Need help on deciding what kind of computer to buy

[Dizzle]

I just finished my four-player panel/pedestal setup and I'm trying to figure out what kind of computer I need to buy.  I've read conflicting reports on whether a Pentiums or AMD processors are better for MAME, Vista vs. XP, etc.  I'd like the setup to run MAME 1.31 really well (including light gun games) and Street Fighter IV when it comes along.  I know that changes in the emulation require a decent machine to run games like Donkey Kong, but I'm not too concerned about that since I have two other cabs running v1.04.

Anyone have any suggestions on processor, RAM, brand, etc?

[Hoagie_one]

You should probably use the SF4 specs as a guideline.

Street Fighter 4
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom

Minimum System Requirements
OS:XP/Vista
Processor: 2GHZ or higher
Memory: 1GB RAM or higher
Hard Drive: 7GB Free harddrive space
Video Memory: 7900GT or higher
Sound Card: N/A
DirectX: DX9
Keyboard & Mouse: N/A
CD/DVD Rom Drive: CD ROM

Recommended System Requirements
OS: XP/Vista
Processor: 1.8GHZ Dual Core or higher
Memory: 2GB
Hard Drive: 7GB Free harddrive space
Video Memory: 8800 GT or SLI
Sound Card: 5.1 Surround or better
DirectX: DX9
Keyboard & Mouse: N/A
CD/DVD Rom Drive: CD ROM


Now here is a really really fair assumption for the Street Fighter IV / Street Fighter 4: PC Minimum System Requirements



The arcade that runs SF4, is in reallity a pc, called Taito Type x2. with this specs (from wiki):
Taito Type X2

* OS: Microsoft Windows XP Embedded SP2
* CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400／Pentium 4 651／Celeron D 352 (up to latest Core 2 CPUs supported by the chipset)
* Chipset: Intel Q965 + ICH8
* Monitor: 720p/1080p/1440p HD LCD Monitor
* RAM: DDR2 667/800MHz (512MB/1GB, up to 4GB)
* GPU: PCI Express x16-based graphics. Support cards include ATI RADEON X1600Pro/X1300LE or nVIDIA GeForce 7900GS／7600GS／7300GS, up to latest graphic cards (Radeon HD 3800 or Geforce 9800 series)
* Sound: Onboard Realtek HD 7.1 channel Sound (supports add-in sound cards)
* LAN: 10/100/1000 BASE-T
* I/O ports: 1x JVS, 4x USB 2.0 (up to , 1x serial (max 2), 1x parallel port, 2x PS/2, 2x SATA
* Audio inputs: AKG C535EB Stage Microphone, line-in (Surround 7.1)
* Audio outputs: 7.1, SPDI/FX
* Expansion Slots: 1x PCI Express x16 (used by video card), 1x PCI Express x4, 2x PCI
* Storage: 2x 80 GB 10k RPM SATA Hard Drives
* Media: 80 GB 10000 rpm Hard Drive

So the pc version system requirements wont be much different than these, probably an average of the specs listed .