Main > Main Forum
Computer building - How am I doin'?
kelemvor:
A good power supply can be important but if it's a barebones system with no video card, no major external cards or drives, then it really doesn't make much difference most of the time. No need to go over 300-400 or so most of the time so don't worry about finding a huge wattage rating for a Mame machine.
Lakersfan:
@tristen: Thanks for the suggestion. The one you have is only $39 with a $10MIR. That's not bad at all if it's considered a higher quality brand.
@kelemvor: Thanks for the tip. The only video card I'll have is the Arcade VGA2. Otherwise the PC will be solely dedicated to my cabinet. No drives needed (after initial set-up) aside from the HD.
pdehn:
kelemvor is definitely correct in that you don't need some expensive massive wattage power supply - most MAME machines are about as bare as it can get in terms of power requirements. That said, it should probably be stressed that this doesn't mean to simply buy the cheapest power supply you can find. It's worth spending at least a bit of money on a power supply that isn't bound to fail in 3 months, taking the rest of the computer down with it.
I'm partial to FSP for lower-end requirements due to good experience in the past, but there are quite a few good brands out there...Seasonic, Sparkle, Silverstone, PC Power & Cooling, and a bunch of others. Its a fairly sure bet that if its a good buy, there will be some reviews saying so - never hurts to put the model in google before buying if you're not sure.
Thermaltake isn't a brand I know too much about, but from what I've read and seen so far, they're putting out some rather good quality stuff.
Cooling is the other major concern I have in something like a MAME cabinet - most cabs tend to have the computer tucked away in some enclosed section that just traps heat, while frequently running 24/7. I personally favor just mounting the components directly inside the cabinet instead inside a case, inside the cabinet. A couple motherboard standoffs and well placed L-brackets for the power supply and hard drive works well at keeping everything in place for me. Airflow is key - make sure you have at least some air circulation to the computer, putting it in multiple layers of cases is going to make that harder to effectively do.
Another option would be to buy a motherboard tray (something like this) - gives you plenty of open space, but you still have a rigid frame to ensure something like your Arcade VGA card stays securely in place. It also takes out the work of measuring and determining all the points to drill for mounting motherboard standoffs to your case.
AtomSmasher:
--- Quote from: kelemvor on October 28, 2007, 01:13:39 am ---A good power supply can be important but if it's a barebones system with no video card, no major external cards or drives, then it really doesn't make much difference most of the time. No need to go over 300-400 or so most of the time so don't worry about finding a huge wattage rating for a Mame machine.
--- End quote ---
The power supply is the most common component to break in a computer. Every cheap one I've ever bought hasn't lasted more then a year or two, and I even had one go up in smoke (literally) a minute after I plugged it in. Lets just say I've learned my lesson and will never be using a cheap power supply again. If you do decide to use a cheap one, then at least when your computer fails in the near future you'll know what is most likely causing the problem.
metahacker:
how about a 2.66 c2d instead of the 2.33, revision SLA9V
i bet it will easily run 3.2 ghz without much work at all
for psu there are a lot of options
i have had good results with antec, pc power & cooling, enermax... the brands pdehn mentioned are also very good but stay away from the FSP 300W passively cooled , i used one of those and it could not handle my piddly athlon 2200 w/ 1 hdd, no cd, nv 7600.. running 2D gui stuff.. stopped booting until i pulled the card and put a ti4600.. the bigger one should be fine.
something like this thermaltake
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052
or the one listed above (better price but will be louder)
would be just fine
or this coolermaster $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171018
u want 1 x 120mm fan to keep it quiet and make it more reliable since the fan is spinning much slower
something like this would be a bit better
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371002
and then something like this would be awesome
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194003
modular power cabling (plug in cables w/ connectors) so you dont have to have any extra wires other than what you are using