHead FX vintage gamepad. The listings display photos of the controller in various conditions—used, parts only, and open box—with prices ranging from about $69 to $199. Each entry includes the seller name, delivery cost, and location in the United States.
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
iosam.bsky.social
Cheese FMV cutscenes? Yeah...
Awesome FMV cutscenes? Hell yeah!!! 🤘😆

(not to mention the absolutely kickass soundtrack!)
Two boxed copies of the PC game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 sit side by side on a gray grid-pattern cutting mat. The left version is the “Premier Edition,” wrapped in plastic, featuring a stylized close-up illustration of a woman in a Soviet military cap. The right version shows the same character in full body holding a futuristic rifle, with robots, explosions, and Soviet imagery behind her.
November 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM
iosam.bsky.social
I have no idea how many of these things were sold back in the day, but I have been collecting PC peripherals for a very long time and I only saw one for sale once. It wasn't cheap... but I didn't flinch! 😂
Ebay delivery confirmation of a 3dfx Interact HammerHead FX joystick, sold for US $59.33 in May 4th, 2024.
November 18, 2025 at 6:20 PM
iosam.bsky.social
There was an interesting transitional phase when PC peripherals would come with game ports, but could be converted to USB through the use of included adapters (such as the pictured one that came with my Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro). But that didn't last long...
A person holds two cable ends above an open cardboard box containing a controller wrapped in blue plastic. In the left hand is a USB-A connector, and in the right hand is a metal 15-pin gameport-style connector. The box and cables rest on a cutting-mat surface in the background.
November 18, 2025 at 6:11 PM
iosam.bsky.social
Indeed! And they are surprisingly good with nice analog sticks (besides looking 90's awesome with that translucent shell)!!

The only annoyance is having to use batteries for the rumble... But that was a thing during the game port days (not enough power through the DA-15 port for such a feature).
A person holds a retail box for the 3dfx InterAct HammerHead FX gamepad. The box shows glowing blue eyes across the top, a translucent dual-analog controller on the right, and a sticker advertising a special “Descent 3: Sol Ascent” game version inside. The packaging is mostly blue and black with orange accents, and the hands hold it against a cutting-mat background. The image shows the HammerHead FX gamepad lying flat on the cutting mat. The cable stretches to the left toward a connector, and bits of cardboard packaging are scattered around. The controller’s face is fully visible, showing its dual analog sticks, D-pad, multiple face buttons, and labeled function buttons. The image shows the HammerHead FX controller being held in both hands. It’s a dark, semi-transparent gamepad with two analog sticks, a D-pad, several face buttons labeled A through F, and extra function buttons along the top front. The cable extends upward out of the frame. The background is a gray cutting mat. This image shows the back of the same controller, held in both hands. The rear shell is dark and translucent, with two shoulder buttons and several molded grip curves. White serial number stickers and a small QC label are visible on the back. The background is again a gray cutting mat.
November 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
iosam.bsky.social
100%!!! Once you play X-Wing vs TIE Fighter (or the previous games) with these, there's no going back to keyboard/mouse... I love this setup!
Two hands hold two vintage Thrustmaster controller boxes side by side. The left box is bright red and shows a “Top Gun Platinum” joystick with features printed beside it, while the right box is darker and shows the matching “Attack Throttle” unit with red-lit buttons. Both boxes are sealed in plastic, and the scene is lit from above on a dark background. The second image shows the actual Thrustmaster controls removed from their boxes and placed on a blue-grid cutting mat. On the left is the black “Attack Throttle” with its large dual-lever grip, and on the right is the matching joystick base with a gray throttle wheel and the joystick stem pointing upward. Both units have attached cables visible at the top of the frame.
November 17, 2025 at 5:31 PM
iosam.bsky.social
Considering eBay prices for retro gear of this vintage, you made an unbelievable deal! I paid multiples of that for mine and still don't regret it (although mine is a later revision w/ MMX 233). I have modded the living crap out of it (SCSI, Voodoo3, SB16+PCMidi, etc) and I love this thing to death.
A beige Packard Bell desktop tower sits on a rolling stand on a wooden floor. The front panel shows multiple vintage drives, including a 5-disc Nakamichi CD-ROM changer, an Iomega Ditto tape drive, a floppy drive, and a CD-ROM at the bottom. Various old Packard Bell and 3dfx stickers decorate the case. The scene is lit with cool blue tones, and camera equipment is visible in the background.
November 16, 2025 at 8:59 PM
iosam.bsky.social
And if I had to guess, I'd say the Aztech A3Ds were also cut in the very same factory... 👯‍♀️
Aztech PCI sound card, displaying solder points, circuit traces, and printed markings such as “AZTECH ASC338A,” FCC, CE, PC†, and VCI. A long white barcode label runs down the right edge, and the gold PCI connector is at the bottom. A person holds the back side of a green Turtle Beach PCI sound card, showing solder points, circuit traces, a palm-tree Turtle Beach logo, and regulatory markings including FCC, CE, and VCI. Two white barcode labels are attached near the top and right edges, and the gold PCI connector is visible at the bottom.
November 15, 2025 at 7:42 PM
iosam.bsky.social
Computer companies and their old fascination with naming themselves (or their products) after fruits...

The "Pineapple" Apple II clone was my favorite though... So much creativity!! XD
This is a **vintage computer advertisement** from the early 1980s for the *Pineapple 48K Color Computer Kit*, produced by **Formula International Inc.** of Hawthorne, California. At the top, the headline reads *“Introducing the Pineapple”* with a photo of the computer — a white, rectangular desktop unit resembling an Apple II, featuring a built-in keyboard with black keys and numeric keypad on the right. The ad highlights: * “48K Color Computer Kit” * Price: **$645.00 per kit** * Description noting it’s *easy to assemble*, with all components silk-screened on the PCB and a *high-impact plastic case*. * Features include a numeric keypad, paddle jacks on both sides, and a rear speaker volume control. It’s visually styled like many early-1980s tech ads — black-and-white halftone shading, bold fonts, and a clear “Dealer inquiries invited” tagline at the bottom.
October 27, 2025 at 8:16 PM
iosam.bsky.social
Coincidently, I got my hands on a variant of this chip this week: the AM9080AD1B (a military grade variant of the 9080 made in 1977). An interesting piece of silicon history for sure!
The image depicts someone carefully displaying or examining a vintage AMD AM9080 microprocessor from 1977 — a ceramic, gold-leaded 40-pin DIP package.
October 27, 2025 at 3:13 AM
iosam.bsky.social
Although I still have much bigger problems to be solved on Windows 11 as it turns out...
Windows 11 "blue screen of death"
October 26, 2025 at 9:53 PM
iosam.bsky.social
After some digging here, www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-ASUS/P4B2... says that the SL7EY CPU should not be compatible with your motherboard...
October 13, 2025 at 3:38 AM
iosam.bsky.social
From what I could see from images of this board, it is soldered (no socketed chips in the image). And also no known BIOS versions on the retroweb (the hope here would be to find a custom BIOS designed by the community there), since OEM BIOS versions are usually different from their retail siblings.
October 13, 2025 at 3:15 AM
iosam.bsky.social
Unfortunately, the only place you'll find that type of game today is in the Retro pile...
A photo shows two black wooden shelves filled with boxed and jewel-case PC games from the late 1990s and 2000s. On the lower shelf, there’s a neatly arranged row of classic titles including Shogo: Mobile Armor Division, Septerra Core, Descent 3, NASCAR Road Racing, Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, Whiplash, and Powerboat Racing: Pure Power. To their right are several DVD cases for Soldier of Fortune II, Star Wars Gold Pack, Freelancer, Oblivion, Prey, Bioshock, FEAR, Far Cry, and others. The upper shelf holds large, vintage big-box PC games such as MechWarrior 3, Andretti Racing, Civilization II, Blade Runner, Ultimate Schemer, SimCity 2000, and Myst.
October 11, 2025 at 8:22 PM
iosam.bsky.social
Few artists leave a mark like Roger Dean. Experience his art once, and it lingers with you for life. There’s just nothing else quite like it.
October 9, 2025 at 6:27 PM
iosam.bsky.social
I still relish the days when this was just an impossible dystopian fantasy...
The image shows the cover art for Wolfenstein: The New Order, a first-person action game. In the artwork, a man wearing a brown jacket stands with his back to the viewer, facing a massive armored figure resembling a mechanized soldier. The background features a large red flag with a white circle, reminiscent of Nazi iconography, emphasizing the game’s alternate-history setting. The title “Wolfenstein: The New Order” appears at the bottom in bold white text.
October 6, 2025 at 2:13 AM
iosam.bsky.social
Huh?!?

Another gem in @lgr-yt.bsky.social collection I guess... (youtu.be/CaNDeyYP98A)
eBay listing for a sealed retail box of Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows ME). The box shows the tilted Windows logo with colorful geometric shapes and the tagline “Better Living in the Digital World.” A red burst reads “For PCs without Windows.” The item sold for $733 after 69 bids.
October 3, 2025 at 8:32 PM
iosam.bsky.social
Today was a good day! Finally got my hands on an elusive Nvidia FX5950 Ultra from 2003 (new old stock XFX branded)!!

#nvidia #geforce #retropc #pcgaming
The image shows a full view of an old NVIDIA graphics card placed on top of its original XFX-branded box. The card has a blue printed circuit board (PCB) and a copper heatsink with a circular fan in the center. The fan has a shiny holographic sticker on it. The heatsink has a unique gold-colored cover with cut-out slits radiating around the fan. On the left edge of the card (the side that would face the outside of a PC case), you can see its display connectors: A DVI port on the top. A VGA port (blue connector) beneath it. The gold AGP connector edge is visible at the bottom, which would plug into the motherboard. Along the right edge of the card, several capacitors and power regulation components are visible, standing upright. The card is resting on a cutting mat with measurement lines, placed in front of other electronics (including what looks like a Roland MT-32 sound module and other audio/PC gear in the background). This is an XFX NVIDIA GeForce FX5950 Ultra graphics card, a high-end model from around 2003–2004, with its distinctive copper cooler design. The image shows a close-up of an old graphics card. The blue printed circuit board (PCB) is visible, with a large metal heatsink partially in view on the left. There is a white sticker label attached to the card, which contains product details. The label reads: Ordering code: PV-T38F-UCFB V1.3 W11/04 GF FX5950 ULTRA 256MB DDR VIVO DVI Made in China S/N: FKH149483 The text indicates this is an NVIDIA GeForce FX5950 Ultra graphics card, with 256 MB DDR memory, including VIVO (Video In/Video Out) and DVI output. The PCB has small printed component codes, solder points, and a circular “E” style logo mark. In the background, the corner of the graphics card’s retail box can be seen, with part of the word “FX” and some stylized graphics.
October 2, 2025 at 9:15 AM
iosam.bsky.social
Nice! Thanks for confirming!! I'll give my IBM 486 a try... But if it doesn't work, I can always install it on my Packard Bell (Pentium MMX) which should work fine too. Excited to try out this red beauty! 🤘
Orpheus II card "red pcb edition"
September 29, 2025 at 5:12 PM
iosam.bsky.social
That kind of vibe...
Bill Gates showing up (via a giant on-screen video) during Steve Jobs’ Macworld keynote in Boston on August 6, 1997
September 18, 2025 at 8:52 PM
iosam.bsky.social
The Logitech CyberMan 3D "controller"... An adorable failure of a PC input device!!!
This image shows the retail packaging for a vintage PC gaming accessory called the Logitech CyberMan 3D Controller. A person is holding and demonstrating the Logitech CyberMan 3D Controller, showing its distinctive ball-jointed grip that tilts in multiple directions. The Logitech CyberMan 3D Controller is shown from above, displaying its three buttons on the top grip and the wide circular base with "CYBERMAN" branding. A person’s hand is resting on the Logitech CyberMan 3D Controller, showing how the device is gripped and its three buttons are operated like a mouse.
September 17, 2025 at 7:26 AM
iosam.bsky.social
8 years is a phenomenal run these days! But still sucks to replace expensive gear. I had my Ikea standing desk motor dying on me after 10 years... I guess it was a fair deal for the price. But the price of the new desk + moving my entire setup is draining my soul (miles of cables to reconnect 😫):
September 10, 2025 at 7:34 PM
iosam.bsky.social
Oh yeah! Welcome to the club!! XD
September 6, 2025 at 8:15 PM