Mixing things up...

[Sledge]

So i've got a new cabinet to dedicate to Vertical games, and my old cabinet to dedicate to Horizontal games...

Old hardware is an E8500 with 4gig ram, and an HD4870 running Calamity's driver on Windows 7 (in the horizontal cab)

I've just got a newer HP Compaq SFF pc, with an i5 3470 with 4gig ram, and onboard video (Intel i assume) with a win7 COA.

I'm going to have to get a low profile card for this ( i may have a low profile HD4350 or 2600 pro, i have to find the original boxes and check)

So the question is, which would benefit more from the newer cpu (but older video card)? Horizontal games i would think?(including some PC games) or Vertical games?(Pretty much Mame only i think?)

Thoughts? Ideas?

[RobeeJ]

I might be remembering things badly, but I think vertical monitors were more of an early arcade thing, and after a certain year it stopped as a practise. Probably when they started doing more standard cabinets. So I'd say put the beefier CPU in your horizontal cabinet.

I think Ikaruga is a vertical shooter which demands a huge CPU (and even then I don't think MAME runs it properly), but they are far less common once you hit the 90s.

[big10p]

Difficult to say without knowing what sort of games you want to play. Also, do both your cabs have CRTs so you won't be needing any effects like HLSL?

I'd just do a bit of testing with both rigs, running a selection of the newer and more demanding games you'll be playing. You'll probably get a good idea of which way to go pretty quickly, especially if you find one of your 'must have running perfectly' games works well on one rig, but not as good as the other. 

[Sledge]

I just want to play most of the common mame games, oldies, goodies.. shmups etc
But both cabs use CRT's. 1x Namco Exceleena II and 1x Sega New Astro City

[haynor666]

Sledge, check - http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,146276.0.html

E8500 is already on list but i5 4370 not (though it's single core score is similiar to G3258 on stock clock). Many i3 processors might be better choice.

[Sledge]

Many i3 processors might be better choice.

For what reason?
Thing is i got this whole PC for $155 which is a pretty good price, so i'm thinking of using it pretty much as is..

[haynor666]

It's faster than E8500 so if don't need faster PC than old one and price is right than take it.

[Sledge]

After doing a bit of testing on muchi muchi pork etc, on the old hardware i can't even get into the game without a coin error.
With the new hardware it runs fine with no errors, but still a little slow down (percentage wise) but you don't notice it in game..

So i think i might keep the new hardware for the vertical cab, and keep the old hardware for the horizontal cab, and upgrade that when i get a chance to buy a similar system like the HP.
I'm assuming as far as i can tell that i can use the same settings as i do on my current machine as i think they are both using the Nanao MS9? (Namco Exceleena II and New Sega Astro City)
Just need to work out how to rotate the screen and then set everything up to work right