EPIA-M9000-based project

[nfinityak]

Hey,

long time visitor, first-time poster here

I've been wanting to build a MAME cab for a couple of years now, and I'm finally getting around to giving it a shot.  I think I'm going to do it Arcade-in-a-box style, but nonetheless, it's a start.  

Here's what I've decided to use in terms of hardware:
VIA EPIA-M 9000
256 MB PC2100 RAM
30GB Maxtor IDE HD
52x LG CD
Generic 300W ATX power supply (overkill I know)
2x Happ Competition sticks
plenty of happ competition PB's
IPAC-2

For software I've got the following set up:
Win2k SP2 (yes, I know, overkill)
AdvanceMenu
MAME32 Plus .64
KK-MAME32 .64 (more enabled games)
Gens
zsnes
virtuaNES
and other assorted EMUs

I've seen quite a few questions regarding the performance of the latest generation of EPIA-M boards from VIA, and I just thought I'd take the time here and talk about how they perform for MAME.

First of all- bilinear filtering effects in MAME/MAME32 using directX causes garbled graphics, so it's necessary to use specialized versions of MAME with Software scaling (if you believe in scaling/stretching).  Using MAME32 Plus 0.64, I'm able to use the software stretching/scaling option successfully in all resolutions up to 1024x768 without any noticeable performance degredation.  

Anyways, in terms of raw performance, I get full speed on all the classicss, and even things like CPS1/2/NeoGeo run at a full framerate for me- and that's as well as I was hoping it would perform  Any of the Midway games using DSP suffer significant slowdown with sound enabled (surprise), and I haven't even bothered with some of the more recent game drivers.

The TV-out (once properly configured) works just excellent!  No problems using it in any number of resolutions, and unlike previous EPIA boards, the EPIA-M supports 16-bit color depth.  Overall, the quality of the graphic output (even in software scaled modes) looks great on my trinitron TV.  

Audio quality is also generally very good.  I'm currently using the 2-channel mode (as opposed to the 6-channel mode), and that seems to suit emulators just fine.

All in all, I can't wait for my happ controls/IPAC to arrive so I get building my project- I'll be setting up a website as soon as I get some finalized plans drawn up, and I'll be updating it on a regular basis once I start building.  

-Mark

[Jakobud]

Mark,

Well for a few months now I have had some ideas of doing some sort of Arcade-in a box style project also, using the Epia m9000.  I was actually waiting for it to come out in Nov so I could start.  But then I started to hear that the performance was comparable to about a P3-450 or something....that was really dissapointing for me.  Kind of turned me off a bit to it.

But you are saying the performance is 'okay'....i have a couple questions.

You said the 'stretching' does not do well with just vanilla mame?  Is that right?  Like if I just use regular windows build of Mame and turn on stretching...then it gets garbled graphics?

You said that the classics run fine....can you give some examples of games that almost run good but not quite perfect? Mortal Kombat? 2? 3?  Street Fighter 2?  Right off the top of my head I don't know what games are CPS-1,2 etc...can you give me some examples of CPS1 and CPS2 games that run well?

Like I said, performance is the main reason I backed away from my project so I am eager to see what sort of performance answers I can get from you. Thanks!

[Smittydc]

How bizzare... just monday I ordered an m9000 and related parts to build a new portable computer (in a small 1950s suitcase).  Mostly I'm building it to play music and video at parties and events, but I was hoping to make a portable arcade control box for it as well (think Joust on a 20 ft. screen).  

Good to know it runs ok!

Anybody interested in these should check out http://www.mini-itx.com -- a lot of the same ingenuity we see on BYOAC projects.

[nfinityak]

Hey Jakobud,

I've tried about 20 different builds of MAME, and the ones   that use hardware stretch garble the graphics horribly.  I think this has to do with some shady directX compatibility on the part of the Epia's graphics hardware...  Games look like the pixels are in the wrong order on every other line- almost like an old NES that needs to have the cartridge slot cleaned out.

However, there are quite a few MAME builds that circumvent this quite well...  Mame Plus comes in a command line version, as well as a GUI'd version, and supports software scaling/stretching, transparent Final Fantasy style menus, and spurious motion blur effects.  Mame32-K (the kaillera netplay version of mame32) supports software stretching and software bilinear filtering.  The bilinear filter effect really degrades performance though.  I can't really tell the difference when running the board through a TV though.

As for games which run "good, but not perfect", I haven't extensively tested the whole library...  All of the Street Fighter games (except Street Fighter:  The Movie) run flawlessly..  games like UN Squadron, Magic Sword, X-men, Marvel vs. Capcom, and all the Neo Geo games (including new games such as Metal Slug 4 and Rage of the Dragons) all run perfectly as well...  Games like MK, MK2, NBA JAM etc. run poorly with sound, and still (in my opinion) barely playable without sound.  I haven't tested them since 0.62, and the version of MAME I'm using now uses the ASM 68K core, so performance could have changed to some degree...

Originally, I was using Nebula to do all of my NEO-GEO and CPS emulation- and Nebula seemed to do that flawlessly as well, except for its slow screen stretching/screen rendering of vertically oriented CPS games, so that's an option as well.  It works with AdvanceMENU as well, so all the games can still be launched through a common interface if that's something that matters to you.

Hope this helps!
-Mark

[eightbit]

This is going to be a sweet system for those with space constraints.
http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NDE2LDE=
http://www.tech-report.com/reviews/2003q1/shuttle-sn41g2/index.x?pg=1

[Jakobud]

Yeah I've researched those Shuttle systems....not bad if you want to spend $350 on just a case and mobo (!!!!)

Thanks for the info nfinity.

Jakobud

[eightbit]

Yeah I've researched those Shuttle systems....not bad if you want to spend $350 on just a case and mobo (!!!!)

Its a little more than that. It includes a excellent sound card, usb 2.0, NIC, and firewire. The video card included has tv out and dual display support. Not bad for a baby box and not bad for $350.

[Jakobud]

usb 2 and firewire and dual head display and all that crap is nice but not for an arcade cabinet.  Total overkill.  Although I think I will pick on of these up for a home pc.