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miniyoda:
I poked around this forum (albeit not very deeply) looking for the answer to the following.  If I missed the thread(s) that cover my questions, sorry in adavnce.  If someone could point me to threads or web sites that could give me details, I'd appreciate it.

I have been out of MAME since 2005, and am ready to get back into it.  Obviously a lot has changed since then, and since my old arcade computer died, I have to start from scratch.  The only thing I have is my old Joust cabinet and custom control panel.  This mean downloading everything all over again (software, roms, etc), investing in a new computer system, new keyboard controller, probably new display, etc.

I'm looking for advise on what I should do for hardware.  My plan is to first buy a 2TB USB hard drive and download / configure everything on it, then eventually add a new computer system, monitor, etc.  Here are my questions (so far).

- what is recommended for hardware.  Last I heard, the more powerful the CPU and the more the RAM, the better.  Is 32GB of RAM overkill? What is the latest on MAME using MultiCore CPU's?  Should I invest in a 4 or 6 core system, or stick with a dual core?  Way-back-when, a powerful graphics card wasn't important....is that still the case?  Would a server grade machine be better than a desktop?

- How much disk space does MAME currently require, including ROMs, CHDs, sound files, etc.  Is 2TB too much?

- What would be the best operating system.  This is worse than asking religious questions, but is there an advantage in Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux (which flavor), etc?  Is one OS faster at MAME than another (are there benchmark test)?  From what I read here, definitely go with a 64 bit OS.

- My old cabinet had a 21" CRT, which is pretty much unseen now-a-days, and considering age/storage, might not work anymore.  Is there a recommendation for monitors?  Way back when, light guns for shooting games didn't work with flat screens.  Is that still an issue?

- I'm open to suggestions on spinners, track balls, joy sticks, light guns, etc.

- As I am pretty much starting from scratch, I plan to replace my keyboard controller, so suggestions are welcomed.

- Anyone have experience with solid state drives?  Does it make a difference with CHD based games?  Are they worth it at all for MAME?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.  I'm sure there will be more questions.  I'm in no hurry to build the system, so I might not start until MAME .150, but I just wanted to get ready with things now.

MiniYoda
paigeoliver:
Your 21" CRT is still actually ideal for a Joust type cabinet.

You really won't gain very much from a high end multicore system over your 2005 era system. It will enable about 24 games more than you had before, 21 of which have specialty controls that you don't have installed on your cabinet.

CPU power is absolutely the least important thing you can toss at a mame project. 98 percent of titles you can name were running full speed ten years ago on equally vintage hardware. The other 2 percent is dominated by games with specialty controls, leaving very little gain for your cpu investment.
starcade:
I'm in a similar position, having come back to building MAME cabs after 6 years away. I dug out a pile of old SFF machines from my attic but none of them were in good enough shape for me to rely on for something as important as a MAME cab  ;D

I looked around and I've been stress-testing the GIGABYTE GA-E350N-USB3 to see how it performs. The answer is: brilliantly!

It's a small (mini ITX) motherboard with a dual core AMD CPU already installed and on-chip Radeon HD 6310 graphics. With 4 Gb of RAM it runs everything I need (I don't really care about any games made after 1999) and the best news: it's $76.09 from Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GA-E350N-USB3-Dual-Core-Hudson-M1-Motherboard/dp/B004P1IN8G/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1360916291&sr=1-1&keywords=GIGABYTE+GA-E350N-USB3

Well worth a look.
kahlid74:

--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- what is recommended for hardware.  Last I heard, the more powerful the CPU and the more the RAM, the better.  Is 32GB of RAM overkill? What is the latest on MAME using MultiCore CPU's?  Should I invest in a 4 or 6 core system, or stick with a dual core?  Way-back-when, a powerful graphics card wasn't important....is that still the case?  Would a server grade machine be better than a desktop?

--- End quote ---

This is a hotly contended question but in the end, if you want to play games like Gauntlet Legends and Blitz99 or SFRush, you'll need close to 12Ghz of processing power.  So a 3Ghz chip with four cores.  What Paige said above is true for so many 2D games but you'll want to run an older version of MAME if you skimp on processor.  If you want to run the newest version of MAME I would run a G850 or higher and if you want 3D I would run an i5 3.0Ghz or faster.  Newer version of MAME push for accuracy and can be slow on slow systems.

You don't need more than 4 Gb of memory.


--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- How much disk space does MAME currently require, including ROMs, CHDs, sound files, etc.  Is 2TB too much?

--- End quote ---
So this really depends on what you want.  If it's just MAME (~260Gb for roms/CHDs) and then artwork is in the ~14-16Gb range and then if you roll hyperspin and want movies, ~100Gb.  So all in all you're roughly ~350-400GB.  As a comparison I have all of the above for MAME, Sega Genesis, SNES, and NES and I'm at 485GB.  2Tb is plenty fine and gives you room for PC games/Big Consoles/ etc. but don't forget to back it up.


--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- What would be the best operating system.  This is worse than asking religious questions, but is there an advantage in Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux (which flavor), etc?  Is one OS faster at MAME than another (are there benchmark test)?  From what I read here, definitely go with a 64 bit OS.

--- End quote ---
If you want compatibility, Windows XP 32Bit  is the way to go.  I steer clear of 64bit right now just because of compatibility but feel free to try if you want.  Windows 8 is a no no.  Windows 7 is alright but may have a few glitches compatibility wise.  Linux is freaking rocking but limited in many places like front end, add-ons, utilities, etc.


--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- My old cabinet had a 21" CRT, which is pretty much unseen now-a-days, and considering age/storage, might not work anymore.  Is there a recommendation for monitors?  Way back when, light guns for shooting games didn't work with flat screens.  Is that still an issue?

--- End quote ---
Light-guns for flat screens are still an issue.  Google for more information.  A Tube is always preferred as the feel relates more to what it used to feel like but I have transitioned to Flat Panel for ease of use.


--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- As I am pretty much starting from scratch, I plan to replace my keyboard controller, so suggestions are welcomed.

--- End quote ---
I still roll I-Pac for my keyboard encoders.  Viggo has a good one too and there are a few from Kickstarter like Kade, etc.


--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- Anyone have experience with solid state drives?  Does it make a difference with CHD based games?  Are they worth it at all for MAME?

--- End quote ---
Not worth it for MAME.  Makes no difference I have seen and I tested it.


--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---Thanks in advance for your suggestions.  I'm sure there will be more questions.  I'm in no hurry to build the system, so I might not start until MAME .150, but I just wanted to get ready with things now.

--- End quote ---
You don't need to wait until a new version of MAME comes out but being patient will result in a well built machine you're happy with.
miniyoda:
Thanks to everyone for all your answers.  Especially to kahlid74!


--- Quote from: kahlid74 on February 15, 2013, 10:52:30 am ---
--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- what is recommended for hardware.  Last I heard, the more powerful the CPU and the more the RAM, the better.  Is 32GB of RAM overkill? What is the latest on MAME using MultiCore CPU's?  Should I invest in a 4 or 6 core system, or stick with a dual core?  Way-back-when, a powerful graphics card wasn't important....is that still the case?  Would a server grade machine be better than a desktop?

--- End quote ---

This is a hotly contended question but in the end, if you want to play games like Gauntlet Legends and Blitz99 or SFRush, you'll need close to 12Ghz of processing power.  So a 3Ghz chip with four cores.  What Paige said above is true for so many 2D games but you'll want to run an older version of MAME if you skimp on processor.  If you want to run the newest version of MAME I would run a G850 or higher and if you want 3D I would run an i5 3.0Ghz or faster.  Newer version of MAME push for accuracy and can be slow on slow systems.

You don't need more than 4 Gb of memory.

--- End quote ---

So to summarize, you are indicating that MAME can utilize all the cores of a multi-core CPU?  It is good to know that anything over 4GB of RAM is overkill.....I can save the cash on RAM and invest it in the CPU.


--- Quote from: kahlid74 on February 15, 2013, 10:52:30 am ---
--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- How much disk space does MAME currently require, including ROMs, CHDs, sound files, etc.  Is 2TB too much?

--- End quote ---
So this really depends on what you want.  If it's just MAME (~260Gb for roms/CHDs) and then artwork is in the ~14-16Gb range and then if you roll hyperspin and want movies, ~100Gb.  So all in all you're roughly ~350-400GB.  As a comparison I have all of the above for MAME, Sega Genesis, SNES, and NES and I'm at 485GB.  2Tb is plenty fine and gives you room for PC games/Big Consoles/ etc. but don't forget to back it up.

--- End quote ---
I'm planning to re-build as I had it, which will include the systems listed above along with Atari systems, but these won't take much more space.  I'm going with the 2TB drive since they seem to be stable and most bang for buck right now.


--- Quote from: kahlid74 on February 15, 2013, 10:52:30 am ---
--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---- What would be the best operating system.  This is worse than asking religious questions, but is there an advantage in Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux (which flavor), etc?  Is one OS faster at MAME than another (are there benchmark test)?  From what I read here, definitely go with a 64 bit OS.

--- End quote ---
If you want compatibility, Windows XP 32Bit  is the way to go.  I steer clear of 64bit right now just because of compatibility but feel free to try if you want.  Windows 8 is a no no.  Windows 7 is alright but may have a few glitches compatibility wise.  Linux is freaking rocking but limited in many places like front end, add-ons, utilities, etc.

--- End quote ---
This was very helpful, and somewhat surprising.  I had heard that XP64 was the way to go for speed reasons.  Also good to know that Linux is lacking in add-ons and utils.  Once I start assembling my system, I'll experiment with different OS's.



--- Quote from: kahlid74 on February 15, 2013, 10:52:30 am ---
--- Quote from: miniyoda on February 14, 2013, 08:36:02 pm ---Thanks in advance for your suggestions.  I'm sure there will be more questions.  I'm in no hurry to build the system, so I might not start until MAME .150, but I just wanted to get ready with things now.

--- End quote ---
You don't need to wait until a new version of MAME comes out but being patient will result in a well built machine you're happy with.

--- End quote ---

For right now, I'm going to wait until .150, simply because of finances.  I flipped a coin....Heads I pay the mortgage, Tails I buy hardware.  Heads it was, so the bank got my money this month.  Also, I thought of putting different versions of MAME, all the ROMs, CHDs, etc on a USB drive, and spend lots of time configuring things on the drive.  This way I can move it from system to system and experiment on how things perform on different OS's and hardware configurations.  Once I see what I like, and have the additional money, I'll start working on a building a computer.

Again, thanks for the advise.  I will post what I learn when I get started
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