buying a tri-sync monitor vs. using one already in a cab.

[scurvy]

i'm debating whether to buy a cab with a monitor already in it or buy a seperate monitor.  For example, say i bought a mortal kombat 2 machine to convert into a mame machine, is this a "try sync" monitor? will i be able to use and view a front end with it? also is it a major pain in the ass to hook up a vga card to it? i read the FAQ and it seems a bit confusing but i could be wrong. 

any help appreciated

[tetsu96]

Mortal Kombat II uses a standard resolution monitor.  You're not going to hook a PC up to that unless you use an AVGA or something similar.

Tri Syncs are good, but if you're just starting out, you may want to use a TV just because it's easier / less work.  As you get to be more of a purist you should start looking into things like arcade monitors / etc.

[scurvy]

well i am planning on using AVGA.. so would it be a problem? could i buy any old cabinet with a working monitor and hook my pc up to it for mame?

i guess what i'm asking is, are the popular monitors people buy from WG and betson the same as the monitors in most cabs?

[ahofle]

i guess what i'm asking is, are the popular monitors people buy from WG and betson the same as the monitors in most cabs?

The vast majority of arcade games just have a standard res CGA monitor in them.  A 'tri-sync' can output standard CGA res, medium res, and VGA res and so is different than a standard arcade monitor. 

And yes, you can hook the arcadeVGA to a regular standard res arcade monitor.

[scurvy]

so would i be able to view windows and a front end of a emulator if i hooked  a pc up to a standard monitor thats in a cab with AVGA, or would i have to tell you what monitor it is.

[ahofle]

Yeah any standard res arcade monitor can run at 640x480 interlaced with an arcadeVGA for windows or your frontend.  Windows will flicker a bit due to the interlacing but it's nothing major.  Games and frontends look great at that resolution.