Optimal System Requirments?

[Phantom]

Hi guys,

I was just up organizing my cabinet, which led to browsing the web for pc parts... of course

I thought I would come on here to ask you guys what you thought was a safe way to go if I wanted to upgrade my cabinets brains.

I know GameEx runs on minimal hardware and it runs pretty smooth on the old Frankenstein pc I'm using now, and I know MAME varies depending on the ROM, but what are you guys running now that gives you the Balance you like.

The heavy hitters in my setup that I'd like to play are;

Game EX with all the purdy features turned on like transitions and video snap video playback

The MAME CHD's like Blitz (I know that's the holy grail for MAME)

Frets On Fire (been using that but its getting sluggish with all the newer updates)

Future Pinball

and the rest like NES SNES SEGA TG16....

I'm a total PC gear head and I know these are all variables that are hard to match but I just want to hear what you guys are running so I don't go out and get a quad core for no reason or a core duo that doesn't do the job.

Thanks in advance

[Tom Speirs]

As for GameEx it should fly on anything entry level/low end that is "new" assuming its not bogged down by vista on low spec hard disks and low memory.

"new" as in released to market recently.

For example: The videos run silky on my 3 year old sony laptop with one of the first core duos available, it does have a lot of ram though.

[we1dont7die]

I really dont think you need a quad core for a cabinet that plays the games you want.

my pc i have quad core. my CAB has a core 2 duo 2.8 ghz and i cant tell a difference in gameex or any emulator. it also has the newest pci x arcadevga card and 2 gb ram and am very satisfied with performance.

Blitz never loads the field on either of my PC's so I cant tell you whats best for that game.

I had to tweak Future Pinball for acceptable speed/visuals though on the cab. Thats due to the arcadevga cards less than great specs and not the processor.

Also, the website i bought my Cab PC and my home pc from is www.magic-micro.com . You can choose a barebones pc and put any part you want in it. Fully customizable..cool cases too.

[Brian Hoffman]

I really dont think you need a quad core for a cabinet that plays the games you want.

my pc i have quad core. my CAB has a core 2 duo 2.8 ghz and i cant tell a difference in gameex or any emulator. it also has the newest pci x arcadevga card and 2 gb ram and am very satisfied with performance.

Blitz never loads the field on either of my PC's so I cant tell you whats best for that game.

I had to tweak Future Pinball for acceptable speed/visuals though on the cab. Thats due to the arcadevga cards less than great specs and not the processor.

Blitz I believe you have to let the game go into demonstration mode before you put coins in for it to go in game.

[scurvy]

i'm running a pentium 4 1.5 ghz with 512 ram and i have no issues at all other than the odd stutter and audio issues playing nintendo 64.. (anyone know the requirements for it) everything else is silk

[Brian Hoffman]

i'm running a pentium 4 1.5 ghz with 512 ram and i have no issues at all other than the odd stutter and audio issues playing nintendo 64.. (anyone know the requirements for it) everything else is silk

Just get a core 2 duo 2.4 they are pretty cheap and can do most emulation. Including n64, 95 % of MAME games, Naomi, Dreamcast, playstation, saturn, 3do. etc etc etc

It can almost emulate GameCube and Ps2 at decent speeds.

[ReFleX]

I'm running a C2D at 4ghz and get almost everything in Mame full speed. Blitz stutters a bit here and there, but is mostly good. Gauntlet Dark Legacy is playable at about 75% speed or so. That should give you a good idea of what to expect.

[Endaar]

The rough concensus seems to be a Core2Duo E8400/E8500 overclocked as far as it will go; potentially 4Ghz on air.

I recently upgraded from a Pentium 4 Dual-Core 3.0Ghz to an E8400, which is also 3Ghz, and the speed difference is enormous. This is just my normal desktop, which I won't overclock as I'm not a big fan of doing so. But for an arcade cab where CPU is critical, it can make sense.

[we1dont7die]

Blitz I believe you have to let the game go into demonstration mode before you put coins in for it to go in game.

Not only did this make the game playable but all the blitz games run perfectly on my system. Thanks again.

[Brian Hoffman]

Not only did this make the game playable but all the blitz games run perfectly on my system. Thanks again.

Sweet!

[Phantom]

I'm running a C2D at 4ghz and get almost everything in Mame full speed. Blitz stutters a bit here and there, but is mostly good. Gauntlet Dark Legacy is playable at about 75% speed or so. That should give you a good idea of what to expect.

Cool info thanks guys.

So Reflex what other specs (mb ram) are you running to achieve those speeds. I've heard the E8500 is kinda overclock friendly so it seems to be the sweet spot as far as CPU's go.

I'm really cravin an upgrade now that you all responded. Any red flags to stay away from? Chip sets, Video cards, etc....