Best set-up

[Wilbur]

Hi all, just bought a 15khz crt after a few years out of the game. Also got a hd 5450 coming.

Is the hd 5000 series with Windows 7 still the sweet spot for smooth running?
I have windows 11 installed, will that be much worse? Should i get a newer amd card for it? Or maybe dual boot Windows 7 (which I'd rather not do unless it's a big improvement over 10/11)
I've also got a gtx 1060 so can use that to render the heavier games so not fussed about power of the Radeon.

Thanks

[mrchrister]

I'm using a R9 380, upgraded from a 5xxx card. I can't say it was really worth it though, maybe Gamecube/Wii games run a bit better now...

Your setup still sounds like the sweetspot.

People will urge you to use Win10 so you can protect the system better but Win7 is working fine for me on one of my systems. The other one with Win 10 did have an issue with 640x480 resolution which I didn't have with Win7. Win 10 does have one advantage in my opinion, Xbox one controller support. That's the main reason I use Win10. The Win7 setup is an arcade machine and I see no reason to upgrade that one to Win10. Win 7 also has the advantage that you can hide the shell in Win7 much better (with instantsheller) than Win10 so it's the better choice for arcade machines IMHO.

[tisurame]

Hi all, just bought a 15khz crt after a few years out of the game. Also got a hd 5450 coming.

Is the hd 5000 series with Windows 7 still the sweet spot for smooth running?
I have windows 11 installed, will that be much worse? Should i get a newer amd card for it? Or maybe dual boot Windows 7 (which I'd rather not do unless it's a big improvement over 10/11)
I've also got a gtx 1060 so can use that to render the heavier games so not fussed about power of the Radeon.

Thanks

Are you using your HD 5450 GPU with Windows 11? Does it work with CRT Emudriver?

[bobbyb13]

That card is a PITA with any windows version from 10 on.
I have one I fought with and gave up on it, only to try again years later in a different box and it works- even with Win10.
 
You may be able to get it going, but make sure you use the proper CrtEmu build or you will be throwing stuff before you're done.
 

[dchase]

The real advantage of Windows 10 on a cabinet is that it's so easy to hide its login/logout/shutdown screens. It's a huge pain to do it in Windows 7.

You also have to remember that Windows 10 Enterprise is basically free as far as arcade cabinets go. If you disable explorer as the shell it really makes no difference whether you activate it or not. So Windows is basically free anyway. Cost isn't an issue.

[Zebidee]

Locking down, minimising Win7 is not hard to do. Covered elsewhere in the software forum.

Win10 is OK, but introduces new complications.

Arcade cabs with no network connectivity is the way to go. No autoupdates, no viruses.

No "Battlestar Galactica" Cylons taking over your arcades and destroying the planet (according to lore, they cannot control computers that are not networked somehow).

So there you go.

[dchase]

Removing all the screens from Windows 7 is a huge pain in the ass. In Windows 10 it's trivial and can be done in like 15 seconds.

There aren't any complications for Windows 10. It doesn't need a network connection. The mistake people make is not using the Enterprise version and just never activating it.

[psakhis]

Recently i upgraded my cabinet and my experience for this order:

Ryzen 2600 with 16Gb DDR4 and SSD.

1. Installed W10 ltsc mini. All was a crap..bad performance compared with linux or W7 (groovymame frame delay for example). Removed!
2. Installed W7 retroOS edition. All is fine and very fast!
3. Installed GroovyArcade on another SSD. Is the way to go, just fantastic. I keep W7 only for steam games.

[abispac]

Removing all the screens from Windows 7 is a huge pain in the ass. In Windows 10 it's trivial and can be done in like 15 seconds.

There aren't any complications for Windows 10. It doesn't need a network connection. The mistake people make is not using the Enterprise version and just never activating it.

Please Wilbur, dont listen to members like this one, with 13 post and perhaps smal experience, they dont have a clue what they talking about but they think what they say its actually better. Just because you can issue a comand and hide explorer within 15 seconds that dosnt make it better that using windows 7, taking maybe an hour or two of your time, but making your setup looks like an authentic arcade instead of a windows computer with retro games in it.
MOst my set ups go with windows x64 , emudrivers and groovymame, together with hyperspin. I still love hyperspin over any other Front end, but there are many out there you can choose from. I have an hd7000 card, 1gb ddr3, and still manages the latest mame with no problem. So i dont see a reason to use windows 10. Nowdays real windows 7 serial numbers are out there, so no need to have a pirate windows 7 pc.
Dont spend 15 seconds hiding windows. Use the guide here, and get you a nice boot screen and make your set up look nice.
Good luck with your build.

PS: I wonder if, when people here say they have an hd5xxx the refering to one of those big cards with 2 or more ram, as all hd5xxx i find here localy are small cards that usually dont handle the newest mame. Lucky me, i still find hd7000 cards here localy, and those manage the newest mame just fine.

[dchase]

I have more experience with arcade machines than anyone here.

Who you don't want to listen to is people who think that the number of your posts has anything to do with the content of what you wrote. Yikes.

[dchase]

Oh and everything that dude above me said is wrong. The best "boot" screen is no boot screen. You want to turn the machine on and get into your frontend as quickly as possible. When you shut it down, you want it to turn off as quickly as possible.

Many people are dropping Windows 7 support from their programs. It's over for 7. Windows 10 is objectively better than 7 in every single way. There literally isn't a single thing for arcade cabinets that isn't better or more capable in Windows 10.

[dchase]

And since there was basically no useful information in this thread, let me add some. Assuming that you're not connecting your arcade cabinet to the internet, there's no reason you shouldn't disable some of the CPU vulnerability mitigations that are in Windows 10. Basically any modern emulator is likely to be FASTER in Windows 10 than 7.

https://wiki.whtsky.me/windows/disable_mitigations

A lot of people crying about 10 being slower don't even realize that stuff like that might be the reason they're seeing differences, but they have no idea what they're doing, so just dump on Windows 10 for no reason instead.

[Zebidee]

I have more experience with arcade machines than anyone here.

Who you don't want to listen to is people who think that the number of your posts has anything to do with the content of what you wrote. Yikes.

What a load of stinking horse-poo

[dchase]

I have more experience with arcade machines than anyone here.

Who you don't want to listen to is people who think that the number of your posts has anything to do with the content of what you wrote. Yikes.

What a load of stinking horse-poo

You present a really compelling argument. If you're just going to sling turds don't even comment.

[abispac]

 

I have more experience with arcade machines than anyone here.

Who you don't want to listen to is people who think that the number of your posts has anything to do with the content of what you wrote. Yikes.

What a load of stinking horse-poo

[abispac]

I have more experience with arcade machines than anyone here.

Sure buddy, whatever you want to believe, if you happy with your ideas, then be happy.

Who you don't want to listen to is people who think that the number of your posts has anything to do with the content of what you wrote. Yikes.

Yeahp, probably working for this industry for over 30 years + now, perhaps i really dont have a clue of what im talking about.

But i do know one thing. OP asked for the best setup. And yes, you can either use windows 7 on a dedicated arcade cabinet setup, and enjoy the aracade bootscreen, maybe an intro video, and then be able to choose betwen games without a problem on a system that its bulletproof right now for that kind of stuff. All in some old hardware that still works just fine with it.   Or yes, you can use windows 10 enterprise, with top of the line hardware and boot directly into your front end nad load games in milliseconds, looking ---smurfy--- on an led monitor. but hey, it works super fast. LOL ive seen clowns like this playing pacman all the way streched out all over the screen, saying it looks nice.

But hey, what do i know, dchase seems to know more than anyone here..... he probably knows more than zebidee, who developed a nice hardware for this hobby. So i guess yes, you should listen to dchase instead of the good members of this forum who have developed more stuff over the years to make this hobby alot better.

[Zebidee]

thanks abispac.

"He who shall not be named" has been banned by the saint above. So no more bile for a while, at least until he finds another horcrux.

[abispac]

thanks abispac.

"He who shall not be named" has been banned by the saint above. So no more bile for a while, at least until he finds another horcrux.

Didnt knew it was a troll, i though that guys was talking serius. LOl