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Robkhb:
Hey all,

I recently purchased a home stand up version of Golden Tee from Target and this immediately got me interested in building my own cabinet.  I went online and ordered the "Tankstick" from X-gaming which comes with the 2 control stick and a trackball.

I have a couple questions.

I have an extra pc which has an Athlon Xp 1700+ processor, 1/2 gig of memory, 250gig sata hard drive, and a Radeon 7500 video card with I think 64 meg of ram.

First question - Is this a reasonable configuration for running a good Mame machine?  I don't really want to half ass anything but....  If I had to upgrade something (don't want to build a whole new pc) and I was only budgeting maybe another $150 on the machine, what should I upgrade?

Next question is about monitor.  I have a 21" Sony CRT and I also have a 25"  generic brand TV.  If I don't want to spend a bunch of money on an arcade monitor, which of these 2 choices would you recommend?  Keep in mind I am not as interested in the older Joust-era games but instead on newer versions of fighting games, Golden Tee, etc.

Next question is about front end software.  I tried mamewah but it didn't go through and detect non-working games so I had a bunch on my menu that didn't work.  I also downloaded and played around with mala a bit and this seemed pretty nice.  I know this is an opinion question but I am curious as to what most people are using and what they recommend.

Lastly, does anyone know of a good site to find cabinet plans at?  I have done some googling but I really haven't found anything all that useable.

Thank you in advance for your input (and sorry for being so newbie)

-Rob

QuixoteQuest:
Your PC is plenty powerful for the classic arcade games. You'll will probably see stuttering on mid 90s games onward-- I couldn't say for sure -- it's been a while since I played MAME on anything that old. But I seem to remember games like NBA jam, Hangtime, Mortal Kombat, Capcom fighters, etc., having audio and video slowdowns or stutters. Since these latter games are the types in which you express interest: download MAME and give em a spin since you already have the PC. You can quickly see how good your PC is or not.

If it were me, I'd choose which monitor of the ones you have looks best for the games you are playing. Off hand I'd say go for the larger TV. But let the look of the actual games be your guide.

There are lots of plans out there. The Ultimate Arcade II (mameroom.com) is a popular cabinet design--though I think it is intended for a 27" monitor. But there are many other options out there. Many frontend options, too. MAMEWah seems very popular. I use GameEx and prefer that. Download some different FEs and see what you like.

Just spend some time around here talking and reading. Many cabinet designs. Lots of great choices in hardware, trackballs, spinners and sticks. I jumped into my own arcade by buying it custom built after years of using MAME on my PC and reading about DIY arcade cab construction. Having more money than time or patience I finally just hired out the work and focused on what I like: the artwork and design. But since getting my cab in December I'm already planning out mods. Still many here start from scratch--and that's a very cool aspect of the conversations around here. So whatever your poison welcome!

Loki:
To begin with the cab plans, I only know this one... it's pretty nice. :) http://www.jakobud.com/

Monitor is really personal. If it was me I would prolly go with the 25" TV, I don't like small monitors... but that's just my opinion.

I havn't gotten mamewah and mala to work yet, but at the moment I have Maximus Arcade on my pc.
It's easy and let's me hook up loads of emulators to it.
it's pretty nice but it's also $25 :(

Robkhb:
Thank you for your quick replies!

Do I lose anything resolution-wise opting for the TV over the PC Monitor?  I want as big a screen as I can feasibly (financially) do but I don't want to sacrifice picture quality...


QuixoteQuest:

--- Quote from: Robkhb on February 01, 2007, 09:06:38 pm ---Thank you for your quick replies!

Do I lose anything resolution-wise opting for the TV over the PC Monitor?  I want as big a screen as I can feasibly (financially) do but I don't want to sacrifice picture quality...




--- End quote ---

You may. Hook it up to your PC and check it out. If you display in native resolutions your TV could look great but may depend on what kind of cable you use for how great it may look. I used a 27" HDTV so that bezels would look great while I enjoy the games. Your PC monitor likely supports higher native resolutions, and would display bezel art better--if you like bezel art. But being the smaller choice the games "window" are likely to be too small for your liking. In which case, again, the TV is likely the better choice.

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