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Author Topic: New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started  (Read 2412 times)

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gedman

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New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started
« on: November 26, 2020, 08:24:13 pm »
Background: I'm a newbie setting up my first emulator cabinet. I have a Windows7 x64 PC w 4GB RAM, ArcadeVGA 5000 video card (more on that below), a fully wired cabinet (J-PAC, JAMMA harness), a Wells-Gardner K7401 25" CRT, and a set of ROMs for MAME 0.226 for 25 classic arcade games (1980s) which are the only games I intend to play.

Because I already have a fully setup cabinet with a CRT, I am told that GM is the best option for me. (My original plan was MAME+ArcadeVGA, which is why I already own the ArcadeVGA card.)

I think (??) that the steps I need to follow are:
1. Get a compatible video card.
2. Follow the 2019 GM installation and configuration guide, found here: http://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?id=433 (Be sure to get GM 0.266 to ensure compatibility with my ROMs.)
3. Sell my ArcadeVGA 5000 card  ;)

Questions:
  • When I get a video card, which list of valid video cards should I follow? I see two lists: http://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?id=47 and http://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?id=295
  • Is there a generally recommended video card based on performance/availability? All of them are really cheap on eBay, so price isn't a consideration.
  • How will I connect the video card output to my CRT? Can I use a standard VGA cable to connect the video card VGA output to the VGA input of my J-PAC? (The J-PAC already connects to my CRT via a molex connector.)
  • Am I correct that I can use a front-end like LaunchBox/BigBox with GM?
  • Anything that I should know but not asking here?

Jimbo

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Re: New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2020, 09:17:01 am »
If you're only planning to play those 25 classic arcade games from the 80s, I'd suggest running groovyarcade instead.  It'll set everything up for you much easier.  Look for substring's thread for more info.

gedman

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Re: New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2020, 12:33:48 pm »
If you're only planning to play those 25 classic arcade games from the 80s, I'd suggest running groovyarcade instead.  It'll set everything up for you much easier.  Look for substring's thread for more info.

I appreciate the advice and will look into GroovyArcade. Regarding your comment, I am curious why it would matter which games (or how many) I want to play. If the setup is much easier in GroovyArcade, wouldn't that be true no matter how many games I plan to use?

Jimbo

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Re: New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2020, 12:59:49 pm »
Because if you want to run other games (i.e. pc games, or other certain console/arcade emulators) on your cab, then windows will give you a lot more choice.

If you're sticking to mame, I'd go groovyarcade all the way.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2020, 12:16:52 pm by Jimbo »

psakhis

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Re: New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2020, 01:00:27 pm »
I think GroovyArcade it's fully compatible with ArcadeVGA 5000

morton

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Re: New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2020, 04:21:47 pm »
Sorry to pop in like this, but I am curious... Can Groovy arcade do all the 15khz stuff GroovyMame does? I'm building a PC without an OS at the moment and wondered if GroovyArcade may too be way to go. Will it do Naomi etc as well as MAME?

Substring

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Re: New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2020, 04:44:42 pm »
GroovyArcade does MAME only for now

morton

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Re: New to GroovyMAME - a few questions as I get started
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2020, 09:22:49 am »
GroovyArcade does MAME only for now

Thanks for that. Still not a bad thing. I like the idea of running it from USB.... Thanks. Sorry to Jack thread.