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Need Help With Buying or Building A Computer for MAME cabinet
alfredbot9000:
I have been using Apple computers for the past 8 years, and have not kept up with the PC world for a while. The last PC I can remember owning was a Pentium 3 or was it a 2. I am looking for an inexpensive option for a MAME cabinet that I am building. I need something that is fast enough to run the newest mame without the choppy audio and slow video (basing this off of donkey kong on a pentium4 1.8 ghz computer), and figure I need something that has at least 1-2 GB ram and a 64 bit dual core processor, but am not 100% sure.
I am looking to be able to play as many games as possible on a budget...I don't want to spend more than $400 (would like to keep it to $350 if possible). I know nothing about building computers and just looked for some cheap prebuilt options. Compaq and Acer were the cheapest fastest looking boxes I could find. (i know nothing about all these new processors just know i'm running dual core on my mac so I figured a dual core on a PC is good too)
Here are 2 cheap options on found on newegg...are either of these any good for what I want or if someone could help me out with finding the parts I would need to build it myself I'm sure I could get it built.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883109010
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103135
paigeoliver:
Any reason why you limiting yourself to using the NEWEST mame version? Just dial back the version and the need for hot hardware goes away. Everything you want to play (other than those CHD games) will run full speed on a 500 mhz PC with 128 MB of RAM, just using an older Mame version.
Dual core doesn't really help with emulation, neither does scads of ram.
If your project is on a budget then the computer is NOT the place to spend big. Dollars spent on the PC provide the LEAST bang for your mame project buck. There isn't a significant difference in the number of worthwhile games a 500 mhz PC using mame .55 will run full speed and what a brand new gaming computer using the latest mame version will run full speed. Very few games of any substance have been added to the last, oh 70 versions of mame.
alfredbot9000:
What version of Mame would I have to turn back to in order to play games like donkey kong, mario bros, golden tee, MKs, SFs, and the like?
Is it possible to play all of these on a P4 1.8 ghz with 256 ram? I rolled back to version .118 and donkey kong still wouldn't run well.
paigeoliver:
I like version .55 and never use anything higher than .70. The newer mame versions require so much more horsepower to provide the same results that it is almost comical.
The Golden Tees are one of the only worthwhile sets of games added to newer mame versions, but they don't require super hot hardware to play (that 1.8 should handle them with ease). My suggestion is try something in the .55 - .70 range (older is always faster) for everything other than the Golden Tee games, and use the first version that supports the Golden Tee games for those.
You can easily set this up in your front end to be transparent. The 1.8 ghz p4 is more than enough computer for a good mame cabinet. It is easily double what you need.
--- Quote from: alfredbot9000 on May 02, 2008, 06:55:29 pm ---What version of Mame would I have to turn back to in order to play games like donkey kong, mario bros, golden tee, MKs, SFs, and the like?
Is it possible to play all of these on a P4 1.8 ghz with 256 ram? I rolled back to version .118 and donkey kong still wouldn't run well.
--- End quote ---
alfredbot9000:
I have some stupid questions for old versions of mame.
1. can I use a hiscore.diff or anything like that to save hi scores?
2. i tried to set a version that old up today and got a message saying something about command prompt...is there a way to just click the exe file and run it like the newer versions?
3. is there a way to remove the nag screens and white boxes from these older versions?