PC Spec for MAME (info)

[keyamon]

there used to be a thread asking what spec PC you needed to run MAME, well i've recently been setting up a low spec PC to go in a MAME cab i'm selling and found something quite interesting.

it seems that each newer version of MAME requires a bit more PC power.
i was running the latest verson (0.98) with an AMD k6 500mhz, 256MB ram and an ATI Rage.
about all i could run without slowdown was Ms Pacman and games of that era and even that too ages to load up!!

so i tried downgrading to v0.55 and it now runs everything at full speed including games like Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Metal Slug X!!!!
i also tried v0.37 which seems to run a fraction faster still..

the only downside to downgrading is of course there are less games supported. but TBH there are more than enough that are.

you can get old versions of mame here:
http://www.mame.net/oldmame.html

you'll then need clrMame Pro from here:
www.clrmame.com/download.htm

this converts your rom sets to be compatible with what ever version of mame you want to run, it takes a long time but needs doing.

launch clrMame Pro. click "create" and point it to the mame.exe making sure to select "old mame" as your emulator type.
then select "Load/Update" and then "rebuilder"

this will then ask you to point it at your roms folder and a destination folder.
set any options you want then click "rebuild"

hope this is of help to someone

[canardo]

The reason being that the newer versions use direct x and other over heads to replicate more screen sizes and make it easier for the devs 0.37 is one of the quickest and hence why it is used for emame and others and is all ways the first one to be ported to other consoles

I have a 1.44 Athlon and 256 meg of ram in my cocktail cab and it runs a treat

ps keyamon I dont know if you have played your vertical games on a vertical monitor but it is so much better (I have 3 control boxes on a cocktail cab so rather than moving the monitor you just move your seat)

if you are every ordering components for mame cabs give me a pm as I ll prob come in with you for US orders if you want, I also got a t moulding router bit

[keyamon]

nice.. thanks for the info.. and yeh i've got a router bit too and just orderd a load of t-molding from www.tmolding.com

so do you build them too?? i've just had my first order for an upright cab. i'm having some problems getting the artwork printed in time but everything else is sorted inc a full coin door/mech.

and no i've not played on a vertical monitor. apart from at arcades. the monitor in my JAMMA cab is rotatable but i only have horizontal games.
i've just got a new solitaire challenge cab and was thinking of putting a vertical monitor in it.
http://www.fsfskateco.co.uk/arcade/s...litairecab.jpg
it's a very odd cab as it used a 386 amd processor on a PC motherboard with a rom boot card!? should make it extra easy to MAME