BUMP!
(Psst, it's past november)
DOH!

Thanks for reminding me, dagnabbit

I have actually just recently come to a decision after having this thing starting me in the face every day and it's now come down to money, as in "I need some".
I'm ditching the old (still new though) system I was going to put in here and instead I'm going with a mini-ITX mobo and a 1U power supply. Here's links to the 3 mobos I'm deciding on and a pic of what one of these things look like
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813181021http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813181020http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813181019
In case you're unfamiliar with these things, they're a mobo with an embedded processor. They've got less processing power, but for this application, it's got more than enough power - although I'd like to find out if anyone knows just HOW much power it's got and what version of MAME I'd be best using with it. I know this will run v0.55 no problems, but I have no idea HOW much higher I can go with MAME.
The other thing these boards have going for them is power consumption and size. The power supply I've got picked out is a simple 300W one for a 1U rackmount, seen here:
www.pcpower.com linky - click me!The mobo solves two problems in one. The 1U power supply is only 2 inches tall, and a 300W psu is WAY more than I need to power the mobo. As for the size of the mobo, it's under 7" square, so I'll be able to place it just about anywhere I want.
Lastly, I need a stick of RAM for the thing, since I don't have one - but that's it. I've already got the hard drive for this thing just sitting there waiting. Problem is, I'm looking at $400 for this new PC setup. The wife has no problems with me spending that, but I know I don't have it right now. We're supposed to get snow this weekend, so I'll have some cash if I have to go plow.
Using that mobo, for initial setup, I'll simply attach an IDE cable to an optical drive and install everything, and if I ever need to add/modify anything, I can simply use a USB key, so I don't have to worry about that.
I've also had enough time to think about it making a solid wood top. I wish I had a decision on that

I'll be running pass-through's for the power cable and S-video as I originally envisioned, but I still haven't hammered anything out about what I want the legs to end up like. Pipe and fittings are quick and easy, which I hate knowing

So....that's where I sit right now - $400+ short. I'll most likely finish the wiring sometime soon and post some pics of everything I can do except the PC installation and perhaps some shots of where I'm gonna try to put everything.
Thanks for the shove!
