AMD AM3 an ok choice?

[fluentd]

I am starting to spec out the computer for my first MAME machine. I havent decided on what route I want to go but I was thinking an AMD AM3 would save me quite a bit but wanted to make sure that AMD was ok to run with MAME and other emulators.

[BadMouth]

Depends on what games you want to run in MAME and what "other emulators" you want to run.

Are 3D games like Tekken, Soul Edge, or Ridge Racer important to you?
Do you plan to run a PS2 or Wii emulator?

[fluentd]

No Wii or PS2.

Never was a Tekken fan... ridge racer... maybe... I also plan to run ScrummVM not sure if that should determine my decision either. I plan to put in a GPU as well that will be sufficient but not sure what would be a good choice. I want to keep this build on a budget because I plan to sell it.

[BadMouth]

No Wii or PS2.

Never was a Tekken fan... ridge racer... maybe... I also plan to run ScrummVM not sure if that should determine my decision either. I plan to put in a GPU as well that will be sufficient but not sure what would be a good choice. I want to keep this build on a budget because I plan to sell it.

There isn't an X3 fast enough to run Ridge Racer. 

I have a 2.9Ghz X3 in my primary setup, and a 3.4Ghz X3 in both my driving cab and new project. (have around $250 in each pc)
The 2.9Ghz one is just fast enough to run Carnevil and Tekken 3, but I've done a lot of tweaking in windows to save resources.

You'd probably be happy with a 3.2Ghz or 3.4Ghz one.  I wouldn't recommend anything slower unless you have no interest in 3D games. (and the price difference is negligible)
It's fast enough to run a fair number of the 3D games including Tekken, Dreamcast on NullDC, Atomiswave on Demul, etc.

The X3's are toward the end of their life cycle, but I like them for budget builds because you can save money by buying a 90w 95w mobo and smaller power supply.
I recommended this setup last month to someone who wasn't sure what pc components to buy and they were thrilled with it.

That said, if you have a bigger budget, the Intel i5 2500k or faster is the way to go.

[fluentd]

Here is what ive come up with for mobo, cpu, ram.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SRQ214/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DDI0IE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006MCSGZQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Im guesing 8 gig ram is fine? Also should I go with this cpu or upgrade to an FX processor? Any suggestions for GPU?

[BadMouth]

First and last link are both showing the mobo.  I usually only spend around $40 for a budget mobo to go with this processor.
(get almost all my stuff from newegg.com)

Amount of memory depends on the OS you are using.
XP won't recognize more than 4GB including what's in your graphics card (if you have one).
8GB is fine for Win7.

I've read that the AMD GPU's suck for MAME, but I don't have any personal experience with them.

[fluentd]

ok fixed http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SRQ214/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[BadMouth]

ok fixed http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SRQ214/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Sorry, I thought you were asking about X3 processors for some reason.  (Insted of AM3 socket) 
That one will require a 125w mobo and bigger power supply, but would probably perform a little better than the X3.
Looks like a good combo to me!

[fluentd]

Next thing would be the GPU... Will a 9800 be sufficent.. maybe geforce 430?

[fluentd]

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Express-Graphics-01G-P3-1302-LR/dp/B0049MPQA4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348773315&sr=1-1

If this is sufficient enough I think its a good buy. Not really sure how much the GPU comes into play with emulators?

[BadMouth]

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Express-Graphics-01G-P3-1302-LR/dp/B0049MPQA4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1348773315&sr=1-1

If this is sufficient enough I think its a good buy. Not really sure how much the GPU comes into play with emulators?

MAME only uses the video card for scaling and special effects like scanlines. 
If you aren't using those features and only wanted to run MAME, you could probably get by with the onboard video.
Onboard video would probably be good enough for Sega Model 2 emulator. 
Not as sure about NullDC and Demul.  I have an 8600GT in all my systems.  They're old, but have s-vid out and get the job done.
I'm completely lost when it comes to the nomenclature on new video cards.

[fluentd]

ok awesome.. I will try it out with the onboard video and see how it goes.. if it needs a boost then I will throw in a video card.

[molton]

AMD typically gives you more bang for your buck despite what you hear, go AMD for processor and video IMO, and many AMD video cards are a little less power hungry than NVIDIA from what i've seen.  For mame what matters more than the amount of cores is how fast each individual core is, I wouldn't get less than 3.0 ghz per core. AMD also integrates video into their new line of A processors, they work much better than intel integrated graphics.

[Yenome]

thats the same cpu i use for my main gaming rig. its awesome. Unless you need svideo out i wouldnt even bother with a gpu as that mobo has vga,dvi and hdmi for video output. Also as to xp and memory xp can use up to 128gb of memory. yea thats right. use the 64 bit version. 4gb limit only applies to the 32bit versions of all windows os.

[fluentd]

Just found this deal on newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130637&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS092912&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS092912-_-EMC-092912-Index-_-AMDMotherboards-_-13130637-L07B

69.99 for the MOBO with much better reviews

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS092912&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS092912-_-EMC-092912-Index-_-ProcessorsDesktops-_-19103996-L07A

with promo code EMCYTZT2268 makes it 94.99

[molton]

you can find A series processors for about the same price at tiger direct and that will give you a massive improvement over standard integrated graphics

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1723935&csid=_61

[fluentd]

That A8 processor only has a 3.0 ghz clock speed. Shouldn't I be more concerned about that rather than GPU?

[molton]

that A8 is an excellent balance, most people usually need more than standard integrated graphics, this one is $119 and is 4.2 GHz, i wish my mobo was am3 i'd buy one right now, but with that i'd recommend something extra for gpu.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1963183&CatId=7341

[SithMaster]

3GHz?  In 2012?  Man, technology is sad.  I bought some cheapo $20 processor and overclocked it to 2.8GHz today.   

To be fair that's speed per core as processor manufacturers skate around moore's law.  I find it sad that I can't find new multicore processors for my AM2 socket mobo that don't cost more than buying a new mobo and processor (or close to it).

[Lilwolf]

don't forget that (Intel anyway) that an I7 quad at 3ghz is much faster then the c2q 3ghz is much faster then the original Xeons. 

As for video cards.  Only care if you plan on playing non-mame games.  SFIV needs a bit of a card.   9800 is great for mame, but wont fly in SFiV

[molton]

A newer fighting game by Capcom, Streer Fighter X Tekken runs at 60 FPS on my AMD AM2 dual core 2.1 GHz with my fanless low profile AMD Radeon HD 5450 I got for $35, the AM3 will work great, save yourself some money and go that route.

(motion blur had to be turned off, but all other effects on and quality set to high, 1360x768 graphics) 

It also runs future pinball very well at 1920x1080 with all graphics way up, thats why i bought it 

[Tonyjambo]

So i had a very similar question recently - my original pc ( a 2.4ghz pentium 4 , prescott with 768Mb ram) finally died and i was looking at replacements.  i finaly settled on a core i3 and ended up buying a core i5 , never go to micro center on a sunday

The reason  i went with the i3 choice was upgradeability in future, the socket used by the i series seems here to stay and in a few years i can see a super fast i7 up for grabs , also the i series integrated graphics are pretty decent especially for mame.  Total cost was about 120 more than my original plan (AMD fx4100 or AMD A6)  but i feel im in a much better place to run other emus as well as the super intensive mame games.

[fluentd]

Looks like the new line of processors are out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113280&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL100212&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL100212-_-EMC-100212-Index-_-ProcessorsDesktops-_-19113280-L0E

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113281&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL100212&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL100212-_-EMC-100212-Index-_-ProcessorsDesktops-_-19113281-L0F

Looks pretty nice 3.6 and 3.8 ghz

[Diet_Pepsi]

Looks like the new line of processors are out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113280&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL100212&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL100212-_-EMC-100212-Index-_-ProcessorsDesktops-_-19113280-L0E

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113281&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL100212&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL100212-_-EMC-100212-Index-_-ProcessorsDesktops-_-19113281-L0F

Looks pretty nice 3.6 and 3.8 ghz

Don't be fooled by the higher clock speed.  The previous generation of cores is still faster on a clock-for-clock, core-for-core basis.  Just make sure that you have a list of the specific games and emulators that you will want to run on your system.  You can then tailor the CPU/(GPU?) to what you want to run.  It is still possible that an AMD APU will accomplish what you want -- just make sure of this before you purchase.

[dholcombe]

I was actually just coming to see if you'd considered the AMD A10.

Clock for Clock it's faster than an AMD FX-8150. That is a 3.8 Ghz a10 is faster than a 3.8ghz fx-8150 per core.

[Diet_Pepsi]

I was actually just coming to see if you'd considered the AMD A10.

Clock for Clock it's faster than an AMD FX-8150. That is a 3.8 Ghz a10 is faster than a 3.8ghz fx-8150 per core.

Sorry -- let me clarify -- I meant to say that the Phenom II line (including Llano) is faster than bulldozer and Trinity, clock for clock and core for core.

So the Phenom II line (previous generation non-APU) is faster than Bulldozer (current generation non-APU), clock for clock, core for core, and Llano (previous generation APU) is faster than Trinity (new release APU), clock for clock, core for core.

[dholcombe]

Yes it's true the Phenom II has higher IPC. Trinity has higher clock for clock performance than Llano from what I've seen though.

The Phenom II vs A10 is very close clock for clock. The a10 is a bit slower at the same clock speed.

However it's hard to find a Phenom II X4 clocked above 3.4 Ghz stock for sale these days. The a10-5800k comes @ 3.8 Ghz and has turbo mode of 4.2 Ghz when you aren't using all the cores (which MAME typically doesn't). If not overclocking I'd expect the a10-5800k to be faster than the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition. There's also the advantage of having faster memory, etc. available for the new FM2 platform. For some tasks the benchmarks actually show the a10 beating the Phenom II at similar clock speeds due to those factors. I'd be interested in seeing MAME specific benches, but I doubt there are any yet.

The next A-series chip is currently slated to use FM2 as well giving an upgrade path next year if desired. The downside is the a10 appears to currently cost about $30 more...but hey if all you're doing is MAME you don't need a video card with the a10.