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Author Topic: [RESOLVED]what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?  (Read 5475 times)

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aldub516

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Hey all. once again my lack of mame related pc knowledge brings me here.. ive been going through all my older pcs, trying to clean them up and get them all up and running.. ( we all know how fun and productive a day of working on old pcs can be).. anyways.. one pc i have seems to work basically perfect with hyperspin, but it seems im getting some audio problems. For some reason, when playing snes, sega, and turbo grafx, i get a lot of sound stuttering.. sometimes it not bad, just a sound doubling up here and there, but its not enjoyable. So it got me thinking,now that my pcs are running, and they are all curb collected, what can i do for minimal money to add any effectiveness? I have a cheap video card for hdmi out, BUT it seems to make the sound stuttering even worse. But id like the hdmi out.. So, until i fix the sound problem which may or may not be related.. are would you do anything to this pc that would actually make it a little more reliable and better performing? more ram? cheap video card? just want to boost these pcs up a little and make sure they can handle a bit of work..

 this pc is a HP Pavilion a6519fh
windows 7 64 bit
Operating speed: Up to 2.0 GHz
Number of cores: 2
Socket: 775
Bus speed: 800 MHz
3 GB ram
Integrated graphics using Intel GMA 3100
Integrated Audio ALC888S


I have a second pc which is a dell dimension e521

hyperspin and mame run nice.. experiencing sound and a little lag on console games again with mess?? This one is is amd, which means nothing to me, but i believe thats not as good as intel? does that sentence even make sense? anyways.. id like to have them both running as nice as i can. What should i do to either to peak their abilities?
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 07:21:02 pm by aldub516 »

JDFan

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2016, 05:08:08 pm »
Should be able to find a cheap CPU upgrade for it that would help as well as perhaps a dedicated PCI-e video card.


If this is indeed the MOBO that is in it ( http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=c01471500 ) -- then it says you can run

Quote
Processor upgrade information :
Motherboard supports the following processor upgrades:

    Intel Core 2 Quad (Y) Q9xxxx
    Intel Core 2 Duo (W) E8xxx
    Intel Core 2 Quad (K) up to Q6600
    Core 2 Duo E6x00 (C) up to E6700
    Core 2 Duo E4x00 (C) up to E4400

So even something like the e8400 core2duo for as little as $7 shipped ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Duo-E8400-3GHz-Dual-Core-6Mb-Cache-LGA775-CPU-Processor-SLB9J-/262354366003?hash=item3d1589ee33:g:jaQAAOSwwpdW9rib )
would increase the performance and should help

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2016, 05:20:49 pm »
thank you very much.. for the 7 dollars, ill roll the dice and grab it. thank you. before i buy that, is that one of the better upgraded processors? Should i bother check out any others? or just grab that for the 7. Also, that video card i have is old pegatron rv710fh. It actually works, its just funky with this sound issue.. but the sound issue is there with or with out the video card.. ill see what happens.. maybe ill make a separate thread about the sound issue.

for now, i shall buy that processor and maybe a whole bunch of ddr2 ram to fill up all the machines...

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2016, 05:24:03 pm »
processor ordered.. The machine works "near perfect" now, so a little extra oompf should do it.. now for the sound issue :(

any suggestions about that second pc i posted? It seems to be crappier, and something about the "amd" sticker on the front i believe people will frown upon.. but either way, any like wise suggestions besides the ram?

JDFan

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2016, 05:28:00 pm »
processor ordered.. The machine works "near perfect" now, so a little extra oompf should do it.. now for the sound issue :(

any suggestions about that second pc i posted? It seems to be crappier, and something about the "amd" sticker on the front i believe people will frown upon.. but either way, any like wise suggestions besides the ram?

Sound issue might be the CPU that is in it right now not being able to process everything fast enough causing the audio stutter - so the CPU might already help with that (hopefully) - if not perhaps adding a USB sound card would help - they're also really cheap ( about $1) if you wait for shipping from China - ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-1USB-to-3-5mm-mic-headphone-Jack-Stereo-Headset-3D-Sound-Card-Audio-Adapter-PC-/272160435162?hash=item3f5e06abda:g:D74AAOSwh-1W3jJb )

OR about $3.50 if you want one shipped from the US so a bit faster turnaround ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-External-USB-2-0-to-3D-Virtual-Audio-Sound-Card-Adapter-Converter-7-1-CH-/151194286036?hash=item2333e1b7d4:g:~1oAAOSw3KFWfag~ )
« Last Edit: March 27, 2016, 05:32:45 pm by JDFan »

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2016, 05:36:08 pm »
ill give the usb sound a shot..  i dont want to turn this into its own thread but the quick story on the sound is.. in hyperspin atleast.. mame games sound fine, NES games sound fine, all gameboy variations fine, master system fine.. sega, SNES and turbografx had sound stutters....

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2016, 06:05:15 pm »
The Dimension E521 comes stock with a Sempron CPU on many models. Pretty weak for the most part. So I am assuming that is what is inside. Maybe you have something beefier in there, but I'm doubtful. Do you by chance have the service tag from it? Should be on the side and would give us all a better idea of what is inside that machine. I agree that it is probably the CPU causing the audio stuttering issues. But then the E521 is one of those oddball machines where some had only 512 megs of ram, some had 3 gigs. Depends on how it was ordered and where it was purchased. I've actually done several upgrades on Dell E521's. It's one of those computers where someone brings it to you, want to just get rid of it because it's slow and weak, and with a little TLC and some part swapping from eBay you can turn it into a beast for very little money. FOR SURE it would make a great MAME machine. If the sound issue is FOR SURE CPU related, don't count on an external USB sound dongle to help.

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2016, 06:34:42 pm »
just a small update.. so i tried one more time on the hp pc with the video card. while it doesnt seem to add any video help, the sound stutter is now a lot worse, and happens on nes. is this because the already too weak cpu is now working a video card as well? I ordered the cpu and sound dongle.. for 3 bucks if it doesnt work, it doesnt work. But my question is, why would the sound work on game boys, nes, mame, but not genesis, snes, 32x or turbo grafx? im just trying to pinpoint the problem.. Nes works perfect with no video card, but stutters, hard with the video card. I just want to make sure it might not be a software setting i can play with that can fix it.

onto your advice.. there is no service sticker.. just the sticker on top with barcodes, says windows vista oemact,with the product key.. not what youre lookin for. as i said its curb pickup so no idea, but i really dont think anyone upgraded this thing.. ram im of course going to beef up.. assuming this ones all stock, what can i do to this one to beef it up? cpu? video card? it actually runs hyperspin already but lags on the consoles as well... f'n consoles.. a few bucks investment to fix is is worth it for me.. suggestions on upgrades?

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2016, 06:42:39 pm »
also, while im about to buy up a lot of ram sticks.. is 4gb acceptable for these old pcs? will 6 or 8 gb provide any advantage or is 4gb a safe number
.

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2016, 07:21:09 pm »
you don't have enough CPU power to run those in MAME / MESS

nothing you do is going to change that.

it might seem surprising but things like our TG16 emulation is very demanding because we have to render the screen at a stupidly high resolution to allow all the possible mid-screen resolution change tricks.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2016, 07:22:54 pm by Haze »

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2016, 09:47:13 pm »
just a small update.. so i tried one more time on the hp pc with the video card. while it doesnt seem to add any video help, the sound stutter is now a lot worse, and happens on nes. is this because the already too weak cpu is now working a video card as well? I ordered the cpu and sound dongle.. for 3 bucks if it doesnt work, it doesnt work. But my question is, why would the sound work on game boys, nes, mame, but not genesis, snes, 32x or turbo grafx? im just trying to pinpoint the problem.. Nes works perfect with no video card, but stutters, hard with the video card. I just want to make sure it might not be a software setting i can play with that can fix it.

onto your advice.. there is no service sticker.. just the sticker on top with barcodes, says windows vista oemact,with the product key.. not what youre lookin for. as i said its curb pickup so no idea, but i really dont think anyone upgraded this thing.. ram im of course going to beef up.. assuming this ones all stock, what can i do to this one to beef it up? cpu? video card? it actually runs hyperspin already but lags on the consoles as well... f'n consoles.. a few bucks investment to fix is is worth it for me.. suggestions on upgrades?

You can pull the service tag by simply entering into the BIOS. Should be listed there. Just spam the F2 key after pressing power button. You'll be able to see installed memory listed and CPU as well.



Service tag is important because it will also tell the tale about the case, motherboard and power supply, which can affect the options for upgrading the video.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2016, 09:55:25 pm by Phreakwars »

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2016, 09:53:28 pm »
also, while im about to buy up a lot of ram sticks.. is 4gb acceptable for these old pcs? will 6 or 8 gb provide any advantage or is 4gb a safe number
.
6 or 8 is ideal, but on older PC's like these, 4 is probably the max it will support. 3 if you are using XP or any other 32bit OS.

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2016, 02:06:32 am »
The hp for sure can take at least 8gb. Well, I'm gonna drop some ram and that new processor in and see what happens.. I still dont quite get how ultimate mk3 in mame runs fine  but sega Genesis doesn't. These technical things are above me. Also as far as power supply info and such, all of that I have spares sitting around and I decased the pc already so if a video card did help id be fine.. I'm guessing for what I'm told, my only hope is that new processor.For now I will wait for the parts. Trust me I know they are old pcs and sometimes not worth it.. But so far I have 7 dollars invested into this and if I can just fix the sound. I'm good to drop it into a cabinet or panel. Thanks for the advice thus far!
« Last Edit: March 28, 2016, 02:09:59 am by aldub516 »

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2016, 08:59:04 am »
I haven't used the MESS emulators recently.

Perhaps you should give a different emulators a try for the consoles.
I'm using Kega emulator for the Sega consoles of that era.
Been using it since long ago on much older computers.


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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #14 on: March 28, 2016, 09:19:11 am »
The hp for sure can take at least 8gb. Well, I'm gonna drop some ram and that new processor in and see what happens.. I still dont quite get how ultimate mk3 in mame runs fine  but sega Genesis doesn't. These technical things are above me. Also as far as power supply info and such, all of that I have spares sitting around and I decased the pc already so if a video card did help id be fine.. I'm guessing for what I'm told, my only hope is that new processor.For now I will wait for the parts. Trust me I know they are old pcs and sometimes not worth it.. But so far I have 7 dollars invested into this and if I can just fix the sound. I'm good to drop it into a cabinet or panel. Thanks for the advice thus far!

Just my 2 cents, but I use to run UltraHLE N64 emulator on an old Intel 700Mhz P3 with 756mb of Ram. So I don't understand why an Intel Core2 Duo 2.0Ghz can't run NES/SNES/Genesis emulators without problems. Seems to me the Intel PC you have should be way overboard for those systems. Are you sure you have all the correct sound drivers and such installed?
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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #15 on: March 28, 2016, 10:22:13 am »
Just my 2 cents, but I use to run UltraHLE N64 emulator on an old Intel 700Mhz P3 with 756mb of Ram. So I don't understand why an Intel Core2 Duo 2.0Ghz can't run NES/SNES/Genesis emulators without problems. Seems to me the Intel PC you have should be way overboard for those systems. Are you sure you have all the correct sound drivers and such installed?

Actually what it currently has is not a core2 according to the spec sheet it shows
Quote
Processor
Pentium E2180

Which I think is a pentium dual core rather than a core2duo and according to passmark rates at about 1,082 score on passmark CPU benchmarks due to having only 1Mb of cache vs. the core2duo e4400 @ 2.0ghz. rates around 1,151 with the added 1mb of cahe. Which is also why the suggestion to spend the $7 and get the e8400 which while not the best CPU is still much faster than the e2180 rating around a passmark score of 2179 since it has both the additional 5mb of cache and the extra 1Ghz. speed in addition to the 1333mhz. FSB rather than 800mhz. (hence the check on the MOBO to ensure it can handle 1333mhz.) which will also help with the other components speed -- so overall for the $7 should give some good increase for the system.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2016, 10:30:33 am by JDFan »

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #16 on: March 28, 2016, 11:33:18 am »
Exactly what I was thinking............ :dunno

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #17 on: March 28, 2016, 12:13:38 pm »
I'm using an E8400, and it's running mame great. I haven't tried other emulators though, and I'm using mala, not hyperspin.

I only have 2gb ram as well, although I'm planning to upgrade to at least 4gb, maybe 8 if my mobo can handle it.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2016, 09:36:15 pm by Jamesbeat »

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #18 on: March 28, 2016, 01:54:37 pm »
The hp for sure can take at least 8gb. Well, I'm gonna drop some ram and that new processor in and see what happens.. I still dont quite get how ultimate mk3 in mame runs fine  but sega Genesis doesn't. These technical things are above me. Also as far as power supply info and such, all of that I have spares sitting around and I decased the pc already so if a video card did help id be fine.. I'm guessing for what I'm told, my only hope is that new processor.For now I will wait for the parts. Trust me I know they are old pcs and sometimes not worth it.. But so far I have 7 dollars invested into this and if I can just fix the sound. I'm good to drop it into a cabinet or panel. Thanks for the advice thus far!

Just my 2 cents, but I use to run UltraHLE N64 emulator on an old Intel 700Mhz P3 with 756mb of Ram. So I don't understand why an Intel Core2 Duo 2.0Ghz can't run NES/SNES/Genesis emulators without problems. Seems to me the Intel PC you have should be way overboard for those systems. Are you sure you have all the correct sound drivers and such installed?

Different emulators emulate things to different levels.

UltraHLE emulated about 5% of the N64, and simulated the rest of it rather than emulating it.  Compatibility was terrible, everything had to be hacked to run in it, nothing ever felt quite like it should.

A modern day, full low-level N64 emulator will bring any top-end system to it's knees because it's got to emulate so much more, as as your accuracy increases the cost in terms of power required is almost exponential.

This is not a new or revolutionary concept, the same happened with SNES, for the best SNES emulation you need a very beefy PC, even if people were running early SNES emulators on ancient machines.  As a result however, SNES games abusing even the most ridiculous of hardware features now work, over the years we've found games doing things nobody imagined anybody would have ever attempted back when the first SNES emulators were written, sometimes by accident, sometimes to pull off an ingenious effect.

It's also why low-cost machines like the Pi are terrible for emulation, because you're stuck with all the old bad emulators, and no hope of running the good ones.

The goal of emulation is to emulate things properly in the end, so the most actively developed ones tend to track what current hardware is available, sometimes even push past that in order to attain that goal. 

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2016, 02:52:58 pm »
thanks for that bit of knowledge. Thats where i was lost.. how can i play mame, nes and handhelds, but not genesis and snes.. well there ya go. im hoping this new processor fixes the issue.. minus the stuttering on these systems, its all gravy

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #20 on: March 28, 2016, 06:24:28 pm »
Different emulators emulate things to different levels.

UltraHLE emulated about 5% of the N64, and simulated the rest of it rather than emulating it.  Compatibility was terrible, everything had to be hacked to run in it, nothing ever felt quite like it should.

A modern day, full low-level N64 emulator will bring any top-end system to it's knees because it's got to emulate so much more, as as your accuracy increases the cost in terms of power required is almost exponential.

This is not a new or revolutionary concept, the same happened with SNES, for the best SNES emulation you need a very beefy PC, even if people were running early SNES emulators on ancient machines.  As a result however, SNES games abusing even the most ridiculous of hardware features now work, over the years we've found games doing things nobody imagined anybody would have ever attempted back when the first SNES emulators were written, sometimes by accident, sometimes to pull off an ingenious effect.

It's also why low-cost machines like the Pi are terrible for emulation, because you're stuck with all the old bad emulators, and no hope of running the good ones.

The goal of emulation is to emulate things properly in the end, so the most actively developed ones tend to track what current hardware is available, sometimes even push past that in order to attain that goal.

True. At the time, the only N64 game I really cared about was Super Mario 64 and Diddy Kong Racing. I remember trying GoldenEye, but the rendering was horrible.
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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #21 on: March 30, 2016, 12:51:37 am »
You're on the right track with the CPU upgrade. Since you have 4GB RAM, the only other thing I would suggest is Windows XP 64-bit. Take advantage of that ~10% or whatever increase in speed going to a 64-bit OS over the 32-bit version. Also, XP is much more lightweight that Win7. I doubt you will ever use these PC's for any other purpose than to power your cab. If so, you don't need the OS to be secure. As such, I got my Windows XP 64-bit ISO Link removed - rule 5 please. I used N-lite to strip out some of the naggy Windows stuff (didn't over do it), created and ISO, then burned to USB stick with WintoFlash to make the install fast (I too have more than one PC to give the MAME treatment to).

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2016, 08:01:10 am by saint »
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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #22 on: March 30, 2016, 04:02:55 pm »
thank you again so much for the help. I actually bought a bunch of ram on ebay, so im going to max all the machines out with as much ram as they can take.. 8 gb in the case of this pc. Im waiting for that cpu in the mail. As for windows, im running windows 7 64 bit. but if you think it will really help i can switch it back to windows xp. Im praying for the sound to be fixed with these upgrades so i can get this machine out the door to someone. thanks again peeps ill let you know how it goes

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #23 on: April 01, 2016, 03:27:43 pm »
UPDATE
 i got the processor and ram in the mail. for some reason the pc beeps and wont start with a 4gb ram in it for some reason, so for now i have 6 gb of ram in it. With the new processor, it will now play most nes, snes, and sega games. Games like yoshis island choke it up,  but it seemed to play through nes, and most other games. turbo grafx same thing. some games played, some didnt. Maybe ill look into trying different emulators, but for now, this was a step up. Im dropping this into a quick flip system for someone who wants a machine but doesnt actually want to pay for a real machine.. given the 20 dollars invested in the computer, i can cut the price down dramatically and they will have to live with some lagging console systems. Thank you for the helpful guidance. Im going to try and upgrade the e521 as well, im just having trouble finding the best processor for it.. im a little dumbish when looking for parts like that. If anyone wants to throw me a bone on the e521 cool... but otherwise thus far, thank you. I dont imagine i can do much to the hp pc other than the memory and processor upgrade. I only has a 250 psu.. maybe that would help? The new processor does not help with the video card at all also.

Haze

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #24 on: April 01, 2016, 04:43:07 pm »
PSU won't change a thing, if your system is stable the PSU is fine.

As I said, good emulation requires a good CPU, at the moment the recommended CPU is a high clocked i7, we've taken advantage of the modern CPUs the best we can.

For non-MAME emulators (Dolphin, DCEMUL etc.) you need a good graphics card too, none of this onboard or budget junk.

Emulation is costly, that is the thing to understand here.  Bad emulation is cheap, but in the last 5ish years most people have moved away from bad emulation to try and get something better, which has increased the hardware demands significantly.

If you try to cut corners you will get burned.  No matter how much we stress this some people try.

Once you have a good PC (high end Intel; AMDs are at least a generation, maybe 2 behind ) make sure you have a good GFX card and the DirectX 9 stuff properly installed, a recent OS (Windows 10 is fine, aside a current Xbox1 controller issue) and the proper drivers for your hardware.  At that point you're ready to run the most recent emulators.

People will recommend less, but if you want hassle free that's the way to go.  Note, I don't stand to benefit from latest hardware sales, or software sales, that's just the genuine advice from somebody who has worked doing emulation development for 15+ years.

You could consider emulation requirements on par, if not in excess of current game requirements, the higher level of accuracy we aim for the better spec required.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2016, 04:47:53 pm by Haze »

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #25 on: April 01, 2016, 04:48:21 pm »
PSU won't change a thing, if your system is stable the PSU is fine.

As I said, good emulation requires a good CPU, at the moment the recommended CPU is a high clocked i7, we've taken advantage of the modern CPUs the best we can.

For non-MAME emulators (Dolphin, DCEMUL etc.) you need a good graphics card too, none of this onboard or budget junk.

Emulation is costly, that is the thing to understand here.  Bad emulation is cheap, but in the last 5ish years most people have moved away from bad emulation to try and get something better, which has increased the hardware demands significantly.

If you try to cut corners you will get burned.  No matter how much we stress this some people try.

Once you have a good PC (high end Intel; AMDs are at least a generation, maybe 2 behind ) make sure you have a good GFX card and the DirectX 9 stuff properly installed, a recent OS (Windows 10 is fine, aside a current Xbox1 controller issue) and the proper drivers for your hardware.  At that point you're ready to run the most recent emulators.

People will recommend less, but if you want hassle free that's the way to go.  Note, I don't stand to benefit from latest hardware sales, or software sales, that's just the genuine advice from somebody who has worked doing emulation development for 15+ years.

You could consider emulation requirements on par, if not in excess of current game requirements, the higher level of accuracy we aim for the better spec required and that is still with cutting corners.

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #26 on: April 01, 2016, 05:20:46 pm »
oh.. for what its worth, im not trying to cut corners, or taking my first step into the mame building game.. My main pedestal has an i7 and enough under the hood for anything ill ever need.. This post was simply about me trying to rehab two old computers to make them playable to drop into a panel or cabinet for people.. As of right now, it plays mame, and most home console games... for a 20 dollar total investment, it is a success. I didnt want you to think  im one of those guys trying to build my first cabinet and scraping pennies lol. .. getting these 2 pcs to run hyperspin with mame was what i set out to do.. Processors and such are above me, especially when were going back to old pcs. As of now, im going to keep this one and drop it inside a big control panel for someone.. i may toss the e521 out if i wont expect better results.. again, nothin lost by junking it. Im happy the first one works as it does :) thank you

i have a 3rd pc which is actually the best, BUTTT it only turns on and spins the fans.. no bios, nothing.. that i feel is a whole other boat of crap, IF the board or cpu isnt just fried out.. again, as of now ill call this a success. 20 dollar rig running hyperspin, mame, all atari, and nes-genesis'ish games.. sweet

JDFan

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #27 on: April 01, 2016, 06:00:27 pm »
UPDATE
 i got the processor and ram in the mail. for some reason the pc beeps and wont start with a 4gb ram in it for some reason, so for now i have 6 gb of ram in it. With the new processor, it will now play most nes, snes, and sega games. Games like yoshis island choke it up,  but it seemed to play through nes, and most other games. turbo grafx same thing. some games played, some didnt. Maybe ill look into trying different emulators, but for now, this was a step up. Im dropping this into a quick flip system for someone who wants a machine but doesnt actually want to pay for a real machine.. given the 20 dollars invested in the computer, i can cut the price down dramatically and they will have to live with some lagging console systems. Thank you for the helpful guidance. Im going to try and upgrade the e521 as well, im just having trouble finding the best processor for it.. im a little dumbish when looking for parts like that. If anyone wants to throw me a bone on the e521 cool... but otherwise thus far, thank you. I dont imagine i can do much to the hp pc other than the memory and processor upgrade. I only has a 250 psu.. maybe that would help? The new processor does not help with the video card at all also.

Glad to hear the CPU upgrade went well - As for the Ram issue could be the MOBO does not support dual sided chips if you mean 4GB modules most are dual sided (ie. memory chips on both sides of the PCB) also many of the older PCs had problems with the Ram slots on the MOBO maintaining the proper voltage if all slots were filled so if loading all slots that could be the cause ( IIRC one beep is RAM refresh circuitry failure ) - If you feel comfortable playing with it you could try increasing the RAM voltage a step or 2 and see if that gets it to boot - though 6GB. is probably plenty already.

Did the CPU update help with the sound issues ?
« Last Edit: April 01, 2016, 06:03:48 pm by JDFan »

aldub516

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Re: what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #28 on: April 02, 2016, 09:38:21 pm »
The cpu update fixed most of the sound issues. 90% of console games tested work fine. Games like yoshis island, which being a later game probably used more power on the snes still stutter. But for the 7 dollar cpu and 9 bucks or so for ram, I'm happy with the system. My customer who wants a quick machine can pay for a
New pic if they'd like. I'll happily put it in the them lol. :) I guess from now on leave the dual cores on the curb and go quad core and up?

Can't wait until the day where curb computers have i7s in them.

aldub516

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so i have returned with another small issue regarding this whole thread.. So, with the new processor and ram, the pc ran great as i said before.. 99% of home consoles worked fine, and i was happy.. But now it seems since ive added a video converter, the sound issue has returned even worse. It seems that any type of video out besides the vga is destroying the sound.. I bought this vga to hmdi converter http://www.amazon.com/FineSource-Output-Converter-Adapter-Projector/dp/B013EQV5XC?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

now my thinking was that the converter would be doing all the work, and the pc simply needs to put the vga video out. That converter also carries the sound, but even if i connect my sound directly to speakers, the stuttering is there.. I know im really pushing to get this curb computer up and running, but its sooooo close to being perfect.. So, with the addition of this sound converter, is there ANYTHING i can do to fix the sound stuttering, or basically is this pc maxed out and just not quite enough to do it? Why the hell would the converter make the sound stutter again. Also, i did also try that little 3dsound usb plug just for the hell, and it makes it worse. Seeing as the video is being converted or altered, is there maybe some type of sound setting i can use? my drivers are up to date but is there some sort of third party software, or setting somewhere to fix this or am i assed out on my mission?  Is it safe to say that the pc is JUUUUUUST enough to run my systems, as as soon as i put a little more stress on it (ie video converter) its just too much

yotsuya

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I've picked up Core2Duos that run stuff just fine for less than that adapter.

Stop chasing solutions with cash. Your just nickel and diming yourself. 
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

aldub516

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i absolutely understand what youre saying, but im not really chasing this too far down the hole.. i picked up the pc off a curb, and with peoples help from this board,on the first day i was able to invest about 20 dollars and have a **almost** perfect computer for my project. Im not throwing money at it.. at this point im just asking if there is something i can do to fix this problem.. as much as its not worth chasing, its not worth abandoning if i can achieve what i want. Much like direct draw or d3d settings can affect video, maybe there is some sort of ini setting to help the audio issue, thats all im asking. I just dont understand certain aspects of computer works. Someone that does may say "the video adapter is overworking xxxxxx and theres nothing you can do to fix it".. or they might say "go to your whatever.ini and change this setting, it may fix the audio"

im 20 dollars into it, with about a hour of my time, with a specific problem im trying to fix.. if i do, cool.. if not, i have an adapter for future use, and i lost 7 dollars. no biggie. But if i can fix the small problem, id have a great system to drop into a project.  Im Just tryin to learn new things, like the reason why the sound stutters when i output any video other than vga.. even if i end up throwing this pc out, i would like to learn what causes these issues, so next time I know. Id assume the converter handles the work of converting the video.. so why does the pc fail at producing the audio when running any video besides the standard vga
« Last Edit: April 12, 2016, 03:24:59 pm by aldub516 »

JDFan

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IF it were me and I was trying to get a bit more out of the system (assuming the MOBO has a PCI-e slot) rather than trying to convert the Onboard VGA with that type adapter for the same $22 I'd instead get something like this Dell OEM r5 240 GPU ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-AMD-Radeon-1GB-DVI-PCI-E-Video-Card-Low-profile-bracket-0F9P1R-2-/152050591414?hash=item2366ebe6b6:g:x34AAOSwZd1VeZPr )

Reason for suggesting this one is it is low profile (not sure which case you have) - very low power consumption (No additional 6 or 8 pin power plug needed so would work with just about any PSU the system might have) and is a fairly new release so supports some newer features including DX12 and has decent performance above the onboard chipset on your MOBO for this price point.

Figure adding the dedicated GPU would be the best thing to up the performance for that price point and since it has it's own 1GB. of VRAM and video processing chips it will free up more of the system processes and free more system RAM which may just clear up the remaining audio problems. 

ALso first you might want to try downloading the realtek drivers and install the latest available to see if it helps - ( http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsCheck.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=24&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false )
« Last Edit: April 12, 2016, 04:22:39 pm by JDFan »

aldub516

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i will follow up on both of those suggestions, thank you!.. my question to that is, i had an old crappy video card that had hdmi out.. i believe its the pegatron ion card http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_88869.html

my question is, that card also causes a horrible sound stutter.. as i said, it seems any variation of video besides direct vga gives me the audio stutter.. for my knowledge, what would make you think that the card u suggested would work, when the one i have doesnt? what is the difference? im at about 20 bucks now.. i wouldnt mind grabbing the card (yea i know, wasting money) but even at 40 dollars a full working hyperspin pc is worth it for my current cause. Just want to know why my small video card, OR the adapter is causing the audio stutter? My simple knowledge would say the pc puts out the vga signal, and the converter does its job and outputs hdmi. Whats causing the pc to  do this?

for what its worth also, (and im sure ill get advice against this) i have the shark 007 codecs installed.. i dont know if thats causing any issue.

aldub516

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well.. so heres an update. I ran MESS outside of hyperspin, and it appears that the sound stutter is gone, but games run a little slow. For instance, friday the 13th has no sound issue, but the sound and game play are all slowed down. Not lag, everything just moves slower than normal, but almost perfect. Addams family for snes plays near perfect with a little slowdown. But the audio problem is gone when using mess out side of hyperspin... So...... anyone care to take a stab at that situation? Im new to hyperspin so i cant even begin to think where to look. In mess there were options to change the sound out put and sample rate and such. I would be so damn happy if i can get this working right.

If i run mess through hyperspin, i get audio stuttering

if i run mess outside on its own, i get no audio stuttering, but slowed down game play and sound

and i have NON of these symptoms when only going vga to a vga monitor. I only have problems when i either use a video card or this video adapter

yotsuya

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Wait, you're using Hyperspin on a janky old machine you found on the side of the road?

You're killing me, Smalls!
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

aldub516

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I mean.. yea.. I have a stack of HDD's with hyperspin fully loaded that i simply have to plug in.. And the janky old machine is running hyperspin with all the videos and media with no problem... except some systems have audio stuttering. So.. yes i am running hyperspin on a janky old curb computer.. As i said, for 20 bucks and less than an hour invested, i came close to having a great system that i can drop into any quick project for a friend or whatever have you.. its literally just the sound stuttering which is holding me back, so i cant really say i regret grabbing this PC or trying to get it running.. It runs mame perfectly so i can always use it for an arcade only setup.. and if i can get around this sound issue, i can drop it into a full cabinet. Theres really no loss for me here except the little time im spending trying to fix it.. anyways

With that said. Ive now noticed when i run a mess game through hyperspin, Two windows open up in my task bar. Only 1 window opens when i run mess by itself.. Is this normal since hyperspin is running mess? or is it possible its launching double emulators or something? i included a pic. Im somewhat hopeful for success, seeing as im able to run games with no problem outside of hyperspin. (btw yes ive tried running mess alone before, but with so many changes i guess i didnt try it the last time until now) So if say, f-zero runs perfectly outside of hyperspin with mess, why not when its launched through hyperspin! im so close lol






aldub516

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another small update. just now i was testing different variables, and i went to launch an snes game, and i guess just by accidentally exiting, entering,etc i kind of out-ran hyperspin, and the snes game was launched by hyperspin but in its own windows, not integrated into hyperspin with the bezel, and the sound was fine! so it seems somewhere between hyperspin launching mess and making it full screen with the bezel, its causing an issue? Still have no idea why it only happens with the video card and adapter? this doesnt make sense to me. theres so many odd variables at hand.

*edit* genesis for instance does not work well outside of of hyperspin with the adapter..

so it seems the ONLY thing i know for sure, is that the pc can indeed handle the video and audio and does just fine when connected to vga monitor.. anything else, and im sound stuttering all day.. running mess outside of hyperspin fixes snes, and nes, but not genesis... im throwing in the towel for the night.
« Last Edit: April 12, 2016, 09:17:56 pm by aldub516 »

JDFan

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i believe its the pegatron ion card http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_88869.html

my question is, that card also causes a horrible sound stutter.. as i said, it seems any variation of video besides direct vga gives me the audio stutter..  Just want to know why my small video card, OR the adapter is causing the audio stutter? My simple knowledge would say the pc puts out the vga signal, and the converter does its job and outputs hdmi. Whats causing the pc to  do this?

What video drivers are you using with that card ?? In looking it seems that several people have problems with windows recognizing the ion cards so it might be that it is using the windows default VGA drivers with the card rather than the Nvidia ion drivers which would definitely cause slow downs - check in DXDIAG when the card is installed and ensure that it is using the NVIDIA drivers or download the Nvidia Drivers and install them and see if that helps performance with the dedicated card ( LINKIE to Drivers - http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/99994/en-us )

Not sure what performance will be with that ion card as from what I've read they were designed for netbook computers since there were problems using the Intel chipsets due to licensing arrangements

Quote
The original Ion was an integrated chipset (a spin on the GeForce 9400M inside of unibody MacBooks), but since Nvidia can no longer make chipsets for Intel's latest chips, the new, souped-up Ion is a separate graphics chip that connects via PCI Express and uses Nvidia's Optimus technology to automagically switch between Intel's integrated graphics and Ion, retaining your netbook's solid battery life.

So they are designed as a replacement for integrated chips on netbook computers not really dedicated cards for a desktop where battery life and power usage is not a factor.
« Last Edit: April 12, 2016, 10:01:21 pm by JDFan »

aldub516

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sadly, those, nor other drivers i tried install. they all say "graphic hardware not found" or whatever have you... I hate that im still trying to fix this.. but i dont get why it works with vga fine but has problems with the adapter. I know the pc can play the games.. now i just need to figure out how to get hdmi out without sound issues..

this might be a completely useless suggestion... but would it make a random chance difference if i installed windows xp 64 instead of windows 7? if not to simply "Shake things up" and maybe get rid of this issue with some sort of driver? could it hurt? im running 6 gb of ram which i think is fine for xp.. should i try?
« Last Edit: April 13, 2016, 01:28:48 pm by aldub516 »

aldub516

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Re: [RESOLVED]what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #40 on: April 21, 2016, 07:22:39 pm »
for anyone who may stumble upon this one day.. this has been resolved.. and its simple.. it was the bezels... the ---gosh-darn--- bezels.. I disabled bezels in hyperspin, and everything performs and works fine now.. yup. no processor needed. no adapter. Im happy i have both so i dont care it was 20 bucks. But i like to update resolved issues..

It seems something is going on with resolution changes when bezels come up for my home console games..

so yea.. bezels..

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Re: [RESOLVED]what would you do to beef these pcs up, if anything?
« Reply #41 on: April 22, 2016, 12:32:30 am »
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***