So, I wanna build a mame machine that plays Killer Instinct and Killer Instinct 2. So, I need a little help. How strong of a computer do I need to be able to emulate KI, and how big is the cabinet?
Oh. Okay. I was looking for specifications on the hardware. But the size I understand, I'll make it work with what space I have.
go for whatever floats your boat within your budget obv best parts you can afford, and spend the rest of your budget on some nice speakers and controls
KI 1 & 2 aren't exactly recent titles, so you should be fine with pretty much any PC sold during the last couple of years. Well, maybe excluding the very low-end netbook category... MAME keeps getting improved - meaning "more accurate" in most cases" - though, so if you do run into some slight performance issues, it might be worthwhile to try a previous version if MAME (since those improvements are (mostly) about adding support for new titles).
As long as you aren't going with a budget or low-power type of CPU you should have plenty of computing power to run those games full speed via MAME. Low power or other budget sort of CPUs may leave you hanging. I'm not sure what you mean about the cabinet. Arcade cabinets are very large, and not very convenient. You might try building some sort of custom setup. Since you plan to use MAME you may be happy with a LCD monitor which would allow for a drastic reduction in size of the cabinet. Particularly you wouldn't need as much depth.
Yeah, I was thinking about making a smaller cabinet, with normal sized controls. I now understand what I need to run KI 1 & 2, it's just I need to figure out how big I want the cabinet to be, given the size of my room.
If space is an issue, keep in mind that there are some other form factors besides the fullsize upright cabs. I'd recommend looking into building a tabletop cabinet. That's basically an upright one with the bottom half chopped off, intended to sit on a counter. Using a flatscreen should shave off about a third of the depth, leaving you with a pretty compact unit that might even fit in a shelf when not in use. The (potential) downside is, it's rather light (well, depending on the materials used) which might become an issue in the heat of the moment, depending on how much you get into the game.
easy then, a nice 4:3 LCD, some good controls, and a usb controller (for hooking up joysick + buttons) and maybe a small motherboard of your choosing with an AMD APU + a fan or two, and a solid switching power supply, + some good speakers i'd recommend going 2.1 speakers just what i'd be thinking for a mame counter/tabletop mini cab.
Actually, a design I've seen gaining popularity is the full size uprights, but slim line so that it doesn't stick out even half as far. Check out this thread, he even shows how he built his: https://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=115189.0
Oh, nice idea. I like it. Don't they tip over very easily though? Top-heavy because of the display, a stick that you pull on... Seems like you'd have to attach them to the wall or sth like that.
You know, I thought the same thing. In that particular case the guy said he didn't have to attach it at all and that it was stable enough. Get some wide legs on the thing and you'll probably be fine. I can't say from experience though as I've yet to play on one. My father and I built a beast of a cabinet when we did ours...but it has a 27" Wells Gardner CRT, so it's a bit different in that case lol.
if the screen is mounted right and tilted slightly backwards it should be fine as long as you get the base design right, having the system + psu + sub woofer + surge protector / multi power socket strip + solid construction and it wont be too top heavy, also you probably dont want your face stuck right in the screen while playing so getting the ergonomics right is also important
I saw that slimline full sized cabinet, but I still like the idea of a tabletop unit. Cause I could just put wheels on it so that when I want to play, I can just wheel it out and turn it on and play.
Wheels on a tabletop arcade cab? Now I've heard everything... You might want to think that through. I'm guessing if you did that it'd wobble around like hell.
You could have wheels and those legs that you use for leveling something. So you wheel it out and spin the legs so they touch the floor or even raise it slightly above the floor so the wheels don't touch the floor anymore and then you'll have no problem with it moving or wobbling. I like the upright but slim cabinet design. Much more practical for a home where space can be limited.
Well, I rethinked the tabletop idea, And I was thinking of having foldable legs, so I could put it under my bed or something. It's a thought.
