Building a computer for my Cab

[moonpatrol 4 lyfe]

Dear Fellow MAME Cabbers,

Right now I have 3 options.

a.) I ditch my beloved GeForce FX5200 in favor of Arcade VGA.

b.) I use AdvanceMAME with my GeForce card.

c.) I build a new PC for my MAME cab.

If I decide to build a new computer, what exactly will I need?  I've never built a computer from scratch before, so I'm not 100% sure.

I have a 40 gig harddrive I can strip from a donor computer as well as a couple of CD rom drives.  They aren't the latest in technology, but I dont think that will affect the performance of my cab.

What kind of motherboard/processor will I need?  I'm thinking something with onboard sound since Arcade games weren't exactly pinacles of crystal clear music, and I'm hoping it'll be cheaper to buy a board with an incorporated soundcard.  I'll also need USB ports for J-Pac and I-Pac interfaces... possibly an Opti-Pac down the road.  I'd also like to have enough processing power to play anything from PacMan to SFII and Mortal combat, to NeoGeo games.  I dont think I'll be running anything with huge CHD files, since nothing can smoothly emulate that anyways.  Are there any games that have requirements above a NeoGeo game, but less than a huge CHD game?

I'll definately need a motherboard with an AGP slot that is compatible with ArcadeVGA.  All the new Intel chipsets are abandoning AGP and going to PCI express, so I'm hoping I can get a deal, since Arcade VGA is AGP anyways.  (Would I perhaps be better off with an athalon processor?)

How much RAM will I need?  512, 1 gig?  I'm thinking Windows XP, since there seems to be a lot of MAME related programs, drivers, etc available for XP.

I'll need a powersupply and some sort of cooling system as well.  I have a bunch of old 386's and 486's I can jack fans from to get some circulation in the cab.  Will I need a heat sink?  A special fan directly over the motherboard?

How much is this whole thing gonna cost me?

Thanks again!
-Bill

[Will]

Well if you have ever installed a hard drive or a cd-rom drive and can read instrunctions well you can certainly build a pc.What do you need to build a pc.Here are some good choiced.
1.case=a good easy case to work with is the antec sonanta ,great cooling and silent and comes with a power supply and a big 120 mm cooling fan.
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15138
2.motherboard=I like intel products so all my picks are with a pentium 4 in mind.Asus p4p800 motherboard has agp that you wanted an easy to set up.
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket478/p4c800-d/overview.htm
3.processor=your choice of speed but you should be able to get a 2.8 to 3.0 for a pretty good price.
4.ram=512 is probably plenty for mame I run a little bit more than that but it depends what your doing with pc.DDR400 memory is plenty fast.
5.sound card=I bought a older soundblaster off ebay for 10.00 shipped.You could go with a motherboard with onboard sound but I wouldn't know which to recommend.
6.Hard Drive and DVD drive=your choice of size and brand but I have 200 gigs of space on my mame rig.
I love building pc's, thanks god for my new addiction arcade control panel ergonomics has kept my away from building pc's.If only building a mame cabinet was as easy as a home built pc.My component recommendations are probably a little bit on the high end for a mame pc but those items are rock solid and "reliable".Im using a p4 2.4 in my mame system and there still is some slowdown in just a handfull of games so a faster cpu wont hurt you.

[yourfatmama]

i like AMD processors, but it doesnt really matter that much which way you go just ensure that you match up the mobo w/ the cpu.

**is it a sickness that i check the byoac forums bi-daily ?

[Pacific Ripper]

Watch out for electro-static discharge when you put install some components like the processor or RAM. Wear a grounding bracelet or make sure you are grounded at all times.

[pointdablame]

Watch out for electro-static discharge when you put install some components like the processor or RAM. Wear a grounding bracelet or make sure you are grounded at all times.

This is a good point, but you don't really need a grounding bracelet unless you are in an area that has A LOT of static electricity.   I've built god knows how many computers now, and have been digging inside of many more, and have never worn a static bracelet.   I've never had a component fail once.   

It really isn't a concern unless you know you have a lot of static in your area... and even then... computer components are a lot tougher than you'd imagine.  I've personally seen components shocked with static electricity and they worked fine afterwards.

[pointdablame]

One other thing.... Will made some good choices on components up top, but if all you are looking to play is NeoGeo games at the highest, that type of system would be OVERKILL.  The newer revision of the motherboard he recommends is around $175, and a 2.8 - 3.0ghz P4 is going to run you $160-200.

You could save some cash by getting slightly lower-end components if all you will be doing is running MAME.

I am an AMD guy, so I won't be able to give you compatible Intel stuff, but I would go with something like an Nforce 2 motherboard and an AthlonXP in the 2400+ - 2800+ range.  That will play all the games you want and be quite a bit cheaper.

I would recommend an Asus A7N8X motherboard.  I've used 3 of them and love them.  Good onboard sound, and it'll run you about $75.   You could also look at the Shuttle AN35N-Ultra.  It's another nice little board with decent onboard sound, and it'll only run you $60 or so.

For a CPU, you can get a 2500+ for $65 or so, or bump up to a 2800+ for just over $100.  Either way, you'd be significantly under what Will suggested and would be able to run the games you want with no problems.  Maybe Will or someone else could recommend a similar Intel setup.

[moonpatrol 4 lyfe]

I have a 3.0 ghz pentium with 1 gig ram that Im using as my primary PC.  The one I'll be building is just for MAME.

What kinds of games does MAME emulate that are above NeoGeo (in terms of hardware requirements)?  Obviously the chd games, but you need a LOT of power to sucessfully emulate those.  I wont be playing those games.  I'm more of an old school gamer myself, but I freqently play newer games such as Metal Slug and Samuari Showdown.

I've only owned to PCs in my life, a 400mhz celeron and my current 3gig pentium, so I'm really not sure if I should stick with my Pentium, or go to AMD for this project.  I don't have a lot of cash, so I just need a PC for this project that will run windows XP, and smoothly and successfully emulate all my games in XP without any lag, or freezing.

Also, I've heard of some rare cases where ArcadeVGA cards dont fit a certain AGP port...  I definately need a motherboard that will be 100% compatible.

Thanks for your posts, you guys have been very informative.  I just can't afford a system that has way more power than I need.  My money also need to go to cab restoration, finding someone to build me a new control panel,  (I dont have a drill press or table saw), a crapload of parts from Ultimarc, and 4 joysticks and 28 buttons.

Thanks again!
Bill

[markb]

I run Mame on two rigs, the first is my main computer upstairs:-
Athlon XP 2700+
640mb Ram
120gb Hard-drive
Radeon 9800 Pro

The second is for my actual arcade machine which runs:-
Cheap Case from Ebuyer -

[Lilwolf]

btw, for 3d games...  I hear 3.4 ghz is the speed break.

Not that there is a bid difference between 3 - 3.4... But RBelmont has a 3.4 so I know the games that he can play fullspeed.  Most of these can run in Zinc on a 2 ghz (tekken with sound I haven't tested yet)

Sound card you should be able to use an onboard without problems.

Look for a motherboard with PS2 keyboards (not all do anymore) for ease with keyboard encoders.

Building a computer is easy.  It takes more time to setup the OS then to physically build a computer.  (motherboard in case.  memory and processor in motherboard, drives in case, plug drives to computer, ect)

[yourfatmama]

how much horsepower doesnt it take for those CHD games being mentioned ? ..gonna see if i can find a list of them to see what i'd miss out on

[javeryh]

What kind of specs do I need if I want to run Killer Instinct and MK2/3 smoothly? 

[JCKnife]

I built my MAME system using a 3.0 Ghz P4 and an Asus mobo with an 865PE chipset. It runs all the MK's fine, KI 1 fine, KI 2 drops a couple frames but is playable. CHD games like NFL Blitz and Cruisin' are not even close to playable. A lot of the 3d games (Battle Arena Toshinden, DOA++, VF) are choppy; you'd have to really want to play them.

[Wyluli]

Building a pc is easy, I used to work for Gateway a looong time ago building computers for them (yeah yeah, don't go dissing me now, it was the only decent job in the area before I moved).
It depends on what games you want to play as to how much horsepower you need.
I ran most of the games on my Pentium 450 and they worked fine.  You could probably buy a used PC from somebody for cheap too if you watch the ads in the paper etc..
Otherwise, Here are some idea's to get you started.
Found this stuff on Newegg.com

MOTHERBOARD:
ECS "K7VTA3 V6.0" VIA KT333 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Model# K7VTA3 V6.0 
Item # N82E16813135160  Cost is $33 Has an AGP slot, 6 USB ports and supports up to 2 Gigs of ram which is more than you would need.
You could save even more by getting this board:
Model#: M811LU
Item#: N82E16813185010  which is similar for only $25.

PROCESSOR:
You can get a 500 MHZ AMD for $15 OEM but you might want a little better.  You can opt for the Model: AMD Athlon 1.33GHz for $48.  This should be Excellent for what you want.


Then just toss in 512 Ram, your hard drive which you already have, your AGP video card, cheap cd-rom drive and floppy drive if you want.

When putting the machine together, it is best to do it on tile or wood floor (anything but carpet) to prevent building up ESD (electro static discharge).  It's also a good idea to keep at least some part of your body (use your imagination here  ) touching part of the unpainted metal case which will discharge any static like a grounding strap.  If you have any questions, let us know.

Good luck

[iwillfearnoevil]

you'll do fine putting the computer together. we'll all help you troubleshoot any problems you may have. one option might be to go for a barebones system which usually has the powersupply, motherboard, and cpu already installed in a case for you. then you just really need to drop in some ram, a hard drive, and your cd/dvd drive. the motherboard will already have sound, network card, modem, and video onboard and if you can live with that performance, you're golden.

[moonpatrol 4 lyfe]

but what speed processor/ram am i going to need?

-Bill

[krick]

but what speed processor/ram am i going to need?

If you want to play any of the more recent games in MAME, you should buy the fastest processor you can afford.

Then get 512M of memory (anything more is overkill for MAME at the moment).

[ErikRuud]

My current mame PC was built for under $300(No Monitor or OS).  It was essentially a bundle of components from TigerDirect that I had to assemble.

1.6 Ghz Duron Processor
KT266A Mercury Motherboard (On board sound, ethernet)
40 Gig Harddrive
CD Burner
256 meg PC2100 ddr
ATI Radeon 7000 video card
JustPC case with 300 watt power supply
Plus all the extras like heatsink/fan, keyboard, mouse, etc.

It runs just about everything I ever want to play.  I know my nephews have played a lot of the more modern fighters with no problems as well.  I have tried a few NeoGeo games and they seemed to run fine.  I have not tried any .chd games.  It also runs Daphne perfectly, and every PC game that I have tried has worked well.

I have since added a 200gig HD, DVD burner, an additional 256 Meg of ram, and a Video Capture card, and it works well for capturing, editing amd burning our home videos.

[moonpatrol 4 lyfe]

343, that sounds reasonable... 
Where can I get this package?  Will it be compatible with arcade VGA?  Since there are only 2 memory slots, does that mean I'll never be able to upgrade to a gig of memory?

I'm not much of an overclocker.  If I left the system stock, what games will I be able to play?  Could I crank out MKII, MKIII, all the Neo Geo games?

What else will I need to buy?  Since this is going in an arcade cab, I was thinking about skipping a case, and just mounting it to a piece of wood.  I have a 40 gig HD I could use, as well as a couple CD rom drives and an eithernet card.

How about a power supply?

Thanks again!
-Bill

Quote from: krick on December 01, 2004, 12:43:55 AM

$69 from M-Wave...
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA20786

If you go for a bundle, you can save a little more money...
get a 2.4c CPU for $142
and 1GB (2x512M) of DDR400 MWAVE brand memory for $132

$343 total (plus shipping, of course).

[moonpatrol 4 lyfe]

Duron processor, is that AMD?  under 300 sounds like a steal too =)  how does your system perform when emulating NeoGeo and MKII and MKIII?

Bill

[krick]

Where can I get this package?

Go to M-Wave.

[thrash242]

*SNIP*
I am an AMD guy, so I won't be able to give you compatible Intel stuff, but I would go with something like an Nforce 2 motherboard and an AthlonXP in the 2400+ - 2800+ range.  That will play all the games you want and be quite a bit cheaper.

I would recommend an Asus A7N8X motherboard.  I've used 3 of them and love them.  Good onboard sound, and it'll run you about $75.   You could also look at the Shuttle AN35N-Ultra.  It's another nice little board with decent onboard sound, and it'll only run you $60 or so.

For a CPU, you can get a 2500+ for $65 or so, or bump up to a 2800+ for just over $100.  Either way, you'd be significantly under what Will suggested and would be able to run the games you want with no problems.  Maybe Will or someone else could recommend a similar Intel setup.

I second his recommendations.  I'm using an A7N8X Deluxe and a Athlon XP 3000+ as my main computer and I've had no problems at all and have been very happy with it.  I've also built one using them for someone else.  ASUS motherboards seem to be very good and very easy to set up.  The manuals are excellent, which is somewhat rare for Taiwanese (I think) motherboard manufacturers.  And I'm using the onboard sound over whatever the latest soundblaster is, with 5.1 surround sound.

I prefer AMD processors, as I think they're eaiser to set up, cheaper, and just as fast in most cases.

[krick]

Whatever you buy, spend the extra 25 or so dollars and get a good motherboard.  You'll be glad you did.

I only ever buy ABIT motherboards.
My friend swears by ASUS boards and usually gives them to me as hand-me-downs when he upgrades.

I hear good stuff about MSI motherboards but I've never purchased one.

I bought a Shuttle board exactly once.  Piece of crap.

I bought an ECS Elitegroup board exactly once.  Even bigger piece of crap.

[pointdablame]

Whatever you buy, spend the extra 25 or so dollars and get a good motherboard.  You'll be glad you did.

I only ever buy ABIT motherboards.
My friend swears by ASUS boards and usually gives them to me as hand-me-downs when he upgrades.

I hear good stuff about MSI motherboards but I've never purchased one.

I bought a Shuttle board exactly once.  Piece of crap.

I bought an ECS Elitegroup board exactly once.  Even bigger piece of crap.

I agree with every word you said except the Shuttle motherboards.  I haven't had an ounce of trouble with them, and I'm on my 3rd one so far, with a new shuttle being delivered to me tomorrow.  They are great little boards.  I do however remember them having some quirks when they were first starting out, but they've gotten glowing reviews lately.

[krick]

I bought a Shuttle AV49PN (VIA PT800) P4 motherboard

[moonpatrol 4 lyfe]

It looks like I'm leaning toward's Krick's suggestion.

What does everyone else think of this combination?

mobo: ABIT-IS7E2 ($69)

processor: PENTIUM 4 2.4CG (800Mhz) ($137.50)

memory: MWAVE 1GB DDR400(512MB X 2) ($126.00)

power supply: Vantec VAN-400B ION 400W ($59)

Does this motherboard have onboard video?  I really dont care, because I'll be using an ArcadeVGA card, but if for some reason I need to plug it into a PC monitor, I'd like that capability.

I really like the look of the power supply because it will enable me to turn off my cab when I shut-down the computer.  I won't need to putz with relays.

I saw a case at comp-usa today for $30, I'm not sure if it is ATX though.  Do they come any cheaper?

How about cooling?  Any other odds and ends I'm forgetting?  Mounting hardware?  IDE cables? etc, etc?  (or does this all come with the stuff I'm buying?)

Am I really getting my money's worth?  I dont want to spend my money on a MAME PC that I'll need to rebuild in a year or two.  Does anyone suggest any upgrades?

OH!  one other question.  There's a huge difference in price between the Pentium 4 2.4 and the Celeron 2.4  What is so different about the processors, and am I better off with the pentium?

Thanks again,
Bill

[krick]

It looks like I'm leaning toward's Krick's suggestion.

Keep in ming that my suggestion is what I would buy in your situation.