Best monitor for a newbie?

[ScottS]

I'm about to start work on my first MAME cabinet. Wondering which direction I should go as far as monitors are concerned... Budget is around $300, give or take. I've got some wood and metal-working skills, but not a whole lot of electronics know-how. Wiring up a control panel shouldn't be any problem, but when it comes to monitors I want something fairly turn-key! I'm mostly interested in playing classic '80s arcade games (Defender, Stargate, Joust, Robotron 2084, Galaga, etc) via MAME. Don't really want to rule out the possibility of playing more modern games, though.

I like the idea of using a light-weight computer LCD, but I could only afford a 19" or 20". I could probably get by with the fact that it won't look authentic, but I'm wondering if these monitors will be big enough. Seems like I read that if you want to play vertical games on a horizontally-mounted screen that you'd need a 24" display to end up with a size similar to an original 19" vertical tube. True?

Are there any arcade monitors I should consider? Preferably something in the 24" range with pre-wired power and VGA cables?

Appreciate any help or suggestions!

[Corbet]

I'm about as a noob as you are but it seems like around here LCDs are frowned upon. There seems to be 3 major options: TV, CRT, or Arcade Monitor. Personally I'm going with a TV with S-Video and a Video Card that supports S-Video.

[ArtMAME]

TV with Component inputs would be excellent for cab. 

The classic games will be a lot clearer and cleaner than S-Video.  If you use S-Video, your 90's games like MK and Street fighter, Aero Fighters, etc.  will look pretty good,

BUT... the classic games WILL look FUZZY!!! Ms Pacman, Defender, etc...  Asteroids will look horrible... Color vector games will look OK...

You would need an ATI 9550 or better video card and a DVI to component adapter. 

Best Buys sells a 24" Insignia with component inputs that some of the BYOACers have tried around here. $126.99 right now.  You could try a 27" with components if you can find one in your budget.  I got a JVC 27" with componen inputs for under $200.  Works great!!!

I recommend you go with the component inputs... especially for classic games.  S-Video is playable, but the fuzzy-ness bothers me now that I know how good Component inputs look. 

And Welcome to the Wonderful World of BYOAC ...

[ScottS]

Best Buys sells a 24" Insignia with component inputs that some of the BYOACers have tried around here. $126.99 right now.  You could try a 27" with components if you can find one in your budget.  I got a JVC 27" with componen inputs for under $200.  Works great!!!

I recommend you go with the component inputs... especially for classic games.  S-Video is playable, but the fuzzy-ness bothers me now that I know how good Component inputs look. 

Thanks for the suggestions

I don't think I could use a 27" TV. Hoping to keep my cab 24-26" wide max, so that it will fit through the doors in my house. No way a 27" TV would fit, unless I removed the tube from the case. And if I do that, I might as well just buy a purpose-built arcade monitor. I'm not even sure you can find a 24" TV that would fit 

I plan on running Windows XP on my MAME box. Will this be a problem if I go with a TV? Thought I read that XP wanted at least 800x600.

[Corbet]

TV with Component inputs would be excellent for cab. 

The classic games will be a lot clearer and cleaner than S-Video.  If you use S-Video, your 90's games like MK and Street fighter, Aero Fighters, etc.  will look pretty good,

BUT... the classic games WILL look FUZZY!!! Ms Pacman, Defender, etc...  Asteroids will look horrible... Color vector games will look OK...

You would need an ATI 9550 or better video card and a DVI to component adapter. 

Best Buys sells a 24" Insignia with component inputs that some of the BYOACers have tried around here. $126.99 right now.  You could try a 27" with components if you can find one in your budget.  I got a JVC 27" with componen inputs for under $200.  Works great!!!

I recommend you go with the component inputs... especially for classic games.  S-Video is playable, but the fuzzy-ness bothers me now that I know how good Component inputs look. 

And Welcome to the Wonderful World of BYOAC ...

Component is good and all but how many video cards have component out? Do you have any examples? I've seen plenty of S-video compatible video cards but haven't came across one that has component out.

[FrizzleFried]

Many of ATI's newer cards have component video out...and there is always the option of getting a VGA to component video converter...which is what I did to set  up my HTPC rig.

[ArtMAME]

I am using a DVI-to-Component adapter with my ATI 9550 card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814999903

You will also need a set of RGB cables, they look like RCA cables, but there are 3 of them to a set and they are for the RED, GREEN, and BLUE outputs from the adapter to the inputs on the TV.

[ryantheleach]

the colors of the cables dont matter AT ALL, sure you need it to go to red form pc to red on tv, but the cable you use could be yellow for all its worth, as long as you hook it up right... so RCA cables would work well, it just might be the amount of shielding on the things. also a composite cable (think thats what its called) would do the trick and their most common that i have seen of late, the red white and yellow cable.


anyway all im trying to say is, if the cable fits it will work, as long as you remember which input is which.

the colors are for convienice and apart from that are just to get people to buy more cables.

[ScottS]

Much as I appreciate the advice, I just don't see a TV fitting in the cabinet I'm building. Biggest I could go would be 20", unless I remove the case  Unless there's something out there where the speakers aren't mounted to the side of the CRT?