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2023 Budget PC for MAME?
Zebidee:
I setup an arcade "MAME" cab for a mate around 17 years ago, using a Lenovo P4/WinXP + ArcadeVGA ex-desktop based system. After said mate hadn't used cab for a few years, he tried to start it and found that the CMOS battery had failed. This somehow reverted the BIOS into security mode (there are special security chips built onto the Lenovo boards), for which there seems to be no known solutions. If IBM/Lenovo could help, they wouldn't, either because the computer is so old and their corporate memory doesn't go back that far, or because it is a security matter (so they wouldn't tell me anyway).
So, I am in the process of updating with a Core2Duo E8600 Win7 + AMD HD6450 system, built onto an generic-but-tough Asrock mainboard, no security shenanigans there. Part of the challenge is that I used no normal PC case for the build - instead the PC is built directly into a rolling drawer (you slide the drawer out to access the PC components). Another part of the challenge is working out what the hell I did 17 years ago.
leapinlew:
For my needs, I mostly use systems that are a bit older. This kind of crap: https://www.dellrefurbished.com/item/dell-optiplex-7050-mff-000163/dell-optiplex-7050-mff/1.html
However, since Mame can do more modern versions of Golden Tee now, and Sinden lightguns getting so good, it makes me wonder what other newer emulated games are worth looking into. I bought a lower end i5 to try and emulate Megatouch games, but it just wasn't enough horsepower.
bollwerk:
99% of what matters is single threaded CPU performance. When searching for a cheap PC to use, find the specific CPU on this list, or compare it to other CPUs, to get an idea.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
TurboC--:
I agree with that, with a caveat. While I do believe multi-threaded performance can be largely ignored for MAME, it should be noted that passmark has been found to be in collusion with Intel, adjusting their "benchmarks" so that Intel is favored in the results. So while I do still think Intel would probably be best in most cases for single-thread, I absolutely do not believe that the passmark numbers are 100% legitimate.
nitrogen_widget:
--- Quote from: BlueGhost on February 13, 2023, 03:44:04 pm ---I've been using Ryzen powered mini pc's lately. The Lenovo ones with a 2400GE Ryzen can be had for around $150 on ebay.
--- End quote ---
Will that play the 3d games though?
Killer instinct 1 & 2 for example?