What CPU really to get?

[Paradise]

Reading the suggestions is really confusing.

Some people say get the fastest Dual-Core cause MAME makes no use of multiple cores and other people say the opposite.

You can read:

The GTFore games need the highest clock i7 (4790K, 4ghz) and the low resolution dipswitch set to maintain full speed.

but also

Don't bother. I get no sound stutters and perfect play with a e8400

If i look for ad LGA1155:
Core i3-3250 3.50GHz
Core i5-3570 3.40GHz

will MAME benefit from the i5?

or LGA1150:
Pentium G3470 3.60Ghz
Core i3-4160 3.60Ghz

same Ghz here so will MAME benefit from the i3?

So here are my options and there is really some price difference:
LGA1155:
Pentium G2030 2927 3.00GHz
Core i3-3220 3.30GHz
Core i5-3570 3.40GHz
Core i3-3250 3.50GHz

LGA1150:
Pentium G3470 3.60Ghz
Core i3-4160 3.60Ghz
Core i3-4170 3.70Ghz
Core i3-4370 3.80Ghz

[DeLuSioNal29]

Keep in mind that a Frontend also comes into play.  For me, I'd rather get the i5 with 4 cores so that the Frontend will run better IN ADDITION to MAME.

Once you start adding the bells and whistles to the computer that's where the multiple cores shine.  Even though a CPU may run fine with MAME alone, you have to remember that the Frontend is still residing in the background (although hidden) until you hit escape to exit the MAME emulator.

Last but not least, other emulators DO INDEED benefit from the multiple cores and graphic cards.  For example:  I run NFL Blitz and other SHMUPS on the Dreamcast emulator.  They are close to arcade perfect.  etc, etc.

Good luck!

DeLuSioNaL29

[JDFan]

Here's a decent article ( http://blog.codinghorror.com/choosing-dual-or-quad-core/ ) that breaks down the old question of dual core vs. quad core and most software pretty well and explains the dilemma you are facing. Of course you also have to take into account the generation of processor and the differences that will make in performance (ie. an i5 wil perform several times more processing per cycle than a C2D CPU so purely looking at number of cores and speed ratings is not the only consideration when talking different generations of CPUs !!

As you can see from the article there is a point of diminishing return where adding extra cores can not perform better than a speed increase in the CPU because software can not distribute the requests among the cores efficiently so only software that is specifically designed for multi tasking will perform better on a dual core of a higher speed than a quad core at a slower speed. (see the last part of the article and the benches comparing a 3.0GHz. Dual core vs a 2.4GHz. Quad core )

But if talking a 3.0Ghz. dual vs. a 3.0 Ghz. quad core you'll always get some performance improvement in the quad core CPU of the same design - It's just a matter of how much improvement in the specific software you are running and the cost difference between the 2 that makes it worth the investment or not !

[BadMouth]

People who only run MAME are usually only interested in the classic, non-3D games.
You referencing GTFore makes me think maybe that's not the case for you.

If you want to run newer 3D games, you're going to need to run other emulators which require more cores and a decent video card.

If this is all new to you, go on youtube and look up Demul Emulator, Supermodel Emulator, Dolphin Emulator.
Taito Type X actually doesn't require much of a processor since the games are running natively, not being emulated.

[Paradise]

I don't no what GTFore is - i was just quoting.

I talk about MAME and not other emulators.

It's not really new but i'm confused about the different recommendations people give.

I'm not really interested in Demul, Dolphin and so on cause i own the consoles.
Dolphin in reality is also only Dual-Core:

Dolphin is a dual core application that relies upon IPC (Instructions Per Clock) for performance. Additional cores will not make Dolphin go any faster, though an “extra” core that Dolphin isn’t using may help slightly by keeping background tasks from using the same cores as Dolphin.

[DudeRegular]

People were talking about gtfore in the context of it has only recently been upgraded to working status. It requires a pretty fast cpu to run well. It runs ok on my desktop with a i7 2600k but not well on my mame cab with a c2d e8400.

If you are starting new i would recommend getting the most clockspeed you can within your budget for mame. As others said a good gpu will come into play if you do venture into some other emulators at some point.

[BadMouth]

I don't no what GTFore is - i was just quoting.

I talk about MAME and not other emulators.

It's not really new but i'm confused about the different recommendations people give.

I'm not really interested in Demul, Dolphin and so on cause i own the consoles.
Dolphin in reality is also only Dual-Core:

Dolphin is a dual core application that relies upon IPC (Instructions Per Clock) for performance. Additional cores will not make Dolphin go any faster, though an “extra” core that Dolphin isn’t using may help slightly by keeping background tasks from using the same cores as Dolphin.

Demul plays Sega Naomi, Atomiswave, & Gaelco 3D arcade games.  Sega Hikaru is supported, but the games aren't 100% yet.
I really enjoy the Naomi shmups.

Super Mario Kart GP (the arcade game) is playable on a special build of dolphin emulator.

[Haze]

Recommendations are generally made by people based on what they want to play.

It's true, if you want to play the GT Fore stuff well, with no slowdowns, you'll need a high end i7, you can get away with less but there will be times when it drops below 100%.

MAME evolves too, recent changes to the Kid Niki / older IREM driver means that those games, while simple 2D games from the 80s now also require a high clocked current gen CPU to perform well - the analog drums are expensive to emulate.  You can of course find an ancient version of MAME and probably run the very same games on a Pentium 2 if you don't mind not having half the audio emulated, and more graphical issues than exist today.

The Cave SH3 based shooters also need a good machine, they will drop below 100% in places on a core2 generation machine.

There are other advantages to using more modern / powerful machines too, if you're running something that pushes a processor to it's limits then your machine is going to generate a lot of hot air and noise, if you're running on a much more powerful CPU that isn't being pushed at all then it will run cool and quiet.  Also if a CPU is being pushed to it's limits and generating more heat than it can get rid of the clock speed is likely to step down, so you might find performance massively dropping off mid-game (this would happen to me with the Cave SH3 stuff on my Core 2, even the ones it could run at full speed stopped running at full speed after 15 mins due to heat issues, the same games don't stress my i7 enough to even cause the fans to step up)

[BadMouth]

Haze, has MAME started using more than 2 cores?

I recall seeing posts claiming that all four cores of a processor were being utilized the same amount when playing NFL Blitz.
I also thought Hap mentioned starting to use more cores a few years ago, around the time he was messing with the Namco System 22 (Ridge Racer) stuff.

[Haze]

Haze, has MAME started using more than 2 cores?

I recall seeing posts claiming that all four cores of a processor were being utilized the same amount when playing NFL Blitz.
I also thought Hap mentioned starting to use more cores a few years ago, around the time he was messing with the Namco System 22 (Ridge Racer) stuff.

depends on the driver and situation, for drivers creating multiple threads there are definitely benefits, for other drivers where the rendering always has to occur in a certain order then there's really only going to be one thread for the CPUs and another for the renderer.

[pbj]

This is not a cheap hobby.  Either throw down some money on the computer or dredge up an old, free one that's been replaced.