PC machine for the MAME of today AND tomorrow...

[draxe]

i'm thinking about building a new computer. What specs do I need to ensure it will run most of the Mame games of today AND for the next few years?

[RabidYak]

As fast an AMD processor as you can possibly get, which is a much more specific answer then it sounds. As for everything else, a fairly hefty HD and at least 256 megs of memory. Flash Graphics and Sound cards arnt particularly important, so your better off going for mid-range ones and spending the rest of the cash on the processor.

Your never going to get a machine thats going to be good enough for coming years, MAME DEV are constantly working thier way into more and more heavywieght systems that need more and more processor clout to run. Get the best machine you can afford and then just upgrade it when it becomes really incapable of keeping up or you need more power for something you really want.

[draxe]

I know the P4 2.5 GHz CPU's are out, and I think I'm gonna wait until they're a bit cheaper, or wait for something heavier, like a 4 or 5 GHz CPU to come out. It always seems to pay of to be patient.

[ivwshane]

Or you could get a P4 1.6a and overclock it to at least 2.1GHz for cheap, just get a quality mobo.

[RabidYak]

I wouldent bother with P4s, apparently the different processor architecture doeset gel as well with emulation as the previous models and AMD chips. Not to mention that your paying more dosh for chips that have got less kick in them then thier equivelently clocked competitors.

[ivwshane]

Not when compared to an overclocked P4 1.6a and I don't see how any x86 compatible processor would affect emulation.

Yes it's true an equally clocked athlon cpu will beat out a P4, however P4's are now up to 600MHz faster and the brute force of the top of the line AMD XP can't compete.


P4 1.6a = $130 (us) overclockability to 2200MHz and stable = about 90% probability (based off of overclockers.com cpu database)

AMD 2000+(1.67GHz) = $130 (us) overclockability to 1.8GHz and stable = about 50% probability (based off of overclockers.com cpu database)

Performance difference = +-15% difference for either cpu

So why get the P4 over the XP?

1)end of life cycle for XP
2)the P4 has better upgradeability and longer life span
3)the XP has alot less of a chance of overclocking to any significant level
4)the P4 draws less heat and won't fry if heatsink becomes loose



And just in case you are wondering, no I'm not an intel fanboy, I could careless which brand I buy but do care which chip offers the best performance and price and longevity.

[RabidYak]

Not everybody hot-rods thier CPUS though. AMD kit is still faster out the box and of equal or cheaper price then thier equivelent Intel gear, which does make it better for non-speed fiends who only change thier PCs every few years. I always change mobo everytime I change processor anyway, so processor rooftops dont bother me.

Just because something is compatable dosent make it ideal. Intel are moving away from strait x86 architecture which is making them not as fast for running good 'ol fasioned code as they would be if they were still making x86-by-the-ton chips like AMD. Obviously this isnt much of a worry for modern software and stuff coded in modern programming langauges for modern machines, but for stuff like MAME its not good at all.

[were]

the prices should go down..right now..u can get a decent 1gz machine for lesss than a 1000 bucks..far cry when it was a few years ago a 166mz procesor cost $3000!

their right.Desite having the best computer today, it will becoming obselete in a few months.

You might as well think when getting a new comp, the chances that it can be upgraded signifinically...instead of replacing the whoel damn motherboard itself..

[KoHC]

It's better to wait another month before you start building your machine. Nev video card from ATI (R300) will hit the market soon. Even if you don't like ATI cards the overall price for video card should drop.

Few video cards I would recommand: nVidia GeForce 4 lines (no MX, they suck), GeForce 3 if you can find those very cheap. ATI R300 or RV250 (when it come out). Or Radeon 8500 when R300 comes out. If you don't like overclocking, make sure you pick retail package of ATI cards made by ATI. OEM and third-party cards normally run slower. TV-Out will be great if you're thinking of playing on your TV. Most video cards now offers TV-Out, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Big hard drive will be good. Especially the price differences between large hard drive and smaller ones isn't much. 120GB seems to have best price/size ratio now. Stick with major brand (IBM, Western Digital, SeaGate, Maxtor) and 7200RPM or faster.

256MB of RAM should give you enough memory, 512MB will be good too. Make sure you get CL2 instead of CL2.5 (DDR). I recommand you get Crucial's Micron memory or Samsung. Both 2700DDR has very nice performance.

Another thing, dual channel DDR motherboard should be out soon as well. Which will benifit greatly for P4 CPUs. But I wouldn't expect those boards hit the market before October.

AMD XP CPUs are nice, for $85 you can pick up XP 1800+, not a bad deeal. Keep in mind tho, XP1800+ is only 1.53GHz. It is faster for today's application, but not too sure how it will perform with tomorrow's programs.

P4 1.6a is great for overclockers. Almost guarentee 2.1GHz if you're willing to overclock a bit. However, if you want P4 1.6a you better act quick because Intel is discontinue this CPU soon.

Keep in mind that no computer is "future proof", so just buy whatever you can affore. Both Intel and AMD CPU are nice choice for now, so choose whichever you like.

[were]

didnt know those ddr's are obsolete now...
"copy and pasting kohc's messege for future use"