Purchasing PC components for MAME to make it 4GHz +

[Pete4321]

I was planning to build a PC for MAME and I was wondering which components (motherboard, cooler, memory, case, fan etc.) I need to buy/recommend that would be perfect for over clocking. I was thinking of buying the E8600 Core 2 CPU or is there a better CPU out there?
I don't have a budget, so it doesn't have too be cheap but at the same it shouldn't be too expensive.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks.

[mr_doles]

Check out this thread:
4Ghz Core 2 Duo vs M.A.M.E. 0.120 (benchmark results)
It is the new link for the "What PC do I need to run MAME" Official FAQ under "Before Asking For Help, Read This First! Link to FAQ and bookmarks of interest" section.

[GaryMcT]

Are you planning on running games that need that kind of performance?

[Epyx]

He probably will. One of my favourites, a rail shooter called Starblade requires a dual core running at at least 3.7ghz for 100%.

[TAG]

He probably will. One of my favourite, a rail shooter called Starblade requires a dual core running at at least 3.7ghz for 100%.

Or requires using the Mjolnir emulator.  I haven't played it in awhile, but I remember that it ran pretty smoothly on that emulator with my P4 3ghz.  The emulator hasn't been updated since Oct. 2007, but I think Phil Stroffolino had most of the graphics issues worked out by that point.  Of course, I don't know what the game is supposed to look like, so current MAME and an overclocked processor may run it far more accurately than Mjolnir does.

[GaryMcT]

Looks like I need to check out Starblade.  Thanks!

[mlalena]

An E8600 is overkill when you are overclocking. Especially if you are only going to 4 GHz
Some sample NewEgg.com prices
E8600 Core 2 Duo 3.33 GHz   $270
E8400 Core 2 Duo 3.00 GHz   $168

Here's my setup (just cut & pasting from another thread) which all told cost ~ $400 after rebates. I already had the hard drive & DVD drive. All is from NewEgg - buying things in combos to save money where possible.
RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP ATX Mid Tower Computer Case With 500W Power Supply
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 65W Dual-Core Processor
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Memory

I'm running this setup currently at 4GHz. I could probably go higher, but I don't need to at the moment.
The E8400 is normally 9.0 multiplier X 333 MHz. I increased the bus base speed to 445 for 4.005 GHz.
With these components, only had to increase CPU voltage by .00625 V and it runs idle at 37 C.
For the RAM, I had to manually bump the voltage from 1.8V to 2.1V and change the timings to 5/5/5/15.

Only issues you might have with this setup are with the case. One fan has to be moved because the CPU fan is so big. Also, the power supply isn't good enough if you wanted to get one of those $300 video cards that takes its own 12V power.

[Pete4321]

thanks mlalena

[mlalena]

Forgot one thing. After I had selected everything from NewEgg and had it in my cart, but before checking out I did a search for "Hard Drive" on Bing.com. One of the paid results at the top was NewEgg with a Bing cash back deal. Click on that and you currently get 3% cash back from Microsoft. It takes 2 months to get the money. I just got the email today saying the $15 is on its way.