Building my MAME CAB. What kind of PC do I need to look for?

[paulwgraber]

Building my first Cab. What type/ kind/ powerful PC do I need to be looking for? I want to run all 80's and 90's and Daphne games.
Thx

[Wzrd0803]

Mine is an i5 with 16 gigs ram and a 2 GB Nvidia GT 1030.  I had to go with a half height card because that was what my case takes but it runs MAME and Daphne games just fine with no lag.  Also, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a overkill graphics card.

[paulwgraber]

What front end are you using?

[Zeosstud]

The above mentioned PC would be fantastic, agree 100%..

BigBox, the registered version of LaunchBox is a frontend that for sure should be checked out..

[Wzrd0803]

What front end are you using?

I'm using Maximus Arcade.  I like it. Others on this forum suggest using another frontend because support for Maximus is dead but I like the way Maximus looks.

[keilmillerjr]

Lcd or Crt makes a difference with video.

i3-2100 and 4gb of ram runs gauntleg and blitz well over 100%. You dont need much for pc specs like mentioned in other posts. Get something that is still being made but bottom of the series and it will be cheap. Get an ssd for fast boot times. Graphics card isn’t important, except in case of crt. Look on crt emudriver compatibly page. $20 can buy you a compatible hd5450.

[Wzrd0803]

The above mentioned PC would be fantastic, agree 100%..

BigBox, the registered version of LaunchBox is a frontend that for sure should be checked out..

I think I paid like $300 for the pc without monitor.  I used a 21 inch flat screen monitor I already had.

[paulwgraber]

yes it will be on a WG D9200 series. So what Graphics Card? Arcade VG?

[keilmillerjr]

yes it will be on a WG D9200 series. So what Graphics Card? Arcade VG?

I have an hd5450. Check crt emudriver forum for full list. If you use linux (groovy arcade) instead, same cards should be compatible.

http://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?id=295

[BlueGhost]

If you want to save a little, look for used, off lease, Dells and HPs.  You can pick up 4th gen i3 and i5 models for around $100 on ebay.  I like the small form factor desktops, not the super thin one with low power CPUs, but the ones that have room for a half height video card.  Adding a video card doesn't matter much for MAME roms, but helps out with demeaning front ends.

Most will have Windows 10 Pro installed, or come with a licenses you can use with a copy of it.  This gets you remote desktop, and makes admin inside a cabinet a little easier.  If you want quick boots and game loading, pick up a 500 GB ssd.