Mame in cab thread. Frontends, gamelists, configuration etc.

[cools]

Dead easy if you're not a fussy bugger like me that wants it self contained.

If your Astro has a stereo amp, then buy a (new) J-PAC. If it doesn't, buy a JammASD. Buy/obtain a PC to suit - if it's the J-PAC then anything with USB ports will do, if it's the JammASD then make sure it's got PS/2 ports. Make sure whatever you buy has a PCI-Express x16 slot.

Buy an ATI card supported by CRT_Emudriver that will fit the PC. Suggest a Radeon HD 4350

Should be able to grab most of that with a decent spec for <£150

[tetsujin]

So, an Astro ready, MAME PC set up can be had for £150 all in for the parts? Thats pretty good and I would be happy to invest that to play games that cost triple and more of that!

Problem is, I am a PC novice, in that I have never owned or worked on one...

How will that hamper my chances of building one myself?

Is it a hard task?

[tetsujin]

And when you say self contained, you mean like in a tower?

Also, my Astro has no sound amp.

Re the J-PAC and JammASD, is on a better optin than the other?

Lets say I wanted to make a device that could be pulled out on a wood board and hooked to a super gn as well?

Can that be done?

[cools]

£15? No. £150.

You don't have to do any sort of messing with the PC other than fitting the graphics card, which is dead easy. The software side I'm writing instructions for at the moment. Hell, you can buy a machine with Windows preinstalled.

Adam stop asking millions of questions in the space of milliseconds that I've already answered.

If you want it on a wood board then you either have to mount various bits on PCB feet (not my preference as the graphics card is left floppy), fit it all to a removable motherboard tray, or find a wallmountable case.

Go back to the opening post, decide your full requirements and we'll answer them.

[markedkiller78]

It's annoying that HD6xxx doesn't work as there are a lot of cheap AMD chips with in built 6 & 7 series GPUs

[tetsujin]

haha

I do ask too many!


Right.

I want the cheapest, most versitile PC that I can plug to a JAMMA loom, and play it like a PCB either in a cab, supergun etc, so regardless of what I plug it into, it can work.

I want i to play everything well, and more so the older cab games rather than anything newer, graphics wise.

[KmanSweden]

How 'bout a Red Box?

[cools]

Straight off - buy a JammASD immediately. It beats the JPAC because it has a built in stereo amp - albeit to get stereo out of it you need your JAMMA edge wired a certain way (or a FrancoB passthrough adapter). It's the least fuss option for interfacing a PC to a cab.

[markedkiller78]

£205 brand new (£20 HD4350 from amazon), so £150 should be easy with lesser / 2nd hand parts

[cools]

Er isn't that motherboard MicroATX and the case MiniITX?

But anyhow - yeah, that's the kind of idea.

[markedkiller78]

Probably

[markedkiller78]

£65 for a m-itx mobo

[markedkiller78]

£90 for an intel Mini ITX setup:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte ... igabit-lan"
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3intel-p ... -ratio-55w"

So that would be £250 all in

I'm guessing a small m-atx case & mobo would be best / cheapest.

[markedkiller78]

Looks ok for the money. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal- ... an-w-o-psu"

I still like mini-itx or shuttle cases for mame

[cools]

Price premium is all.

For most stuff a couple year old 2nd hand machine will do admirably

[markedkiller78]

Just spotted this, at £110. Already has 115 (guessing 120GB) SSD: http://www.avforums.com/forums/archived ... sktop.html"

edit: I didn't spot that it was archived

[yosai]

By the time you've finished you'll have a dozen MAME setups.

[tetsujin]

I'll be honest, I am a bit overwhelmed by this.

Are you linking there to parts lists to build my own PC?

Or your saying just find a cheap, complete PC to run what I want.

I like the idea that its not too large or loud (fans etc).

[markedkiller78]

In order of cost, cheapest to most expensive:

1. Buy the parts used, build the system yourself
2. Buy a used, prebuilt system
4. Build it from new
5. Buy a new system

If you want it small, expect to pay more.

I wish that CRT driver worked with HD6xxx GPUs. You could have a tiny, passive system for not a lot of money, but it doesn't.

What kind of CPU grunt do you need cools? If it's low end, then this might be a good candidate (Mobo, CPU & unused HD6xxx): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asrock-E350M1-E ... us+E35M1-I"

agin if it supported HD6 or 7: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Powercool-Q6-Mi ... omputers_5"

Perfect case.

[markedkiller78]

By the time you've finished you'll have a dozen MAME setups.

I have 1/2 a dozen in bits. Not a single one fully built I'm going to use my shuttle & grab a cheap HD4350. I'll never use it.