ArcadePC Specs

ArcadePC Specifications

ArcadePC specification | FAQ
This is the list of my requirements for the project, my goal is to make it more than just a MAME machine but also a TV/DVD player also it will be my Hi-Fi system so both excellent sound and video are crucial, also the ability to play Windows Direct3D/OpenGL games is good too!

List of PC requirements:

Fully compatible.
Fully Windows98/DirectX compatible.
UltraDMA66/AGP/USB.
128mb or greater RAM.
10GB of HDD space.
Small/Robust and easily movable.

List of Video requirements:

MAME 16bit colour 15khz(CGA)/24khz(EGA) mode output.
Windows98 640x480 (interlaced) 15khz output.
DOS VESA2 (linear framebuffer) or better complaint.
Direct3D/OpenGL support.
Hardware Accelarated DVD support.

List of Sound requirements:

Fully SoundBlaster DOS complaint.
48khz support for DVD.
Accelarated 3D sound.

The picture above is the sort of case/style I am aiming for, its the sort of thing you could put in the bottom of your Arcade Cabinet, or just take it around and hook upto a TV.

Currently I am using my work machine, I plan to upgrade as soon as possible, luckly I am testing each of the things out to make sure they meet my exact requirements.

Current PC Specification:

Abit BH6 (Intel 440BX chipset).
Intel Celeron 300A running at 464mhz.
128mb of 100mhz RAM.
10.2gb Diamond Maxtor HDD.
ATI Rage Fury 128 32mb AGP.
Quantum3D AArdvark Vooodoo Banshee 16mb PCI.
Hauppauge Nicam Win/TV PCI.
Adaptec AHA-2940AU SCSI Controller PCI.
Realtek RTL8029(AS) Ethernet NIC PCI.
Generic 56k Modem ISA.
SoundBlaster64 ISA.
Pioneer DVD-113 (Multi-Region) EIDE DVD-ROM.
Plextor UltraPlex32 SCSI CD-ROM.
Plextor PlexWriter12/4 SCSI CD-R.

As you can tell I don't need half of the stuff on the list and currently everything is in a huge tower case, so its not too portable, when construction on my dedicated games PC begins I will take some of the components from this PC.

ArcadePC Specification (when completed):

Abit BE6-II.
Intel Pentium III 650E (Coppermine) running at 864mhz.
128mb of 133mhz RAM.
IBM Deskstar 13.5GB UDMA66 HDD.
Video (see Video).
Sound (see Sound).
Hauppauge Nicam Win/TV PCI.
Realtek RTL8029(AS) Ethernet NIC PCI.
Pioneer DVD-113 (Multi-Region) EIDE DVD-ROM.

You may have noticed that I plan to overclock the CPU, some people have different views of overclocking, personally I've had great results from overclocking (the P3-650E actually is the same as a P3-850, same .micron/manufacturing line, just like the Celeron300A is a P2-450 with smaller Level2 cache), however don't purchase OEM versions, OEM versions have a much lower quality controls and they are normally bought in bulk, sometimes you'll find that CPU off higher clock speeds that fail there tests just get re-badged as lower CPU's, so spend the little extra and buy the retail boxed version (plus you get a free holographic sticker!).

The reason I need to 133mhz RAM is because the FSB will be running at 133mhz, hence the CPU running at 864mhz (6.5x133 instead of 6.5x100), this is where the motherboard comes into play Abit motherboards are a dream when it comes to overclocking, just a simple case of going into the BIOS and changing the settings, also having a 133mhz FSB must give a speed edge over 100mhz FSB machines of equal CPU speeds.

To learn more about overclocking and some advice/results goto www.tomshardware.com and www.firingsquad.com.

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ArcadePC FAQ section

Q: What PC do I want?

A: Depending on what sort of games/applications you want to use, if you are only going to play PacMan then your machine should be a lot lower.

Q: How much should I spend?

A: Good question, from my experience never skimp on parts, just cause a part is cheap doesn't mean it is a bargin! Always purchase well known products, also scout around, type in the product in Yahoo/Alta Vista and other search engines to workout how people are getting on with the products and such, word of mouth is a great way to pick information up.. workout a budget and if you hunt around you'll find the stuff, also if you can get parts through your work/company without paying Tax/VAT then that be a bonus.

Q: I've heard of AMD, are they good?

A: Well in my experience AMD have *always* been slower than Intel at games, also I've had various troubles with the Motherboards that AMD run on, plus generally AMD cpu's are already overclocked to there maximum.

Q: What games on MAME require a powerful CPU?

A: Well judging by my current machine (450mhz) here are some of the offenders:-

Outrun (various slowdowns at different sections).
Namco System II games.
Esprade, Feverion (various slowdowns, and this is without sound support).
Cisco Heat/F1GP Star.
Graduis3 (various slowdowns and different sections).

All games where run with 16bit 44khz stereo sound where possible and in 16bit colour.

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