guidance on monitor and os/front ends please.

[coffinsnail]

ok guys here are my basic questions based off your input.

1. which is easiest to use a crt or a lcd monitor?
i want to keep this cheap the monitor 19-21 inchs but i dont want to spend alot, thus the older arcade monitors are out, and i want to keep weight down as much as possible. If you can point me in the right direction for the right controlers and software for either of the above, preferably lcd it would help alot.

2. i would like to run, atari, nintendo, sega and a few others emulators, thus i need pointed in the right direction for a front end that lets me chose the game then starts up the proper emulator easily. think about my nephew who is 5 picking a game and playing simple.

3. want a very minimal os, smaller the better heard there are some linux choices that even run off a live disc. i also am in the process of finding and obtaining a Tiny7 install for later use. so which os would you combind with what front end?

4. finally what are your fav locations to find good Mame Roms?

Thanks guys im doing alot of reading but just thought those who have done this could provide their experianced input for me

[mwong168]

1. which is easiest to use a crt or a lcd monitor?
i want to keep this cheap the monitor 19-21 inchs but i dont want to spend alot, thus the older arcade monitors are out, and i want to keep weight down as much as possible. If you can point me in the right direction for the right controlers and software for either of the above, preferably lcd it would help alot.

Well I have never really had any experience in working with actual arcade monitors besides using an Arcade VGA and J-PAC from ultimarc but this could be costly but the best solution if you have an existing cabinet with a JAMMA harness and want that authentic arcade image quality. 

In your case sounds like you don't and I don't think your 5 year old would know the difference so the easiest and cheapest solution would be to get an old 19-21" CRT monitor that can hook up directly to an VGA or DVI port on your video card.  You could use a old CRT tube tv and output from your video card via S-VIDEO or component but harder to find.  Lastly you could get an LCD monitor or tv and output from your computer via VGA, DVI or HDMI depending on your existing computer.  This would solve your issue for keeping the weight down depending on how big you decide to go but I have seen Dell sell some 24" widescreen LCD for < $200 shipped.

2. i would like to run, atari, nintendo, sega and a few others emulators, thus i need pointed in the right direction for a front end that lets me chose the game then starts up the proper emulator easily. think about my nephew who is 5 picking a game and playing simple.

The easiest to configure front end in my opinion would be Maximus Arcade.  The configuration screen is very simple and straight forward but the program costs $25 I believe but well worth it in my opinion.  I've tried some other free front ends like Mala and they didn't really do it for me in terms of ease of setup and customization.  The only other free one I like is Hyperspin which is a bit more resource intensive and require a stronger computer to run.  But it does look really impressive once you figure out how to set it up and get all the themes after giving an option $10 donation otherwise you will have to wait 3 mins per download of each theme.  Again, money well spent here as well on my part.  I have both front ends working pretty flawlessly for MAME, Future Pinball, Atari, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Gameboy, Sega Master System and Genesis.

3. want a very minimal os, smaller the better heard there are some linux choices that even run off a live disc. i also am in the process of finding and obtaining a Tiny7 install for later use. so which os would you combind with what front end?

I use Windows XP SP3
1) bartop arcade running Maximus Arcade fine but Hyperspin won't work cause it is an Atom processor only
2) showcase arcade running both Maximus Arcade and Hyperspin without any problems

I use Windows 7 (x64) on my HTPC in my living room which I run Maximus Arcade or Hyperspin.  For the controllers I bought a Microsoft Xbox360 PC USB Receiver and sync up my wireless 360 controllers, Hori Tekken 6 wireless stick or custom made HAPP fight stick using a pad hacked Microsoft Xbox360 wired USB controller.

4. finally what are your fav locations to find good Mame Roms?

This is one of the rules of the fight club here, no one will post their favorite locations to find ROMS.  Just use google and I'm sure you will figure it out.  Good luck and hope to see your project thread once you get started.

[coffinsnail]

thanks alot for the input it will surely help. im not worried about processing power ill have a 2 gig most likely in the tower, and maybe even a dual proc. and i plan for min of 2 gig ram. video will depend on the board i use and monitor. i have read about some issues with LCDs that was my main reason for asking. i would prefer a lcd, but if a crt reproduces the images better and has less issues i have no prob with using one.

as far as the rom location i have found many, i was mainly hoping for feedback on which site(s) that dont have many issues with obtaining them, or maybe largest selection of multiple system roms...

again thanks alot for your guidance it makes reading much easier now because i know where to look based off someones experiance. and spending a bit of cash on a good front end would be worth it to me. i will provide images and maybe a video later once i get to that point. right now its all in planning stages, i got a idea for a diffrent type of mame machine that looks like a original standup one, but also minimal space if i can figure it out ill start a thread and see what others thing about the plans for the main box.