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Author Topic: [RESOLVED]so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap  (Read 2030 times)

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aldub516

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Hey all, thanks as always. Im sure some of you saw my "what would you do to beef up these pcs" post.. I said i was only throwing limited money and time at it. At the end, i invested about 20 dollars into the pc, and have hyperspin running amazing, except it seems when im using any type of video card or converter to hdmi, i experience lag and problems with consoles, *nes, snes etc*.  anyways, i can only spend so much time on it, so im just going to  consider that pc a perfect mame pc and put it on the shelf for a project. I have my panel completely done, except now lacking a good pc. I wanted to either stop by microcenter and see what i can grab, or order online. I have the psu, ram, gpu, cords etc, so i believe i really only need a mobo and processor. I know this is a glorified millionth "what kind of pc should i use" but to this day im still not very educated on actual pc specs and things to look for. I cant drive around town hoping to find a curb pc, so my next option is just to go ahead and purchase.  Id like to keep my cost, obviously minimal. Im running hyperspin, with mame, nes,snes,sega,turbografx, ataris, and random other old obsolete emulators. I know microcenter has a big clearance rack, but id be lost looking around it not knowing what im doing. So, who would be nice enough to basically, just point me in the direction of a mobo and processor that will never give me a problem.. if the 10 dollar curb pc is JUUUUUUSSSSST under running, i assume i shouldnt have to spend toooo much. Anyways, ive left a craigslist link to my local area incase maybe you see something i can grab. id be happy to order online, but kind of having a productive day and would love to grab it at microcenter if possible.

thank you all, and trust me im sorry for the obligatory "what pc should i buy"... maybe one day someone will make a database of pc builds that people can just follow to suit their needs lol. thanks again.

also.. the "asap" is because i have a buyer and now have a reason to make efforts to replace this/fix the issue.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 07:17:55 pm by aldub516 »

JDFan

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Re: so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2016, 03:15:54 pm »
Quote
I have the psu, ram, gpu, cords etc,

ok - The obligatory "we need more info first post !!" :laugh2:

Since different MOBOs will support different types of components we need to know what you have that you plan on using --

ie. if you have a bunch of DDR2 RAM it wouldn't be wise to get a MOBO that supports DDR3 modules (or vice versa) -- Also what is the PSU you have (ie. brand and power rating ) since how much available power will help determine what GPU/CPU would be the best fit. What GPU do you have and is it a good fit for the PSU you have ! (wouldn't make much sense to spend extra $ on a high end CPU and then be limited to a low or mid range performance because you are reusing a GPU you already had when you could get by with a slightly lower end CPU and not have the GPU limiting performance.

When building a system it is best to get pieces that are all designed to work well together - you don't want one piece holding back the performance of other parts that you spent extra money on. Also do you have windows or whatever OS you plan to use already or does the cost of a new license need to be figured in as well and what is your build budget ? ( sometimes getting a prebuilt off lease unit is more cost effective if you need the windows license since that is one of the major costs in a build - esp since you already have a PSU GPU and RAM that could be added to a prebuilt DELL or HP. ) Plus the prebuilt will normally have a HDD which you don;t mention having already ! (do you have one or will you need one also ? )

Just as a quick example (may be better deals but this is the first I found listed since they have 39 units in stock and was filtering search by quantitiy !)  here is an Off lease Dell optiplex from arrow direct that would give you a complete system including the windows license - a 500GB HDD - 4GB of RAM - 3.4Ghz. I7 2600 CPU  - etc. for around $250 +\- shipped with their "ARROW" 15% off and free shipping code ( final price depends on tax where you live and if they charge it ) -- Sure the OS says 32 bit but the license is good for either 32 or 64 bit so you'd just need a 64 bit install disk to change that) and then also qualifies for a win10 upgrade if you wanted.

THat would make a good base then add your PSU if it is beefier and GPU (if it is better than the onboard) and possibly extra RAM (if you have DDR3 modules) and for the $250 you have a good ready to go system with little work to get running (depending on your budget they have cheaper i3 and i5 systems as well ) and seeing that just the I7 CPU is still selling for around $150 on EBAY and a MOBO for it would be about $100 +\- , it's much cheaper to buy the complete system than buying just a MOBO and CPU etc.

EDIT : FORGOT TO ADD THE ATTACHMENT with the system  and here is a link to their site also  ( http://arrowdirect.com/ ) :cheers:
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 03:27:06 pm by JDFan »

aldub516

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Re: so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2016, 03:40:46 pm »
Ahh. well, here is a more direct list of what i have. Generally, i have a parts graveyard so i have tons of hdd's, ram sticks, etc. I guess thats why i was vague. I have psus ranging from 250-600 , etc. So i didnt mean to not include info, in my head i just was thinking i have whatever i need, just need mobo, etc.. anyways, to be honest, the only thing id like to build around is ddr2 ram because i have a lot of 2g and 4g sticks so i can max out. Ram isnt super expensive, but for my means and this project, every 20 bucks counts. Otherwise, everything else should fall into place. I have access to any OS with no issue so thats fine as well. I dont want to take a shortcut, because in the end my goal is just to have a working machine with zero wasted time tinkering around. But i need to stay in budget.

Lets say i had
2x 4g ddr2 ram / various ddr2 ram sticks
500g internal hdd
500 psu
various pci-e cards to try

wouldnt i be able to find a good mobo/processor combo for a good price to tie it all together? I dont know much about video specs, but that curb pc i found runs ALL the games fine with video and audio.. my problem is when i convert the video to hdmi. Is there a balance between spending more on a mobo for onboard video and just not getting a separate gpu? The system is very specific and will never be upgraded. It will be running windows xp or 7, pending decision, with hyperspin running mame-nintendos,segas,ataris, etc. NEVER  n64 or later. and i wont be butthurt if gauntlet legends or nfl blitz dont work if its a matter of 60 dollars. At this point i just need to drop a pc into this panel that will run the above. The POS curb computer i found runs everything 99.9%, so id like to try and find a cheaper alternative to the 250$ route..


for what its worth, i dont want to sound like im saying "i need this and this" but dont wanna pay for it. Im more inquiring to educate myself so i dont have to ask this again next time. With the parts i have, can you possible help me with a mobo and processor?  As anything goes, id like to keep my profit up. This machine is going to an old "Friend"... hes not gonna cry if some super intensive mame game doesnt work or something, but over all id really like to just run the old home consoles and mame, and im happy. I can go to microcenter and check everything out, i just dont know what to look for. It so wierd how much one can know about a hobby, but so little about another part of it.


**Edit**
In reading your reply. it seems that the price jump is obviously in upgrading to the i7 cpu/mobo, which obv. upgrades the ram to ddr3,etc.
would it be safe to say i "Want to stay one generation back" lol.. if that makes sense. I know yotsuya loves to say things like " i buy pcs that run everything great for cheaper than your adapter".. lol. Id like to work with what i have, of course if that can get me the results.
sorry for my endlessly long replies.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 03:43:30 pm by aldub516 »

JDFan

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Re: so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2016, 04:42:20 pm »
Does it have to use HDMI output ??

If having problems only when going to the HDMI (have you tried DVI to HDMI rather than VGA to HDMI since that is purely digital conversion rather than Analog to digital ?)  - perhaps another alternative would be getting a cheap used monitor that has VGA or DVI rather than HDMI  :dunno

Can get a 20 inch 4:3 IPS Dell 2007FP ( has Composite, Svideo, VGA and DVI-d connectors)  for around $40 shipped from arrow.com also !
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 04:48:02 pm by JDFan »

aldub516

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Re: so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2016, 05:01:19 pm »
its a standalone panel that can be put down wherever and plugged into a tv.. which is now hdmi for the norm. I think i got a grip on this. i have a good mobo from a friends project, he said i can use it and throw him some money down the line. Although, i still would love if you could perhaps point me towards a good mobo and cpu to go with what i have that will run my system. As for the system not working with hdmi, i dont really care. Im over it. It was a curb pc and still runs a lot of the stuff good. For now id just like to get a perfect running system that i need to buy minimally for.

aldub516

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Re: so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2016, 06:09:47 pm »
ok so i think im going to take this to the hyperspin forums.. only because i feel redundant and annoying with these pc questions. All i ask is that someone can confirm that this current pc im testing SHOULD be working fine.  A friend had it in his old pincab setup. I was under the impression it was a good pc. anyways here are the specs. I tried running hyperspin,and im getting sound problems again on snes. I have to trouble shoot a lot of things at this point, but i just want to know at this point, if this pc SHOULD be running home consoles and such with no problem

cpu-e6550 core 2 duo @ 2.33ghz
gpu-xlr8 9800gt performance edition
mobo-GA-EP45T-DS3R http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=2851#ov
ram-4gb ddr3

Is this pc not as good as i thought, or am i definitely looking at a software issue at this point

JDFan

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Re: so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2016, 06:23:37 pm »
ok so i think im going to take this to the hyperspin forums.. only because i feel redundant and annoying with these pc questions. All i ask is that someone can confirm that this current pc im testing SHOULD be working fine.  A friend had it in his old pincab setup. I was under the impression it was a good pc. anyways here are the specs. I tried running hyperspin,and im getting sound problems again on snes. I have to trouble shoot a lot of things at this point, but i just want to know at this point, if this pc SHOULD be running home consoles and such with no problem

cpu-e6550 core 2 duo @ 2.33ghz
gpu-xlr8 9800gt performance edition
mobo-GA-EP45T-DS3R http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=2851#ov
ram-4gb ddr3

Is this pc not as good as i thought, or am i definitely looking at a software issue at this point

THat one is actually a bit slower than the one you upgraded with the $7 CPU but the GPU is pretty good - you might pull the CPU you purchased out of the other and install it in this one that way you'd be up to 3.0GHZ on the core2 duo. Or alternatively try testing the 9800gt GPU in that system and see if the different and faster GPU fixes the stutter problems on that one !

Figure the new one might be slightly faster with the new CPU than the old one with the new ones GPU due to being DDR3 memory based but performance should be similar so probably easier to test the GPU swap first !  :dunno
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 06:29:22 pm by JDFan »

aldub516

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Re: so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2016, 06:37:11 pm »
probably just going to throw every thing that looks like a pc tower out the window, thanks for the help :) Ill try the gpu swap, and.. probably not f'n bother with the cpu. As i said, i washed my hands of the first one as far as fixing it. This new one i simply thought was a much nicer build.. apparently not. Time to wash thy hands again :)
ironically, i did indeed notice that everything runs slower on the pc i thought would be good.. which is hilarious.. Soooo.. its not only software, but both these pcs are under running.. so maybe its time to simply factor in a nice new pc like u suggest and run the numbers and be done :) I need to learn this stuff a lot more so i know what to look for, what pcs to bother scooping up and such. Id like to be able to look at a stack of clearance processors and motherboards and know what would suit my purpose. As of right now i have the parts i listed earlier, and seems that im going to buy a new mobo/cpu combo. Hoping to keep it cheap, but the 250 you showed me just to have a damn working system and peace of mind could work.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 06:41:01 pm by aldub516 »

aldub516

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Re: so i need to buy a mobo/processor/replace my mame cp asap
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2016, 07:17:07 pm »
son.. of... a....^%&#*$...#*$^#*$^..mo#$*^#$*^...#*$^$#^*


So.. this, and my last epic long beefing of pc problem is now resolved. First off, it tried this before with no results.. now it seems 100% fixed.. it seems that all of my efforts, research, adapter purchases, and time wasted was for nothing..... The bezels were causing everything........Yes i tried it disabled once, and it still had the problem.. But i now disabled my bezels again and all the systems are working perfect on the curb pc!! Which is amazing, because THEORETICALLY thats the issue with the other 2 pcs.. so if all goes right, i now have 3 fully working hyperspin set ups.. Luckily im sure you all can relate to the stupidity or small detail that just ruined my life for two weeks.. Now my issue is.. why? Lol. i like the bezels for my consoles. Its just a uniform design on each side to make all the systems flow nicer. But ill be damned. these curb pcs do indeed do the job. Im assuming the bezels are messing with the resolutions and thus messing up the process..
sjd fan, thank you, you helped me a ton, even with the processor upgrade.. this is such a load off my shoulders.. $900 dollars waiting to be handed to me and all that was stopping me was a damn sound bug. thank you all!

f'n bezels..