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First machine, need opinions on MAME PC

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Arc Kalocal:

--- Quote from: BadMouth on July 22, 2013, 09:13:36 am ---
--- Quote from: Arc Kalocal on July 21, 2013, 11:59:18 pm ---I'm mostly interested in games like Gauntlet Legends, TMNT, D&D, and MVC2. And how realistic is it to run newer games like SF4 or tekken tag 2?

--- End quote ---

Maybe you should play around with MAME on your current PC first so your expectations are reasonable.
A $200 PC isn't going to run Gauntlet Legends.  You need to get up near 4Ghz to run it.

MVC2 doesn't work in MAME regardless of how fast a processor you have.
It is playable on Demul and Makaron emulators, but those require a good video card.

SF4 arcade ran on the Taito Type X platform which was just a standard PC with embedded windows xp. 
There is a version out there that is hacked to run on any PC, but it is only one player.
Just buy the PC game, it's cheap now and will be a much better experience.

I'm not aware of a way to play Tekken Tag Tournament 2 short of installing a PS3 in your cab.

I've replied to other threads like this and given an idea of what to expect from various hardware.
If you search here in the main forum, you'll find more info on horsepower requirements.

Keep in mind that most people use MAME to play games from the early 80's up through the 2D fighters of the 90's like Mortal Kombat.
So when you ask what PC specs you need, the answers are going to lean toward that, not the beast it requires to play newer 3D games.

--- End quote ---
My soul is a pretty crushed to hear that I won't be able to play MVC2 through MAME. That's the #1 thing I want from this project! I will certainly look into those two emulators you mentioned and am forever grateful for your help.

My current PC is a 3000$ behemoth so I my expectations between this one and the one I plan on building for the machine will be vastly different! Good suggestion though, I suppose I'll still try it out. I guess I'll definitely have my answer if this thing can't do it though!

shponglefan:
One advantage of buying a decent modern PC is you expand your options beyond just MAME.  There are a lot of games outside of MAME either other emulators or straight PC games that can run decently in an arcade cab.  You don't have to spend top of the line, though.   I'm still running an older Intel E8400 with a Radeon 4850 card and it runs SF IV perfectly.

Also, I disagree with paigeoliver's $50 P4 route.  Unless you have an existing PC you know functions properly, buying a legacy system can invite more headaches dealing w/ older h/w which can eat up any perceived cost savings.  The marginal upfront cost of an economical modern PC is a better choice, imho.

Arc Kalocal:

--- Quote from: shponglefan on July 22, 2013, 12:56:54 pm ---One advantage of buying a decent modern PC is you expand your options beyond just MAME.  There are a lot of games outside of MAME either other emulators or straight PC games that can run decently in an arcade cab.  You don't have to spend top of the line, though.   I'm still running an older Intel E8400 with a Radeon 4850 card and it runs SF IV perfectly.

Also, I disagree with paigeoliver's $50 P4 route.  Unless you have an existing PC you know functions properly, buying a legacy system can invite more headaches dealing w/ older h/w which can eat up any perceived cost savings.  The marginal upfront cost of an economical modern PC is a better choice, imho.

--- End quote ---
I feel like this is going to be the route I'm going to have to take. My original goal was to build an all inclusive machine that would just have everything crammed in to the front end but I think what I'm going to have to do now is saddle up with a multitude of emulators in order to get everything I was hoping for out of this guy. Thank you all for the help you've given. Now I need to settle on a good video card since it looks like this project is moving in to the range of more console emulation.

Do you think I will have any problems configuring any old emulator to arcade buttons? I'm not totally familiar with the I-PAC yet and am not sure if it just mimics a keyboard press or what.

PL1:

--- Quote from: Arc Kalocal on July 22, 2013, 01:44:03 pm ---Do you think I will have any problems configuring any old emulator to arcade buttons? I'm not totally familiar with the I-PAC yet and am not sure if it just mimics a keyboard press or what.

--- End quote ---
Some emulators are easier to configure than others -- MAME is one of the easiest.

Pick out the software you intend to use. (emulators, games, and front end)

As you set it up for play-testing, you can determine what your build needs.

The IPac acts like a keyboard -- default keycode list here.


Scott

gildahl:
Not a recommendation, but a point of comparison.  I use some relatively old hardware.

•Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4Ghz overclocked to 3.2Ghz).
•Asus Republic of Gamers, Maximus Formula motherboard (Intel X38)
•8GB DDR2 RAM
•NVidia GTX 460 GPU

This runs even some of the tougher titles very well well.  NFL Blitz, Gauntlet Legends & DL, Radiant Silvergun, Star Wars Trilogy (on Supermodel), etc.

Two things to note. 

1. For more modern titles a 64 bit OS definitely makes a difference (I use Windows8).
2. For the Gauntlet titles, something happened between MAME 0.145 and 0.146.  As of 0.146 they run perfectly smooth now.  Prior versions were too choppy to be playable.

For more, see here, http://dahlstrom.sytes.net/techblog/?p=611

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