Is this PC overkill

[mytymaus007]

Hey im looking to run every emulator with Hyperspin without any problems. is this a good start or is it overkill.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=110228&Sku=B69-9119

[mimic]

I know what is (overkill that is), it's that 1TB hard drive for $80 they asking you to add to basket as an additional "deal". $80 for 1TB! I just got 2TB for $60 from newegg. I would check twice the prices of individual components on newegg.

[fallacy]

Doesn’t come with a graphics card + $500 to the price tag.

Ya it’s overkill you don’t need the next generation Intel Core i7 for Mame. Pentium 4 can run most emulators fine.

[Vigo]

FYI - the 4ghz is the overclocked speed, it is really a 3.2ghz processor. You really can't buy a native 4ghz processor just yet.

Also, I broke down the prices of the each individual item from their price on Newegg, thought it might help. It's over $150 less than the tiger direct price, and if you are able to snag any sales, it could go lower. (The liquid cooling system was not on newegg, so I just used the google shopping price)

ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366: $200
i7-960 Quad-Core CPU: $280
12 GB DDR3 1600 ram (6x2) $132
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 Case: $100
750W power supply: $66
CoolIT ECO-120 Cooling system: $60

Total Cost: $838

My 2 cents is that I do think that something almost as effective can be gotten for even cheaper.

Also, there is no such thing as overkill on CPU speed for mame, as long as budget permits. The flipside is that you will never get all mame games to run without problems, no matter how fast your CPU is. At some point trying to get extra cpu will be a fools errand.

Also, as fallacy pointed out, you will need to get a graphics card as well no matter what. The motherboard listed comes with no onboard video, and you would want a graphics card for non-mame emulators anyway.

[Corbo]

I'm running a core2duo 2.6 with 4gb RAM and an on board Geforce 9300.  I've had no problems with slowdown on any emu's so far.  As discussed in other threads, a lot of the time slowdown is caused by poor emulation which won't be resolved by any amount of GPU horsepower until it's refined.

I've not tried an PC games on my setup though, I wouldn't expect to be able to run GTA or LANoire on my rig, if that's important to you then the PC game specs will be your benchmark.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Also it was pointed out in another thread that beyond the i5 you're buying resources that won't be taken advantage of by any emulator right now. Mame won't fully utilize beyond two cores, and I can't think of any other emulator that requires more power than that.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115073
Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz - $210

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128473
GIGABYTE GA-H67M-D2-B3 LGA 1155 - $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) - $46

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245
SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB - $80

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127436
MSI R4350-MD512H Radeon HD 4350 512MB - $40

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower - $60

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W - $90

total price before shipping: $626

Add a beefier videocard if you plan on running any more modern PC games, but that entry-level ATI card should run the new shaders in mame, any N64/Dreamcast/PSX games at a higher resolution. And if you're using a CRT you can use GroovyMame to get native refreshrates.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Just noticed this combo sale also:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.668119
1x   HEC 63RABB Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Model:63RABB)
$39.99

1x   GIGABYTE GA-H67M-D2-B3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (Model:GA-H67M-D2-B3)
$99.99

1x   hec HP485D 485W ATX12V Power Supply - Power Cord Included (Model:HP485D Retail)
$29.99

1x   Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52400 (Model:BX80623I52400)
$189.99

1x   G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS (Model:F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS)
$39.99

1x   Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Model:ST31000524AS)
$59.99

Combined Total:   $459.94
Combo Discounts:   -$69.95
Combo Price:   $389.99

1Tb is a lot of space for roms. Pop a second drive in there if you need more storage, and tack on that video card from the last post.

[Vigo]

Also it was pointed out in another thread that beyond the i5 you're buying resources that won't be taken advantage of by any emulator right now. Mame won't fully utilize beyond two cores, and I can't think of any other emulator that requires more power than that.

Good point! I can only see the quad core being desired if you are running high end pc games, but in that case a good video card is much more important. A i5 with a good video card should be able to handle just about any pc game to date at the highest quality settings.

[gabe]

I have a hard time calling any PC overkill. Investing in speed now will simply extend the usable life of the computer.

That said, I just purchased a dual core AMD for my MAME cab. I was heavily influenced by this entry from the MAME FAQ:

Does MAME benefit from SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) / HT (Hyper-Threading) / dual cores?

Recent versions of MAME include a -mt switch which allows some tasks to be threaded off for use by SMP or multicore systems. Thus far the benefits from this are relatively small, because accurate emulation such as MAME strives for cannot easily be broken up into parallel subtasks (it would be like trying to have a baby in one month by impregnating nine women). There are exceptions of course, and MAME will support them via this mechanism in the future.

[fallacy]

I have a hard time calling any PC overkill. Investing in speed now will simply extend the usable life of the computer.

That said, I just purchased a dual core AMD for my MAME cab. I was heavily influenced by this entry from the MAME FAQ:

Well it’s overkill if you intend to just have the pc sit in a mame cabinet playing emulator games.

[mytymaus007]

Just noticed this combo sale also:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.668119
1x   HEC 63RABB Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Model:63RABB)
$39.99

1x   GIGABYTE GA-H67M-D2-B3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (Model:GA-H67M-D2-B3)
$99.99

1x   hec HP485D 485W ATX12V Power Supply - Power Cord Included (Model:HP485D Retail)
$29.99

1x   Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52400 (Model:BX80623I52400)
$189.99

1x   G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS (Model:F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS)
$39.99

1x   Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Model:ST31000524AS)
$59.99

Combined Total:   $459.94
Combo Discounts:   -$69.95
Combo Price:   $389.99

1Tb is a lot of space for roms. Pop a second drive in there if you need more storage, and tack on that video card from the last post.

Thanks guys i think this combo sounds great for what it need it for. Yeh if money wasnt a factor you can spend thousands on a PC but if it in your cab what else are you using it for.


Thats another questtion for people who have cabs are you placing the case inside the cab or it it better to have all the PC parts out of the case inside the CAB

[mytymaus007]

Is this a better CPU 3.16 Ghz Intel E8500 Dual Core CPU

or

Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

seems the dual core PC systems are more money

[Paul Olson]

Is this a better CPU 3.16 Ghz Intel E8500 Dual Core CPU

or

Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

seems the dual core PC systems are more money

I don't know what is up with the pricing on the Core2Duos. That processor was only around $90 2 years ago. The i5 should blow it out of the water.

[vorghagen]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the case yet.  A Coolermaster HAF 922 ?!? Why get a fancy looking case when it's going to be INSIDE your cabinet? Just get a basic steel frame with half decent airflow and you're done. Some people don't ever bother with that, they just attach components directly to the cabinet.

[Corbo]

Good point about the case, just mount it on some board.  Easy access to your PC and no airflow restrictions.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the case yet.  A Coolermaster HAF 922 ?!? Why get a fancy looking case when it's going to be INSIDE your cabinet? Just get a basic steel frame with half decent airflow and you're done. Some people don't ever bother with that, they just attach components directly to the cabinet.

I mentioned

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower - $60

The 300 comes with two very large fans that can be set at three different speeds, exhausting heat right around the CPU. It also has an internal rack for somewhere around 6 hard drives. That seems pretty reasonable for me at $60.

Personally I chose to put mine in a case versus mounting to the inside because I never seem to stop tinkering with my system so I like being able to pull the whole thing out as a single unit.

[Corbo]

Personally I chose to put mine in a case versus mounting to the inside because I never seem to stop tinkering with my system so I like being able to pull the whole thing out as a single unit.

You can if it's on a removable board, but each to their own of course.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Personally I chose to put mine in a case versus mounting to the inside because I never seem to stop tinkering with my system so I like being able to pull the whole thing out as a single unit.

You can if it's on a removable board, but each to their own of course.

Indeed. I should have further clarified that when I remove mine, it's usually to do something with it at my office, where the protection of a case is better. But yes a chunk of wood with some standoffs that slides in and out would work just as good, and probably be cheaper.

On the subject of cooling effectiveness there might be some caveats though... Passively cooled components are going to expect some airflow over them which might not happen when not within a case. Obviously active cooled components like the PSU and the CPU will be fine, but 'silent' video cards might end up a little warm. It's at least worth checking post installation.

[Vigo]

A couple of my thoughts about whether or not to use a case.

* A bare computer on a board will have nothing protecting the video card, sound card, and other PCI devices plugged into your mobo. If you are digging around the back of your arcade cabinet, one clumsy hit and you could easily break both your video card and motherboard in one swoop. Just be careful! 

* A bare mobo will probably collect dust quicker, but will be easier to blow off than a motherboard inside a computer case inside a cabinet. A unmaintained computer case can be affected with a serious case of massive dust that screws with ventilation.

* You will have to strap down the computer case well, or you will need to remove the computer when moving your cabinet.

* Taking the side panel off a computer case, then putting it in your cabinet can give you best of both worlds when cooling. It will be opened up, and you will have fans creating airflow. Cheap and improperly placed fans can get annoyingly loud, though.

[GameGeezer]

I run a Dell Optiplex 755, which is a perfect slimline system, in my MAME cab. It cost me a whopping $60 and runs everything perfectly. The only thing I had to add was a video card (the previosu owner pulled it and I was stuck with integrated video) so that stuff like overlays and bezels didn't slow down games... Direct3D9 required more guts than the built-in video, and you could pick up a similar system, with a decent card for under $90. Add abother $30-60 for a bigger drive (a SATA-II 500GB mech is huge for this purpose, unless you're emulating post-2000 systems).

The nice thing about the Optiplex is that it takes up 1/3 of the drawer that I built into the cabinet, and the keyboard and all accessorizes fit in that, rather than being in the main cabinet compartment. this makes alterations quick and painless. The entire PC is about 14" x 14" x 4" in size... You may want to look for one or something similar... It's a 2.4GBz Intel Dual-Core system with 2GB RAM. (That's almost overkill in itself.)

You shouldn't have to put more than $100-to-$150 into your PC setup for an emulation system. -GG

[mytymaus007]

Just noticed this combo sale also:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.668119
1x   HEC 63RABB Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Model:63RABB)
$39.99

1x   GIGABYTE GA-H67M-D2-B3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (Model:GA-H67M-D2-B3)
$99.99

1x   hec HP485D 485W ATX12V Power Supply - Power Cord Included (Model:HP485D Retail)
$29.99

1x   Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52400 (Model:BX80623I52400)
$189.99

1x   G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS (Model:F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS)
$39.99

1x   Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Model:ST31000524AS)
$59.99

Combined Total:   $459.94
Combo Discounts:   -$69.95
Combo Price:   $389.99

1Tb is a lot of space for roms. Pop a second drive in there if you need more storage, and tack on that video card from the last post.

Damm missed out on the combo price!

[mytymaus007]

how is this combo is at least the bare minimum to run Dreamcast playstation and all emulators at this point plus a full hyperspin wheel

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.661390

[Dervacumen]

A couple of my thoughts about whether or not to use a case.

* A bare computer on a board will have nothing protecting the video card, sound card, and other PCI devices plugged into your mobo. If you are digging around the back of your arcade cabinet, one clumsy hit and you could easily break both your video card and motherboard in one swoop. Just be careful!  

* A bare mobo will probably collect dust quicker, but will be easier to blow off than a motherboard inside a computer case inside a cabinet. A unmaintained computer case can be affected with a serious case of massive dust that screws with ventilation.

* You will have to strap down the computer case well, or you will need to remove the computer when moving your cabinet.

* Taking the side panel off a computer case, then putting it in your cabinet can give you best of both worlds when cooling. It will be opened up, and you will have fans creating airflow. Cheap and improperly placed fans can get annoyingly loud, though.

One of the things I love most about this hobby is building the computer in to the cabinet.  It just seems...like I'm building my own arcade machine...  VS. putting a computer in a cabinet and interfacing some controls.  But to each his/her own.  Stays mighty cool too.  And if something needs to be changed or fixed?  Well, it's like working on a car.  PITA.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

how is this combo is at least the bare minimum to run Dreamcast playstation and all emulators at this point plus a full hyperspin wheel

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.661390

I'd throw a video card in with it...even a cheap one like a Radeon 4350HD. Should run everything full speed, except perhaps PS2 and Wii/GC. Those are less mature emulators.