Few Mame /cabinet build related questions if you dont mind!

[jgoucher12]

HI all

just about to get my new mame pc imaged and ready to go in my Mortal Kombat 1 cab that i swapped the monitor out for a 22" computer screen..

So, I am going to use Hyperspin (usually use Maximus) and I prob want the "basics" of MAME,NES,SNES,Genesis and N64 for now.

would a 100GB SSD drive help me and be large enough for all vids,snaps,etc of those systems?if I was to use Win XP x64 (so i can try the :boot into arcade mode")? or should i stick with 500GB SATA drive?

I have the X-arcade 2 player arcade encoder as my "main board" all wired into the MK dash (customized for a total of 6 buttons per player, plus P1 P2 start

Thanks for all help

[ShankyMcStabber]

I think SSD would be overkill for the standard cabinet.  SSD is only a real benefit when you have a bunch of disk access going on (which you don't see much of once the game is launched).

That being said.

100gb isn't going to cut it if you want to have the CHD files to go with some of the MAME games.

I think the current 1.47 romset is 46gb (split) with a 260gb CHD set.

Also, each video used for Hyperspin is small but when you start talking the number of videos you end up having in total it actually starts to climb to close to 100gb alone.

[jgoucher12]

ok great. thanks for the reply! i am assuming you typod and meant to say mame full set it 460gb?

would it work or be worth it to put an SSD in just for the O/S so it "starts" almost instantly. would that even work i dont know.,

[ShankyMcStabber]

Actually that isn't a typo.  The full set of MAME Roms for .147 that I downloaded last week (updated my version) was 46gig as a split set.  The CHDs were much bigger.

MAME Roms are pretty small overall (there are just a WHOLE lot of them).  Only a fraction of the MAME games use CHD files, but they are much much larger.

Using the SSD for your boot drive + page file would work fine.  It gives you the fast disk access where you can shove things that need it.  I use 2 1.5TB drives in my arcade setup right now, but I also have a lot of CD/DVD based emulators.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Actually, with a complete mame rom+chd set, if you cull out just the games that are non-working for that particular version you can save yourself a significant amount of space.  Programs like clrmamepro, MCM, and ROMlister are your friends, especially if you're dealing with limited space.

Take the .145 complete set for example. If you were crazy, you could use ROMlister to cut away all:

clones
non-playable
rhythm games (even when they're "playable" they're not exactly optimal)
fruit machines
pinmame
mahjong
quiz
and mature titles

You'd end up with ~20-25 gigs of game data. About 9 gigs in roms, and about 13 in chds (if you really cherry pick the chds.) You could even go back and put back any unique clones (like X-Men 6-player version, etc.) and you wouldn't effect those numbers much. 

Console sets are even smaller when pared down a bit.  Why, you might be able to fit Mame, NES, SNES, Genesis, and TG-16 functionally complete sets on a 32gb MicroSD card... if you were crazy.  (I'm in the process of planning/building a system where the only moving parts are the controls.)

The lion's share of MAME's hard drive real estate are chds.  Most of those chds are attached to non-playables, or rhythm games. A little picking and choosing there can go a long, LONG way.

Bump up a touch, to a 256gb SSD (~$200) and I'd guess you could do all of it in this way. Snaps, vids, your OS, the whole kaboodle, with plenty of room for add-ons later.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

I have the X-arcade 2 player arcade encoder as my "main board" all wired into the MK dash (customized for a total of 6 buttons per player, plus P1 P2 start

Hehe, didn't see that before. That means you can get rid of driving games, trackball, spinner, lightgun, etc...

[rCadeGaming]

We were just arguing HD size and SSD vs. normal HD's here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,128898.msg1317919.html#msg1317919

[ShankyMcStabber]

I just checked my Hyperspin media folder and I have 54gb of videos/art for just the systems you listed above.

I could probably shave off about 10-15gb of that if I was a little more selective, but that should give you an idea of how large the video and artwork files get when you are doing a well setup Hyperspin machine.

[jgoucher12]

thank you all very much...

i think maybe 100GB drive (maybe a little bigger) might actually do the trick if i "cut out" alot of the stuff.. this machine is important but in a few years i will invest ALOT more time and effort (and $$$) into a fresh build with a NON x arcade main board... which i am assuming is the right way to go?

what is the best "custom motherboard/wiring board" i should look into?

also, i am using a 22" widescreen(ya i know that sucks) lcd monitor for my screen. is there any compatible "lightguns" for it? Thanks

[rCadeGaming]

i will invest ALOT more time and effort (and $$$) into a fresh build with a NON x arcade main board... which i am assuming is the right way to go?

Yes.  X-Arcade parts are cheap Chinese knock-offs of Happ parts.  Make a decision on American vs. Japanese parts, get quality stuff whichever way you go (mostly Happ/iL for American, Sanwa/Seimitsu for Japanese), and lay it out in a sensible layout.  There are plenty of arguments from both sides on American vs. Japanese and different layouts here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,118842.msg1258669.html#msg1258669

what is the best "custom motherboard/wiring board" i should look into?

Do you mean controller encoder?

also, i am using a 22" widescreen(ya i know that sucks) lcd monitor for my screen. is there any compatible "lightguns" for it? Thanks

I'd recommond a CRT of course, but if your cab require a flat screen, just make sure to use something with low input lag:

http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.php?threads/sub-1-frame-hdtv-monitor-input-lag-database.145141/

Edit:  That link seems to have stopped working, here's a new one

http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/145141/sub-1-frame-hdtvmonitor-input-lag-database/p1

I think there are lightguns that will reference an LED bar or something like that (like a WiiMote), so you can get away without a CRT.