If you were buying a PC for MAME.....

[amheck]

If you didn't want something used from Craigslist and didn't have anything at the house, what would you be buying?

Open box i3 at Best buy?  Dell outlet with coupon?  From what I'm reading, those Mini PC's and Chromeboxes, while I really like the form, might not be the best.  Would like to try some MAME and maybe something simple like N64 emulation.

Was thinking about a Raspberry Pi, but I think I might like something with a little more horsepower.

[lamprey]

It depends on what you want to do and what you want to play.

A Raspberry Pi is fine if you only want to run some of the old school classics (like pacman et el). I don't have any experience with the RPi, to know it's limitations (have one on order though), but I believe  it only runs much older version of MAME (036?). So, you lose some of the newer features like HLSL/GLSL.

So, if you want any of the HLSL/GLSL features you'll need something that can support a more modern GPU.

The key for MAME is cycles per second. So, the CPU you can get with the highest GHz (or overclockability) is going to be best. A lot of people have had good luck with the E8400 OCed to about 4GHz. I have an older i7-920 that is OCed to 4.5GHz. Both of those CPUs are under $80 and the E8400 under $50. So, building might be an option.

Although, I haven't checked the Dell outlet, I'm pretty sure you could get a new/refurbished machine for under $4-500 that would play 95-99% of the playable MAME games without issue.

[yotsuya]

I bought a Pi. Neat device, but nothing in my fiddling with it has convinced me it's the way to go. Intel ATOM boards FTW.

[amheck]

Yeha, I'm going to wait on the Pi2 until I can see what they can do with the new one.  I know, ideally, I'd just scrounge up parts, but I just don't have much at the moment, apart from a couple HDD's.  And I hate the thought of paying $400-$500 for a PC just for MAME.  Heck, my main Dell 8300 XPS Desktop i7 was only $600 or so.

I'm not averse to building, but with family, work, etc, prebuild would be a nice head start, since I have to learn the MAME and other config stuff.

[JDFan]

IF looking for something Cheap and mostly for classic Mame even an older core2duo e8400 system would work fine - Though adding a discrete GPU for $40 +/- to it would help some also for someof the newer games. For example Here's a refurbished system from a fairly large refurbisher for $60 shipped ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Prime-Systems-Core-2-Duo-3Ghz-2GB-RAM-160GB-HDD-DVD-CD-Combo-Vista-/271507683498?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item3f371e78aa ) that would work well.

Also there is ArrowDirect.com that has several I3's and I5's refurbished for around $200 +/- ( have better sales from time to time and some better prices on core2duo systems but right now only discount code working is winter20 for a 15% discount )

[Generic Eric]

i5 or amd equivalent.  8 gigs of RAM.  At least a gtx 750ti.  ssd.  You are good for another 5 or so years.  I got by on a amd athlon x2 4800+ for 6 years as my only PC.  Now that I have some newer ones, I can set it up to only run mame + frontend only.

Everyone has to have a first PC.  Buy what you can afford.  Look at the suggested builds on PC part picker.  Build that. 

Not for nothing, but get something that will run sketchup and gimp well too.  I wouldn't ever only by a PC for one thing task, but that is me.

[keilmillerjr]

Would like to try some MAME and maybe something simple like N64 emulation.

Was thinking about a Raspberry Pi, but I think I might like something with a little more horsepower.

What is your intention? Build an arcade cabinet? Bar top? Cocktail? Showcase? Dance? Racing? Console to connect to home TV?

What consoles or arcade machines do you want to emulate?

Your statement of trying some Mame is really broad. How can we advise you what to purchase without know what you want to do? With that being said, I'd just get a raspberry pi if you want to tinker with emulation and have no real goals. I say this because it's probably the cheapest option for a new device. And yes, it can emulate N64.

[lacanian]

Hi @amheck,

I'm going through the same thing. You have to get your requirements down pat like @keilmillerjr said. Here are some points to think about.

- What monitor is the PC being used with? If you are using a CRT you will want an ATI card. @Calamity mentioned ATI 5450/6450 work well with emu-CRT.
- Are you going to run a front end? If so which one? This may require more power but you can get away with 4GB ram easy.
- Are you going to emulate any other games? Play Street Fighter IV, build to those specs then.
- How large is your HDD? 500GB minimum if you want to hold your entire MAME collection. 321GB CHD's + 50GB Mame.
- Form Factor, were will this thing go?
- What controls are you going to hook up to the MAME pc? This may help determine the OS, or even if you can get away using a device with an ARM processor. Raspberry Pi isn't the only player in the market.

In summary I would just buy a small form factor Dell/HP box as mentioned on this forum by @JDFan if your goal is just to use MAME. You can then add the bits you need.

[amheck]

thanks for the thoughts.

Definitely will use an LCD monitor/TV over a CRT.   As for what I want to play, I'm really not sure - just looking for a combo of some old school games for me and maybe some early console emulation.  I looked a little further into the Pi and it seems to stutter with most of the N64 games.

I have a XArcade Tankstick that I'd like to hook up.  Yes, I'd like a nice front end and I think that will take a little more CPU than not.

As far as the form factor, I guess I'd like to just get everything up and running and then will decide that later.  We really don't have the room necessarily for a stand up machine at this time, but that's not to say down the road, I don't want something like that.  Maybe just a simple sit down form with an LCD monitoring sitting on top and a couple bar stools in front.

I'd love to be able to play a golf game, since the tankstick as the rollerball.  I think Tiger Woods online would be ok?

I started to look into this several years ago and acatually went and bought a 360 with all of the retro game discs but that system is kind of a pain.  I'm hoping the PC might be more what I'm after.

[horizon]

I'd probably look into this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?sdtid=7659098&SID=9d0f5ecd4d7e479589547c15dc6068b6&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&ItemList=Combo.2198884&cm_sp=

And see if it met my requirements.

[amheck]

thanks.  that looks like a pretty good deal.

[pbj]

Original Xbox?

[keilmillerjr]

I looked a little further into the Pi and it seems to stutter with most of the N64 games.

The new raspberry pi 2 just came out and is much faster. Mine just arrived today. :p

[mgb]

I'd probably look into this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?sdtid=7659098&SID=9d0f5ecd4d7e479589547c15dc6068b6&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&ItemList=Combo.2198884&cm_sp=

And see if it met my requirements.

That's a good deal. The pc I use for general modern games and classic console emulation is an A8 with an SSD and 8G Ram and it cost more that to build.
I've heard some bad talk against AMDs but I've had good luck

[jaharr01]

I bought a Pi. Neat device, but nothing in my fiddling with it has convinced me it's the way to go. Intel ATOM boards FTW.

Yeah Yotsuya they are great till the power goes out and it corrupts your sdcard. Not good unless you do a proper shut down.It happened to me one time and then it wouldn't start back up.

[amheck]

I looked a little further into the Pi and it seems to stutter with most of the N64 games.

The new raspberry pi 2 just came out and is much faster. Mine just arrived today. :p

I went to the retropi site and it seems its going to be a little while before the code is working with the new architecture.   At least that's what I took away from the conversations.  Hopefully soon, though

[Generic Eric]

I looked a little further into the Pi and it seems to stutter with most of the N64 games.

The new raspberry pi 2 just came out and is much faster. Mine just arrived today. :p

I went to the retropi site and it seems its going to be a little while before the code is working with the new architecture.   At least that's what I took away from the conversations.  Hopefully soon, though

Link?  Are you referring to comments on an article or a forum discussion?

[amheck]

It was a forum discussion.  Keep in mind this was 5-6 days ago.  Maybe they've gotten it working now.

http://blog.petrockblock.com/forums/topic/raspberry-pi-2-compatibility/

[wweumina]

thanks for the thoughts.

Definitely will use an LCD monitor/TV over a CRT.   As for what I want to play, I'm really not sure - just looking for a combo of some old school games for me and maybe some early console emulation.  I looked a little further into the Pi and it seems to stutter with most of the N64 games.

I have a XArcade Tankstick that I'd like to hook up.  Yes, I'd like a nice front end and I think that will take a little more CPU than not.

As far as the form factor, I guess I'd like to just get everything up and running and then will decide that later.  We really don't have the room necessarily for a stand up machine at this time, but that's not to say down the road, I don't want something like that.  Maybe just a simple sit down form with an LCD monitoring sitting on top and a couple bar stools in front.

I'd love to be able to play a golf game, since the tankstick as the rollerball.  I think Tiger Woods online would be ok?

I started to look into this several years ago and acatually went and bought a 360 with all of the retro game discs but that system is kind of a pain.  I'm hoping the PC might be more what I'm after.

What are you typing this on?  That might be a good start.  If you're running a PC, use the one you currently have as your emulation machine and buy a new one for the emu's.  Seems to make more sense at today's prices than buying something old.

[amheck]

thanks for the thoughts.

Definitely will use an LCD monitor/TV over a CRT.   As for what I want to play, I'm really not sure - just looking for a combo of some old school games for me and maybe some early console emulation.  I looked a little further into the Pi and it seems to stutter with most of the N64 games.

I have a XArcade Tankstick that I'd like to hook up.  Yes, I'd like a nice front end and I think that will take a little more CPU than not.

As far as the form factor, I guess I'd like to just get everything up and running and then will decide that later.  We really don't have the room necessarily for a stand up machine at this time, but that's not to say down the road, I don't want something like that.  Maybe just a simple sit down form with an LCD monitoring sitting on top and a couple bar stools in front.

I'd love to be able to play a golf game, since the tankstick as the rollerball.  I think Tiger Woods online would be ok?

I started to look into this several years ago and acatually went and bought a 360 with all of the retro game discs but that system is kind of a pain.  I'm hoping the PC might be more what I'm after.

What are you typing this on?  That might be a good start.  If you're running a PC, use the one you currently have as your emulation machine and buy a new one for the emu's.  Seems to make more sense at today's prices than buying something old.

yep, that's what I might be thinking, too.  If I spend ~$500 on a PC, I might as well get a new one.  This one is a Dell XPS i7 2600 with 4gb RAM and a SSD.  I guess I need a video card.  But yeah, the new Dell XPS 8700's are $600 and I get a new PC and move this one to MAME.

[mgb]

And you may be best off doing it all on a separate HDD so when you decide on a dedicated pc for an arcade, you can just move the whole HDD over

[Generic Eric]

thanks for the thoughts.

Definitely will use an LCD monitor/TV over a CRT.   As for what I want to play, I'm really not sure - just looking for a combo of some old school games for me and maybe some early console emulation.  I looked a little further into the Pi and it seems to stutter with most of the N64 games.

I have a XArcade Tankstick that I'd like to hook up.  Yes, I'd like a nice front end and I think that will take a little more CPU than not.

As far as the form factor, I guess I'd like to just get everything up and running and then will decide that later.  We really don't have the room necessarily for a stand up machine at this time, but that's not to say down the road, I don't want something like that.  Maybe just a simple sit down form with an LCD monitoring sitting on top and a couple bar stools in front.

I'd love to be able to play a golf game, since the tankstick as the rollerball.  I think Tiger Woods online would be ok?

I started to look into this several years ago and acatually went and bought a 360 with all of the retro game discs but that system is kind of a pain.  I'm hoping the PC might be more what I'm after.

What are you typing this on?  That might be a good start.  If you're running a PC, use the one you currently have as your emulation machine and buy a new one for the emu's.  Seems to make more sense at today's prices than buying something old.

yep, that's what I might be thinking, too.  If I spend ~$500 on a PC, I might as well get a new one.  This one is a Dell XPS i7 2600 with 4gb RAM and a SSD.  I guess I need a video card.  But yeah, the new Dell XPS 8700's are $600 and I get a new PC and move this one to MAME.

Do you have MAME running on anything now?  Do that before you purchase anything else.  Set up MAME, pick your games.  Find your favorites, play your favorites.

You've had that xarcade for awhile, does it play golf games or not? 

[amheck]

I used the Tank Stick a couple times on the 360 and then put it in the closet where its been for a year and a half.  The main TV and consoles are in the living room and it just didn't seem to fit with the wife's decor to leave it out all of the time.

I'll install MAME on this PC and go from there.  At least I can tinker in the mean time.

[Yenome]

not sure of your area but i just bought a core 2 duo 2.0ghz 2gb ram no hdd but i got some of those. From the goodwill run pc/game store. Its called the grid in my area but it where they send the computers and alot of the retro games to be sold. bought the whole tower for 25 bucks. it said as is untested. worked just fine when i put power to it. im gonna benchmark it against an AMD II x2 240 2.8ghz which ever runs mame and hyperspin better will be the arcade machine, they had a few more i thought about picking them up but they only had 1gb of memory.

[keilmillerjr]

I looked a little further into the Pi and it seems to stutter with most of the N64 games.

The new raspberry pi 2 just came out and is much faster. Mine just arrived today. :p

I went to the retropi site and it seems its going to be a little while before the code is working with the new architecture.   At least that's what I took away from the conversations.  Hopefully soon, though

From http://blog.petrockblock.com/forums/topic/raspberry-pi-2-compatibility/page/2/#post-86548

Here is an updated RetroPie image for those wanting to test. I’m hoping it will boot fine on the pi 2.

I rebuilt all the emulators from source today so all the binaries should be up to date. Should there be no major problems this will become the next beta 2.4 image, and maybe the 2.4.x release image after that.