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Author Topic: Total Newbie here  (Read 2145 times)

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Robkhb

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Total Newbie here
« on: February 01, 2007, 08:38:31 pm »
Hey all,

I recently purchased a home stand up version of Golden Tee from Target and this immediately got me interested in building my own cabinet.  I went online and ordered the "Tankstick" from X-gaming which comes with the 2 control stick and a trackball.

I have a couple questions.

I have an extra pc which has an Athlon Xp 1700+ processor, 1/2 gig of memory, 250gig sata hard drive, and a Radeon 7500 video card with I think 64 meg of ram.

First question - Is this a reasonable configuration for running a good Mame machine?  I don't really want to half ass anything but....  If I had to upgrade something (don't want to build a whole new pc) and I was only budgeting maybe another $150 on the machine, what should I upgrade?

Next question is about monitor.  I have a 21" Sony CRT and I also have a 25"  generic brand TV.  If I don't want to spend a bunch of money on an arcade monitor, which of these 2 choices would you recommend?  Keep in mind I am not as interested in the older Joust-era games but instead on newer versions of fighting games, Golden Tee, etc.

Next question is about front end software.  I tried mamewah but it didn't go through and detect non-working games so I had a bunch on my menu that didn't work.  I also downloaded and played around with mala a bit and this seemed pretty nice.  I know this is an opinion question but I am curious as to what most people are using and what they recommend.

Lastly, does anyone know of a good site to find cabinet plans at?  I have done some googling but I really haven't found anything all that useable.

Thank you in advance for your input (and sorry for being so newbie)

-Rob

QuixoteQuest

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2007, 08:58:19 pm »
Your PC is plenty powerful for the classic arcade games. You'll will probably see stuttering on mid 90s games onward-- I couldn't say for sure -- it's been a while since I played MAME on anything that old. But I seem to remember games like NBA jam, Hangtime, Mortal Kombat, Capcom fighters, etc., having audio and video slowdowns or stutters. Since these latter games are the types in which you express interest: download MAME and give em a spin since you already have the PC. You can quickly see how good your PC is or not.

If it were me, I'd choose which monitor of the ones you have looks best for the games you are playing. Off hand I'd say go for the larger TV. But let the look of the actual games be your guide.

There are lots of plans out there. The Ultimate Arcade II (mameroom.com) is a popular cabinet design--though I think it is intended for a 27" monitor. But there are many other options out there. Many frontend options, too. MAMEWah seems very popular. I use GameEx and prefer that. Download some different FEs and see what you like.

Just spend some time around here talking and reading. Many cabinet designs. Lots of great choices in hardware, trackballs, spinners and sticks. I jumped into my own arcade by buying it custom built after years of using MAME on my PC and reading about DIY arcade cab construction. Having more money than time or patience I finally just hired out the work and focused on what I like: the artwork and design. But since getting my cab in December I'm already planning out mods. Still many here start from scratch--and that's a very cool aspect of the conversations around here. So whatever your poison welcome!
« Last Edit: February 01, 2007, 09:00:19 pm by QuixoteQuest »

Loki

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2007, 09:02:23 pm »
To begin with the cab plans, I only know this one... it's pretty nice. :) http://www.jakobud.com/

Monitor is really personal. If it was me I would prolly go with the 25" TV, I don't like small monitors... but that's just my opinion.

I havn't gotten mamewah and mala to work yet, but at the moment I have Maximus Arcade on my pc.
It's easy and let's me hook up loads of emulators to it.
it's pretty nice but it's also $25 :(
Don't eat yellow snow.

Robkhb

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2007, 09:06:38 pm »
Thank you for your quick replies!

Do I lose anything resolution-wise opting for the TV over the PC Monitor?  I want as big a screen as I can feasibly (financially) do but I don't want to sacrifice picture quality...



QuixoteQuest

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2007, 09:19:03 pm »
Thank you for your quick replies!

Do I lose anything resolution-wise opting for the TV over the PC Monitor?  I want as big a screen as I can feasibly (financially) do but I don't want to sacrifice picture quality...




You may. Hook it up to your PC and check it out. If you display in native resolutions your TV could look great but may depend on what kind of cable you use for how great it may look. I used a 27" HDTV so that bezels would look great while I enjoy the games. Your PC monitor likely supports higher native resolutions, and would display bezel art better--if you like bezel art. But being the smaller choice the games "window" are likely to be too small for your liking. In which case, again, the TV is likely the better choice.
« Last Edit: February 01, 2007, 09:21:09 pm by QuixoteQuest »

clockwork

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2007, 09:25:03 pm »
A TV will be lower resolution than a monitor, but that may be a good thing. Depends on your tastes. The older games don't have high resolution, so on a monitor they can appear blocky. I've been playing with MAME's image enhancement but that doesn't seem to help on a lot of games. I've realized on the monitor that a lower resolution works better for many of the games I play, but then some of the games I play look a lot nicer when I use image enhancement. So you really should compare each with the games you'll most be playing and see which you like best.
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WaRpEd

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2007, 08:11:29 pm »
One other thing with a TV the S-Video on older TV's may not be as good as new set, If image quality is important to you try to find one with component hook-ups also as these are better overall than a bargain TV.
Cheers
There are three kinds of people in the world those that can count and those that can't.

jace055

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2007, 10:17:17 pm »
Buy Saint's book.  There are 2 different sets of plans included on the cd.  Plus, it has lots of other information you might not find on your own.  Once I bought the book I changed my mind about many of the details in my cabinet. 

I don't mean to make this a shameless book plug but, for the cost of the plans at mameroom.com you could get the book too!!

Robkhb

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2007, 11:15:12 am »
Saints book, where can I get it?

Kaytrim

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2007, 11:18:21 am »

Robkhb

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #10 on: February 21, 2007, 10:36:58 pm »
Well I did the unthinkable and lazy, and bought a full cab kit from Mameroom.  The Ultimate Arcade II kit with the X-Arcade Tankstick base.  I am pretty mechanical but when I started thinking about not just the wood I would have to purchase but the tools as well, this just made the most sense to me.

Does anyone have any experience with cabinets from these guys?  I haven't received it yet but I can't wait to.  I have a question for anyone that has built one of these before.  The base for the joystick is totally enclosed which means I won't have access to the 2 buttons on either side of the X-arcade joystick setup.  Since these buttons function as the mouse buttons and then as the "coin" button, I was curious as to how people get around this?  If anyone is familiar with this I would live to have some wisdom bestowed upon me.  (this is the link to the cab, it's the last one on the page: http://www.mameroom.com/product_UltimateArcadeII.asp)

Robkhb

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #11 on: February 21, 2007, 11:38:10 pm »
Arg I can't find anything on this!

leapinlew

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #12 on: February 21, 2007, 11:54:57 pm »
There have been quite a few builds based around the UAII kits in project announcements. Some people have added artwork and quite a few personal touches to make the cabs their own.

I wouldn't worry about the mouse buttons for now. Did you get a control panel yet? What about the computer?

Robkhb

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2007, 10:06:20 am »
I bought the Tankstick..As for pc I am using this:

Athlon XP 1700+
1 gig ram
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro

leapinlew

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2007, 10:34:21 am »
Since you have the computer - you should start configuring it. That can be a time consuming process.

Robkhb

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Re: Total Newbie here
« Reply #15 on: February 22, 2007, 10:45:04 am »
Yeah I am pretty far along on that end.  Got Gamex running how I like with a few hundred mame games to start off...I still don't know how I am going to use the buttons that will be covered up though!