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MAME PC specs for a new build?
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fryguy:
Hi all.  I'm just starting off on the long road of building a MAME cabinet.  I've got an old Defender cabinet, a spare 27" tv, and the .121 ROM and CHD sets.  I think I've found a good deal of information on building the control panel, wiring up the interface, etc.

What I'm having trouble finding info on is any advice on what type of PC horsepower I should be looking at for a modern-day build.  Sure, I've found many an online MAME-build diary with all kinds of pictures of the cabinet build, and a list of each and every button they purchased, etc.  Then when it comes to details on the PC used, I learn that the web site I'm looking at is circa 2002, and it describes how a Celeron 400Mhz PC works for most of the MAME .36 roms. 

What about for a modern-day build?  And for modern-day roms?  Of course I'd like to piece this PC together as inexpensively as I need to, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that a Celeron 400 would not fit the bill today.

Any advice?  What have those of you that have recently built cabinets used?

Thanks for helping a newb along.

Matt.
gonzo90017:
It works great for me  :D
400mhz Celeron
256mb ram
Nebula for Neogeo and Capcom
Raine for all the games it supports.
For whatever is left I use Mame37b16

It's harder finding roms for that Mame version but they're still around.
Fozzy The Bear:

--- Quote from: fryguy on December 06, 2007, 06:14:12 pm ---Hi all.  I'm just starting off on the long road of building a MAME cabinet.  I've got an old Defender cabinet
--- End quote ---

I hope that Defender doesn't have it's boards and original parts! there would be a lot of people very annoyed at seeing an original Defender mutilated for use as a Mame machine, when it really ought to be restored.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)
u_rebelscum:

--- Quote from: fryguy on December 06, 2007, 06:14:12 pm ---...What about for a modern-day build?  And for modern-day roms?
--- End quote ---

Really depends on the games you want.

Some games (blitz, gauntlet legends) need overclocked core2 duos or quads to run at full speed.  A few don't run fast enough on any PC hardward out three now.  Check out the benchmark thread for top of the line CPU performance on some of the slowest games.

However, for 90%-95% of the games in mame, "2 Ghz" CPU (P4 @ 2 Ghz, athlon "2000+", PM & core @ ~ 1.75, core2 @ ~1.25) with a decent directX D3D video card will be fine; hey maybe "1.5 Ghz" will do okay.  But that leaves about 300-600 games (5% of 6000) that won't play fast enough.
fryguy:

--- Quote from: Fozzy The Bear on December 06, 2007, 06:57:07 pm ---I hope that Defender doesn't have it's boards and original parts! there would be a lot of people very annoyed at seeing an original Defender mutilated for use as a Mame machine, when it really ought to be restored.

--- End quote ---

Good point.  No, the guy I got the cabinet from did a pretty good job of gutting it of all its parts.   The cabinet itself is in decent shape, good enough to get this first-timer up and running.

 
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