more RAM in MAME cab provide benefit?

[atog]

My MAME cab has a duron 1.1 with 128 megs of RAM.  PC 100 RAM is dirt cheap nowadays, would upping that to 512 megs have any benefit for MAME programs that run a bit slowly for me or should I just hold off until I buy a new processor someday?

[Mike]

Upping it above 128mb would definately help performance. How much you need to add depends on what OS you are running. 256mb is really enough for mame depending on how much you are using to run the OS. I'd say if you added another 256mb dimm to the 128 you already have in there you'll be fine. Also Can you tell how NBA Hangtime runs on your duron? I've been thinking about picking up one of these Duron 1.3ghz combos I see for $75 but I wanted to know how most games run on it first. Thanks for any feedback you can give me.

[atog]

if NBA hangtime is one of those basketball games that let you do the fancy dunks and play as real players from different teams of the mid '90's, then it seems to run full speed on my system.  I haven't played them more than just a few minutes because I have never been able to figure out which buttons did what.

[rampy]

Upping it above 128mb would definately help performance. How much you need to add depends on what OS you are running. 256mb is really enough for mame depending on how much you are using to run the OS. I'd say if you added another 256mb dimm to the 128 you already have in there you'll be fine. Also Can you tell how NBA Hangtime runs on your duron? I've been thinking about picking up one of these Duron 1.3ghz combos I see for $75 but I wanted to know how most games run on it first. Thanks for any feedback you can give me.

OT: link to the 1.3 gig system  (mobo and chip) por favore?

gracias!

rampy

[SNAAAKE]

ME TOO...that is dirty cheap..

Unless the mobo suck so bad.like ya know...funny things like no AGP slot or other weirdness .

[BobA]

I am running one of those funny all in one Duron 1300 motherboards and it works quite well.  It has limitations on what Video Cards are guaranteed to work in the AGP slot but I haven't need the extra cost of the card since the MB works very well as it came.   You cannot run multiple applications when running MAME but that is expected.

It was $125 CDN which is about 80 dollars US.  The Duron is soldered in place.  No socket means cheaper MB.  It has video, sound, lan and a modem on board.   It makes a really cheap MAME machine if you are not going for max performance.

Bob

[BobA]

Darn!

Forgot to address the original question. 128 MB is probably not optimal so add 256 MB since it is cheap. It can do nothing but help.  After that I do not think that additional memory above 384 MB would add any additional performance.

Bob

[Brax]

I had a 733 with 128 megs of ram. I upgraded to 640 megs of ram. Let me tell you it was night and day!!!! Ram REALLY helps Mame.

[JLR2000]

I upgraded from a Duron 1000 w/128mg RAM to a Duron 1.4 w/380mg ram and everything seems to run full speed now.  One thing that I didn't think about, you guys probably already have.....

I was using the integrated sound off the MB, well, that takes CPU cycles to run.  I put a $7 pci soundcard on and I think that makes a big difference, it has it's own processor so your not taking away from the main CPU running the game.  Seems obvious now, but I never really thought about it.  I don't think the small upgrade in CPU made the difference, I think it was the extra 256 of ram and the pci Soundcard.....

Just my 2 cents....