Q. I ordered the wood already cut to build my cabinet, but I want to know what kind of CPU would be the best possible to run mame at full speed and even the larger ones ( Killer Instinct 2, NBA Jam...etc.) Also running all emulator and roms? What kind of monitor is also recommended? I've seen some really good cabinets people have made searching the net, but I want the full Arcade experience.....
A. Let me start by talking about the monitor. The easiest and most widely used monitor is a LCD 20"+. They are easily installed in cabinets, low heat, and great picture. But when installing any screen you are going to mostly play full screen or horizontal scrollers. Playing vertical scrollers or games like PacMan it gives a visual impact I don't care for, (personal opinion). I make specific cabinets for the two types of viewing.
Now for the CPU always the faster the better as far as the newer games. However the the older games will run tooooo fast and you will have to throttle them down. The bad news Games such as KI2, NBA Jam, and CarnEvil use cpus in the cabinets dedicated for them as well as hard drives dedicated to the processing. Also the emulation may not be 100%. Any game you play thru an emulator will be slower and if the emulator then needs to run a bios or CHD you will find everything slower. Also If you use MAME32 or any other windows based emulator is not as good as the command line version of mame. Technology is still moving fast you can go into a computer shop and ask for the fastest processor and even a dual processor, and the motherboard to go with it. I'm buying 500gb and 1tb drives right now and putting them in the games Im making. Video cards are getting better and better, just get one with plenty of onboard ram and that matches up to what ever monitor you decide on. Spend the money on a goo power supply 700w is fine but clean power. You will need to get an Ipac usb converter for the controls. I use Wireless keyboards and mice. I use the TopGun Guns and lightbars. I don't install disk drives, I either network into the games HD or pull it and edit it on another computer.
Okay the cpu I use the most is http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3476411 I have used this one also great but pricey for no noticeable difference http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2341239. the mother board http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2824015&csid=_25 and keep it well ventilated. This is the video Card I have been using lately http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4042992&Sku=G458-9806. Here is the Ipac http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=76&zenid=d432b25398dfe853e859cc1d34c3c2af
Good luck
Now for the CPU always the faster the better as far as the newer games. However the the older games will run tooooo fast and you will have to throttle them down. The bad news Games such as KI2, NBA Jam, and CarnEvil use cpus in the cabinets dedicated for them as well as hard drives dedicated to the processing. Also the emulation may not be 100%. Any game you play thru an emulator will be slower and if the emulator then needs to run a bios or CHD you will find everything slower. Also If you use MAME32 or any other windows based emulator is not as good as the command line version of mame. Technology is still moving fast you can go into a computer shop and ask for the fastest processor and even a dual processor, and the motherboard to go with it. I'm buying 500gb and 1tb drives right now and putting them in the games Im making. Video cards are getting better and better, just get one with plenty of onboard ram and that matches up to what ever monitor you decide on. Spend the money on a goo power supply 700w is fine but clean power. You will need to get an Ipac usb converter for the controls. I use Wireless keyboards and mice. I use the TopGun Guns and lightbars. I don't install disk drives, I either network into the games HD or pull it and edit it on another computer.
Okay the cpu I use the most is http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3476411 I have used this one also great but pricey for no noticeable difference http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2341239. the mother board http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2824015&csid=_25 and keep it well ventilated. This is the video Card I have been using lately http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4042992&Sku=G458-9806. Here is the Ipac http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=76&zenid=d432b25398dfe853e859cc1d34c3c2af
Good luck
Want to build a MAME arcade cabinet?
Q. I want to build a MAME arcade cabinet, where I will buy the monitor and PC to run the MAME emulator.
I will probably play with it a bit and then want to sell it.
Is it illegal for me to sell the arcade cabinet WITHOUT ANY ROMS just the emulator?
I will probably play with it a bit and then want to sell it.
Is it illegal for me to sell the arcade cabinet WITHOUT ANY ROMS just the emulator?
A. As mentioned, it should be legal to sell without any roms (although not 100% sure if that violates any licensing with MAME.. might want to sell it without MAME as well if you want to be 100% legal.. maybe just delete the main EXE file and leave the rest configured hah).
As for where to buy the PC and monitor... any PC and monitor will do. The more powerful, the better for newer games, but most classic games will run fine on even an older PC.
Some people get proper old school CRT monitors so they have the right look and feel, but you can use an LCD monitor as well. Many emulators have a simulated scanlines options to make it look more like an older CRT monitor or support plugins to enable this kind of feature.
MAME for Windows isn't optimized for 3D hardware acceleration (last I read), so if you're trying to get something that'll run newer 3D games, you're probably going to have to go with raw processor horsepower rather than something with a fancy graphics card. I think it'll do 2D hardware acceleration but there's no DirectX support for 3D acceleration so it's all decoded with the main processor.
If you're buying a PC specifically for it, depending on what you want to do, you might look at home theater PCs (HTPCs). Lenovo, Asus, Shuttle and Zotac have a wide range of small Mini-ITX (?) and smaller boxes that look pretty good. Some look like the Nintendo Wii or like a cable modem. Very tiny. Half the time they come as barebones so you have to provide some extra parts.
If you wanted something halfway portable, you could get one of those and a small monitor (maybe even a USB-powered one from Liliput or Mimo so you'd have one fewer power cables).
Also, I'd highly recommend either an X-Arcade controller (or the buttons/sticks/etc they sell non-assembled) or SlikStick for the controls. Very durable.
As for where to buy the PC and monitor... any PC and monitor will do. The more powerful, the better for newer games, but most classic games will run fine on even an older PC.
Some people get proper old school CRT monitors so they have the right look and feel, but you can use an LCD monitor as well. Many emulators have a simulated scanlines options to make it look more like an older CRT monitor or support plugins to enable this kind of feature.
MAME for Windows isn't optimized for 3D hardware acceleration (last I read), so if you're trying to get something that'll run newer 3D games, you're probably going to have to go with raw processor horsepower rather than something with a fancy graphics card. I think it'll do 2D hardware acceleration but there's no DirectX support for 3D acceleration so it's all decoded with the main processor.
If you're buying a PC specifically for it, depending on what you want to do, you might look at home theater PCs (HTPCs). Lenovo, Asus, Shuttle and Zotac have a wide range of small Mini-ITX (?) and smaller boxes that look pretty good. Some look like the Nintendo Wii or like a cable modem. Very tiny. Half the time they come as barebones so you have to provide some extra parts.
If you wanted something halfway portable, you could get one of those and a small monitor (maybe even a USB-powered one from Liliput or Mimo so you'd have one fewer power cables).
Also, I'd highly recommend either an X-Arcade controller (or the buttons/sticks/etc they sell non-assembled) or SlikStick for the controls. Very durable.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar