A Simple, Unassuming Low-End, Beige Windows 98 Multimedia Machine from the Late 90s Created by a Virtually Forgotten Brand - Tiny: A Nostalgic Look Back
- Mark Henderson
- May 16
- 8 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
A trip down memory lane
In the late 1990s, personal computers were becoming household staples. For families without a PC, budget-friendly options like the Tiny Computers 810LS1 offered an affordable entry into the digital age. Join me on a nostalgic journey as I revisit this rare gem from a bygone era of computing.
Think Big About Your PC – Think Tiny
Tiny Computers, a British PC manufacturer, made waves in the late '90s with affordable, bundled systems. At its peak in 2000, the company claimed to sell 400,000 units annually, capturing a 5% share of the UK PC market. However, financial troubles loomed. By January 29, 2002, Tiny had amassed £45.5 million in debt and entered administration. Its assets were acquired by rival Time Group, and by 2005, Tiny ceased operations. Finding a working 810LS1 today is a rare treat, as these machines have largely faded into obscurity.
Released around 1999–2000, the Tiny 810LS1 targeted budget-conscious households eager to join the internet revolution. Priced at approximately £1,200, it bundled a monitor, speakers, and sometimes a scanner, making it an attractive all-in-one package. Powered by a 450 MHz Intel Pentium III with SSE instructions for enhanced multimedia and 3D performance, it was a solid mid-range desktop for its time—faster than the preceding Pentium II 400 MHz (which lacked SSE and trailed by 10–15% in multimedia benchmarks) but outpaced by higher-end contemporaries like the Pentium III 600 MHz (offering a 33% clock speed boost) or AMD's Athlon 500 MHz (priced at £290 and delivering 15–20% better performance in games like Quake III Arena). Tiny’s reliance on Intel’s brand and OEM partnerships kept the 810LS1 competitive in pre-built systems, even as AMD's offerings tempted enthusiasts with superior price-to-performance ratios.
Chipsets, Features, and Configuration
The “810” in 810LS1 refers to Intel’s 810 “Whitney” chipset (SL3P6), launched in 1999 to replace the iconic 440BX. While the 810 cut costs with integrated graphics, it fell short of the 440BX's enthusiast-grade stability and overclocking potential, which supported faster FSB speeds and AGP slots for discrete GPUs. On the flip side, the 810 was more affordable and power-efficient than emerging rivals like VIA’s Apollo Pro 133, which boasted AGP support and better enthusiast performance but at a higher price point for OEMs. Designed for budget desktops, the 810 featured integrated graphics to slash costs for manufacturers like Tiny. Here’s a breakdown of its key specifications:
North & Southbridge
Feature | Specification |
Chipset Components | 82810 GMCH (Graphics and Memory Controller Hub), ICH0/ICH1 (I/O Controller Hub) |
CPU Support | Slot 1 and Socket 370; Pentium III (e.g., 450 MHz), Celeron (up to 533 MHz) |
Front Side Bus (FSB) | 66 MHz or 100 MHz |
Memory Support | SDRAM (PC66/PC100), 2 DIMM slots, max 512 MB (non-ECC) |
Integrated Graphics | Intel 752 GPU (Portola), 4 MB display cache (shared system memory) |
Graphics Features | DirectX 6.0, OpenGL 1.1, max resolution 1280x1024 at 85 Hz, no hardware T&L |
Fill Rate | ~66 Mpixels/s (limited 3D performance) |
Expansion Slots | No AGP slot; typically 3 PCI slots |
Storage | 2 IDE channels (via ICH1), supports Ultra DMA/33 or Ultra DMA/66, up to 4 drives |
USB | 2 USB 1.1 ports (12 Mbps max), via ICH1 |
Audio | AC’97 2.0/2.1, often paired with codecs like AD1881A |
Southbridge | ICH0 (early 810) or ICH1 (810E/810-DC100), handles I/O functions |
Power Management | ACPI 1.0, supports basic sleep states (S1, S3) |
Networking | No integrated LAN; often paired with a modem (e.g., 56K) in budget OEM builds, like in ours |
Typical TDP | ~5-7W for the chipset (low power draw for budget systems) |
Target Market | Entry-level desktops, OEM budget systems |
The 810 chipset’s integrated graphics and lack of an AGP slot limited its appeal for gamers but made it a cost-effective choice for casual users, especially compared to pricier chipsets like Intel's later 815 (2000), which added AGP and improved graphics bandwidth for mid-range systems.
Super I/O Chip
The Winbond W83627F-AW Super I/O chip handled legacy I/O and system monitoring, a cost-effective choice for budget PCs akin to the more feature-rich Winbond W83977 series used in premium motherboards but sufficient for basic tasks. The AD1881A SoundMAX codec provided decent stereo audio with PHAT Stereo 3D enhancement but lacked hardware-accelerated 3D audio, relying on the CPU for positional effects, which could cause stuttering in demanding games. This was a step up from basic Yamaha OPL3 chips in older systems (which offered inferior MIDI synthesis) but paled against dedicated cards like Creative's Sound Blaster Live! (released in 1998, what we put in ours!), which delivered hardware EAX support and lower CPU overhead for immersive 3D audio in titles like Half-Life.
Configuration
The 810LS1 typically shipped with a 450 MHz Pentium III, 256 MB SDRAM (though some units had 64 MB), a 17 GB Fujitsu 5400 RPM hard drive, a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM combo drive, and a 1.44 MB floppy drive. Its MSI MS-6183 motherboard featured three PCI slots, one PTI/AMR slot, two IDE channels, and supported up to 512 MB of PC-100 SDRAM. The system used a standard ATX 20-pin power connector, but its 83W Sparkle Power SFF PSU was barely adequate, especially as capacitors aged—far less robust than the 145W+ units in higher-end systems like those with Pentium III 800 MHz CPUs, which demanded more headroom for stability.
Graphics and Gaming Performance
The Intel 752 GPU, integrated into the 810 chipset, was designed for basic 2D and light 3D tasks, not gaming. Its 4 MB display cache and shared memory architecture caused bandwidth bottlenecks, especially with 256 MB SDRAM—making it inferior to Intel's earlier i740 discrete card (1998), which had dedicated memory but still struggled with 3D, and vastly outclassed by NVIDIA's Riva TNT2 (1999), which offered hardware T&L and doubled frame rates in benchmarks. Without hardware transform and lighting (T&L), 3D rendering leaned heavily on the Pentium III, limiting performance in modern titles.
2D Performance: The GPU handled Windows 98 SE’s GUI, web browsing, and 2D games (e.g., SimCity 3000, RollerCoaster Tycoon) smoothly at 800x600 or 1024x768.
3D Performance: Gaming was a weak point. Quake III Arena (1999) and Unreal Tournament (1999) crawled at 10–15 FPS at 640x480 with low settings, while Tomb Raider III (1998) and Need for Speed III (1998) managed 15–25 FPS with software rendering.
DirectX Support: The GPU supported DirectX 6.0 natively, with later driver updates for DirectX 7.0 and 8.0, but lacked T&L, forcing CPU-intensive software rendering.
The Pentium III’s SSE instructions helped with floating-point tasks in games like Tomb Raider, but the 100 MHz FSB and half-speed L2 cache limited its potential—positioning it between the slower Pentium II (with no SSE) and faster Athlon processors that excelled in floating-point operations.
Audio Performance
The AD1881A SoundMAX codec delivered reliable stereo audio for casual use, supporting AC’97 2.0/2.1 with a 48 kHz sample rate and 16-bit output. Its PHAT Stereo enhancement added depth to games and music, but the lack of hardware-accelerated 3D audio (e.g., EAX) strained the Pentium III in games like Half-Life. This codec was more advanced than the rudimentary ESS AudioDrive chips in mid-'90s systems (limited to 8-bit audio and poor MIDI) but didn't match the fidelity or features of Aureal's A3D Vortex (1998), which provided superior positional audio via hardware acceleration. Windows 98 SE drivers were adequate, but DOS compatibility was poor, causing audio stuttering in older titles. Windows XP offered much improved driver support for smoother multimedia performance.
BIOS
The BIOS is by AMI. The latest version is A6183MS V1.7 032400, producing the POST string 63-10B1-001169-00101111-071595-WHITNEY. The original BIOS was A6183MS V1.0 090399, but we’ve only encountered boards that originally shipped with A6183MS V1.4 110899.
An interesting note: the 810 chipset’s 82810 GMCH and ICH1 were engineered for a 100 MHz FSB max, as per Intel’s specs. However, the BIOS included a 133 MHz FSB unofficial overclock option. The Pentium III 450 has a locked multiplier (4.5x), so increasing the FSB to 133 MHz would overclock it to 4.5 x 133 = 598.5 MHz, a 33% boost. This does make the one we have volatile and often fails to boot, requiring a CMOS clear.
Hard Drive
The Fujitsu MPD3173AT, a 3.5-inch IDE/ATA HDD from 1999, was a budget-friendly drive. It offered 17.3GB unformatted capacity (around 16GB formatted with FAT32), fitting the era’s needs for OEM desktops. Spinning at 5400 RPM, it had a 512 KB cache, an ATA-66 interface (Ultra DMA/66), an average seek time of 9.5ms, and a max internal transfer rate of about 20 MB/s, though limited by the Intel 810 chipset’s controller to around 15 MB/s in practice.
It used a single platter with two heads, keeping power draw low at 5-6W during operation, ideal for the 810LS1’s 83W SFF PSU. The drive supported basic S.M.A.R.T. for diagnostics and was reliable for light workloads—storing Windows 98 SE, apps, and games, delivering consistent performance for the time. However, its 5400 RPM speed and small cache meant slower load times compared to 7200 RPM drives, and you feel every bit of it!
Optical Drive
A rebranded Mitsubishi CR-584-B drive comes stock. Fairly quiet and designed for basic multimedia tasks, it offers a 12x read speed for CDs (1.8 MB/s max transfer rate) and supports standard 650 MB discs. The Tiny variant included 2x DVD-ROM capability (2.7 MB/s), with hardware decoding relying on the CPU. They also featured a tasteful “DVD” logo printed on the tray cover.
The drive features a 128 KB buffer, an average access time of 110 ms, and uses an ATA-33 interface, compatible with the 810 chipset’s ICH1 controller (Ultra DMA/33 or 66). The OEM variant Tiny chose deleted play/skip buttons and headphone jacks, typical for the custom chassis designs.
These drives tend to fail around this age; ours did. Poor disc recognition and ejection are common symptoms that can be rectified with a good re-oil, cleaning, or a new belt and reader head clean. Unfortunately, this did nothing to fix ours. The problem lurks on the chipset somewhere—beyond our skill set to trace!
Power
The 83W Sparkle Power SFF PSU was sufficient for the system’s low power draw (~60W peak), including the 25W Pentium III, 5–7W chipset, and peripherals. However, aging capacitors reduced reliability over time—unlike the more robust 200W+ ATX PSUs in systems with power-hungry components like the AMD Athlon (up to 45W TDP), which required better voltage regulation.
Driver Support
Drivers are readily available for Windows 9x.
MSI drivers and utilities - 2in1om02f - 2in1om02f.zip
Intel Chipset Driver - 6.3.0.1007 - infinst-autol.zip
Intel Graphics Driver - 4.13.01.3196 - win9xm67.zip
Upgradeability
The 810LS1’s upgrade potential is limited by its three PCI slots and lack of AGP. Recommended upgrades include:
Capacitor Replacement: Essential for aging motherboards to ensure stability.
Sound Blaster Live!: Improves audio quality and reduces CPU load for 3D audio.
Ethernet/USB 2.0 Cards: Enhance connectivity for modern use.
Windows 2000: Offers better stability and driver support than Windows 98 SE. Consider Windows 98SE Unofficial SP4 or KernelEx for 98 users.
A PCI graphics card is an option, but the CPU and chipset bottleneck performance. SATA-to-IDE adapters and SSDs often fail due to DMA issues with the 810 chipset.
Tired World’s Take
TL;DR: The Tiny Computers 810LS1 feels and operates every bit as entry-level as it is. Games we loved, like SimCity 3000, Age of Empires II, and C&C Red Alert 2, will obviously run very well. Games like G-Police handle well, too. You could install a PCI graphics card, but you’d hit a bottleneck with the stock CPU. However, we’d absolutely recommend a Sound Blaster Live! Value card (or similar) to overcome the poor performance of the SoundMax chip. Consider filling that last slot with a USB 2.0 hub for improved connectivity.
We also encountered repeated issues with SATA-to-IDE adapters and SSDs enabling DMA mode; this is likely due to that Intel chipset. We’d recommend Windows 2000 over stock Windows 98 SE for better stability and driver support.
Why Windows 2000? Released in February 2000, it offers superior stability with its NT kernel, reducing crashes compared to Windows 98 SE’s 9x architecture—crucial for the 810LS1’s aging hardware. Given that tinkering with PCI devices and drivers will often demand a rebuild, check out 98 Quick Install for more details! It also provides better driver support for components like the AD1881A audio chip, improving multimedia performance. Enhanced memory management for the 256 MB RAM makes it more reliable for retro tasks than stock Windows 98 SE, though mods like Windows 98SE Unofficial SP4 help with performance tweaks. Remember, KernelEx is a must for those sticking with 98!
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