What's the optimal software configuration for this PC?

[emdkay]

Here's the exact computer I have for a bartop cabinet, except I swapped the HD for a 10 gig: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2745953471&category=3745

It's a P3 550, 128MB of ram (will probably add more) and a 10 gig HD.  Everything on this is onboard, but it does have 2 available PCI slots.  I know this isn't the fastest computer, so what would be the best configuration (OS and emulator front end) to make most games run smoothly?  I plan on using it for Mame, nesticle, and a few others.  I haven't tried any emulators other than Mame32 but I am somewhat familiar with others available such as ArcadeOS and MameWah.

[Spaced Invader]

Sounds like a Windows 98/Mamewah machine to me. Opinions vary!  

[Odonadon]

Sounds like a Windows 98/Mamewah machine to me. Opinions vary!  

Agreed.  I'm running a K6-3 450MHz machine with 128MB RAM - very similar.  I'm using Mamewah and Win98se.  Works like a damn.

Odonadon

[emdkay]

Looks unanimous so far.  I'm going to toss Win98 on later this afternoon.     Isn't MameWah meant to run on a DOS system though?

[originalself]

my system has xp on it and i use mamewah. It works very nice. Maybe their are dos and windows versions? Anyway it diffenatly works.

[Lilwolf]

You will get a few more games to run at full speed with dos... but probably not to many.  You might want to check before you decide.  It would stink to set it all up and find your favorites don't run at full speed... but the ALMOST do..

GameLauncher runs under dos I believe.

[Howard_Casto]

Sounds like a Windows 98/Mamewah machine to me. Opinions vary!  

No not really, 98/mamewah sounds about right for that system.  Skip dos, your machine doesn't suck that bad.  

[Odonadon]

No not really, 98/mamewah sounds about right for that system.  Skip dos, your machine doesn't suck that bad.  

Well, I dunno.  If you have any sound problems, emdkay, with regards to garbled noises, repeating, stuff like that, then DOS will solve that problem.  However, you're pretty much limited to Gamelauncher and ArcadeOS for easy-to-use FEs, and only a handful of emus.  ZSNES, Magic Engine, and a few others run much nicer under Windows.  

I've chosen to foresake the sound problems I'm having (remember my system specs) and use Windows 98 as it will run all the emus I'm wanting to use.

Odonadon

[AlanS17]

I would try Win98/Mamewah first. If that doesn'r work I would try DOS/Game Launcher...

DOS may fix some sound problems that Win98 can't, but sound in DOS must also be set up manually. Without proper support, sound in DOS may not even work at all.

I second the Win98/Mamewah idea. Game Launcher also works with Win98, and is also simple to set up...