Anyone have a dedicated Emulator PC? (Video of mine inside)

MAME & NEO-GEO emulator with online scoreborad, featuring new input method for mobile devices and new gameplay elements for classic arcade games. Includes changes to core MAME video and input systems making it faster and smoother than other arcade emulators on the market. Along with presenting new ways to play old games on your mobile we also aim to make it compatible and easy to use with real arcade cabinets by connecting your Android device to a bigger display and actual arcade controls, console gamepad or mouse/keyboard.





Download on Google Market:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.CrazyTil

 

So if I wanted to build/buy a PC for emulating MVS, CPS 1 & 2 and PGM along with a nice front-end, what would be the ideal spec to go for please? And am I better off with Windows 7 or XP?

 

This is a very cool emulator box you got there.

I am currently using an original XboX as a dedicated emulator. Its awesome but its not powerful enough for some of the more advanced MAME stuff. I pretty much only emulate arcade as i prefer to use my real machines for console stuff. I also like the Xbox as I can connect it directly to my CRT tv. I do not want a LCD or widescreen for my old consoles or arcade emulation.

While looking for a successor for my Xbox i considered a PC of course but it would need to be small, inexpensive and output directly on my CRT TV.
I also considered an Android TV box such as this one: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...-1080P-HDMI-Internet-TV/320149_571376193.html
Its quite inexpensive, small, likely faster booting than a PC an can output Composite NTSC. I just do not know how good it would perform in the real world. I would also need to find a way to connect my arcade stick to it.

 

My Windows 7 (64bit) i3 with 8GB of RAM can run model 3 emulation at 50 ~ 60fps full 1080p full screen. So it will be able to handle the stuff you want to run with ease and best of all an i3 isn't that expensive. Don't get a laptop though, a desk top will always give more power.

 

It sounds like an i3 is going to be more than enough for my needs then. It's to go inside a New Astro City outputting 15KHz video via a J-Pac and Soft-15KHz, which is a long way from full 1080p!

I was hoping I could get away with a compact, cheap small form-factor jobbie, like a Zbox or an Eeebox.

 

I'm sure you can find a small i3 based computer. Mine doesn't even have any fancy graphics card, just the Intel HD graphics processor that's built on to the mother board. It will play PC games from say 2009 very well but I don't car about PC gaming, that's why I have consoles for gaming. For emulation though it plays all the MAME stuff without any issues, full Model 2 and Model 3 at 50 ~ 60fps as mentioned. Just make sure what ever set up you get has a shit load of memory. Before I installed 8GB of memory in to my i3 I only had 2GB. With 2GB model 3 emulation ran at about 15fps! It's amazing what a load of memory can do for performance.

 

Well, i have been working on my Emulator PC over the last few weeks (Acer Revo RL70) and have added Jaguar and Amiga to the list of systems, Daphne -SINGE games and i also have about 95% of the screenshots for all of the games on the hard drive! (missing some from the Amiga section, would take an age to get them all!)

Just uploaded a new video to show off the system (My previous video was for the older Revo 3610) also shows off the new Model 2 emulation! Enjoy

 

I usually go with the the old saying used by hot rodders: "There's no replacement for displacement." Translated: No replacement for the original time tested and proven stuff AKA original hardware. AWWW, WHO AM I SHITTIN????!!!! I have an old P4 crap box running Windows 7 with several emulators for old systems up to and including Genesis, SNES, PS1, ect. Machine not powerful enough to run N64, Saturn and newer. Save them for my 64 bit main desktop machine.

 

True, and i have the systems tucked away in thier boxes. But this is pretty awesome......

 

Nice. would love to have this kinda set up

 

It may be better to custom build a HTPC for a dedicated Emulation machine. For the most part, if you are going to get an i3 though, the core i3 2320 is recommended.

 

If you mostly play older stuff I still think a Modded original Xbox is a marvel. Once you know how to softmod them its very easy to setup an emulation console that plays everything up to NeoGeo, CPS-2 without a hitch or slowdown. The emulators that this thing can run are great, very well made with lots of options. An original Xbox also costs peanuts nowadays.

HUGE added bonus if you still use a 4:3 CRT as the thing outputs native NTSC and boots in mere moments compared to most PCs.
Of course if you want to emulate PSX, N64 etc, it is not powerful enough to run full speed, yet some games are still quite playable.
I will look into a Wii for emulation eventually.