Wanting to build an emulator box

[FamiDriveDuo]

Hello, long time lurker and finally decided to join
I want to build myself a PC to use exclusively for homebrew and emulators to hook up to a CRT TV set through Component.
Here's the case I'm looking at-
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=1210
This was always the kind of case i wanted as it's nice, compact, and "console like" as far as the size goes. it also already has a motherboard, i just need a Intel processor. I'm looking to use Windows XP as the OS and Maximus Arcade as the frontend (never used this program before, but from my understanding it's apparently the best one) For controls i want to use the Logitech dual action and the USB sega saturn controllers. i also want to buy one of those Hori Xbox360 joysticks since their supposedly PC compatible. I'm also looking to supply it with a GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD. I plan on getting the ArcadeVGA card, and these(http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...897&CatId=1408) so it can be hooked up to my TV. Now a couple of questions-

-Which Intel processor can anyone recommend? something good enough for just homebrew.
-Can anyone recommend me a good PS2->USB converter? hopefully one that doesn't have any input lag.
-Does any one know if the Fighting Stick EX 2 is any good? this is the kind of USB stick i want, however I've heard the stock stick and buttons have issues over time-is this true?
-I feel getting this thing built can be done for slightly cheaper, I'm just not sure if Ive looked around hard enough, so does anyone know where i can get some good HDDs, RAM, and other essential parts for good prices?
-Does Maximus arcade have similar configuration options like X-port's Xbox homebrew?(resizing screen with controller, multiple controller profiles, save states, etc)

I forgot to mention previously these are the emulators that i want to use in Maximus Arcade-
-NES-FCE Ultra, Mednafen
-SNES-BSNES
-PC Engine/Turbografx-Mednafen
-Classic GB/GBA-Mednafen
-GENESIS/MEGADRIVE-Kega Fusion
-MAME & Final Burn Alpha for Arcade games
-MSX-BlueMSX

Now before anyone points me toward Xbox Softmodding, i already did just that, the thing is, while it's pretty good, I'm just a bit picky about some of the emulators, Mame especially. I want to use my "emulator box", as the PC homebrew is more up to date. Some of the Xbox emulators have a few things that bug me, like not being able to save multiple controller profiles in ZsnesBox, putting up with the somewhat off sound emulation in xboyadvance (not to mention ALL GBA games have a nasty lag problem) and last but not least, searching high and low trying to find a site that has compatible roms for CoinOps reignite (based on an old version of Mame). the best i could find were fullsets that i had to download from pain-in-the-ass Rapidshare, or slow torrents, and I'm not a fan of downloading fullsets. Not to mention most of this homebrew hasn't been updated since last year

(these pics aren't mine, but just to give you an idea of what i wish to do)



Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[jonny5]

those links are no good....also you really dont need an arcadeVGA if you plan to use it with a TV....the arcadeVGA is meant for use with arcade monitors....

just get a MOBO with HDMI out....if you are using XP 2 gigs of ram should be fine....for most emulation you should be fine with a low end dualcore CPU....or even something like a 3ghz p4 CPU should do you fine on most things....you can get away with onboard graphics if the mobo has mid range nvidia/ATI chipsets

or if you dont have HDMI input on your screen just get a midrange ATI or nvidia GPU and they all have component out adapters

not too sure about multi system front ends....a lot of people swear by hyperspin, esepcially if you wanna customize...although apparently its a little more system intensive with all the 3d features enabled

[Jack_from_BYOAC]

What sort of display do you intend to connect this to?

If I were making this project I would find a very nice CRT, and install an ArcadeVGA and a RGB > Component adapter. This will allow you to use games in their native resolutions and will make them look much better.

[jonny5]

wouldnt you also need an upscaler....a normal TV cant do cga etc....

[Jack_from_BYOAC]

Most CRT tv's are capable of accepting a 240p signal. Using a refresh rate that is significantly different from what they expect might cause issues.

I do know for a fact that it is possible. Some people from arcadecontrols have done it.

If you are going to use this box with an LCD or plasma then skip the ArcadeVGA and use Software filtering over a VGA, HDMI or DVI connection.

[elvis]

What sort of display do you intend to connect this to?

If I were making this project I would find a very nice CRT, and install an ArcadeVGA and a RGB > Component adapter. This will allow you to use games in their native resolutions and will make them look much better.

Sadly not all emulators support native resolution outputs - many will only let you go as low as 640x480, which means interlaced output only.

Likewise consoles like the SNES have very odd (nearly square) native resolutions, which means you need to have a TV that will let you stretch the picture vertically to accommodate the output. Either that, or you are forced to use 320x240 and still scale these weird resolutions in some shape or form.

I spent a lot of time trying to set up a "native resolution" emulator box, both under Windows and Linux. I had some successes, but overall it was a royal pain in the butt. I ended up just using a generic TV-out video card via S-Video, which pushed everything out at 480i to a standard CRT TV.

That lasted about 2 years before I scrapped it all together and went to native hardware with flash carts from ToToTek.

[FamiDriveDuo]

What sort of display do you intend to connect this to?

If I were making this project I would find a very nice CRT, and install an ArcadeVGA and a RGB > Component adapter. This will allow you to use games in their native resolutions and will make them look much better.

I'm using a not-so-great 20" Memorex MT2028D True Flat Screen CRT TV that i bought out of a pawn shop. i want to get a better CRT, but this is what I'm gonna have to make do with till then.
the screen is a little concaved too

I'd LOVE to get my hands on some kind of 20"+ RGB professional CRT monitor. I read about the NEC MultiSync XM29 and wanted one ever since, i just can't find one.

[Jack_from_BYOAC]

Sadly not all emulators support native resolution outputs - many will only let you go as low as 640x480, which means interlaced output only.

Soft 15khz can be a remedy for this. Most emulators will allow you to select from the resolutions available in Windows' registry. It's true that a very few don't allow this, but usually there are alternatives. I've yet to run into a system I couldn't enable native output for.

Likewise consoles like the SNES have very odd (nearly square) native resolutions, which means you need to have a TV that will let you stretch the picture vertically to accommodate the output. Either that, or you are forced to use 320x240 and still scale these weird resolutions in some shape or form.

This isn't how it will work when you output native resolutions. The TV will stretch the pixels horizontally to fill in the screen. However, it's entirely possible that the screen will be misaligned, or squashed.

For this reason alone I do not recommend using a traditional tv. An RGB monitor with HV controls is a must. Addtionally it would be tremendously helpful to use the ADVV utility included with Advancemame to program resolutions that will specifically fit within the same area.

I spent a lot of time trying to set up a "native resolution" emulator box, both under Windows and Linux. I had some successes, but overall it was a royal pain in the butt. I ended up just using a generic TV-out video card via S-Video, which pushed everything out at 480i to a standard CRT TV.

That lasted about 2 years before I scrapped it all together and went to native hardware with flash carts from ToToTek.

The very nature of a project like this means that it will never be absolutely perfect. I'll agree, if somebody isn't into tinkering and adjusting settings, then this will drive them mad in no short order.

And of course emulation still has a long way to go on many systems, especially if you're used to the real thing.

[1up]

the easiest way to go around this is to buy an eeebox. it has all kinds of output options, 2gb ram and atleast 500gb hdd. The gfx card is a gma950 which is capable of running games like CoD4, so it should be good enough for those emulators you requested.

on the downside. youre not getting the case you wanted

[Fudoh]

The newer EeeBox versions have an ION chipset (Nvidia graphics) plus Dual-Core Atom. That comes in handy for PSX emulation. The E1012 is the classic one without a drive and the 1501 is an "extended" version including an optical drive.

[emphatic]

The newer EeeBox versions have an ION chipset (Nvidia graphics) plus Dual-Core Atom. That comes in handy for PSX emulation. The E1012 is the classic one without a drive and the 1501 is an "extended" version including an optical drive.

Sounds great, do they come with VGA output as well, or HDMI/DVI only?

[1up]

The newer EeeBox versions have an ION chipset (Nvidia graphics) plus Dual-Core Atom. That comes in handy for PSX emulation. The E1012 is the classic one without a drive and the 1501 is an "extended" version including an optical drive.

Sounds great, do they come with VGA output as well, or HDMI/DVI only?

in the following pic of the asus eeebox eb1501 it looks like it has both vga and hdmi

[Fudoh]

The picture shows the EB1012 (ION without optical drive). This is the EB1501:



And, yes, they've both got VGA and HDMI. Very, very nice machines if you don't need excessive power. All the emulators work fine on them (including PSX emulation). Mame works for all 2D graphics boards, but won't properly work with games like Virtua Racing etc.

[emphatic]

That's awesome. I would really want one of those to run BWR+ and such titles in my cabs through the UVC.

[Jockel]

The way i did it:
- use normal PC not too far from your tv screen
- buy one of these cables http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1501
- done

[FamiDriveDuo]

The way i did it:
- use normal PC not too far from your tv screen
- buy one of these cables http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1501
- done

...but my TV doesn't have HDMI, and even then I'm only interested in CRTs right now.

[1up]

you can get vga cables that go from vga til rgb/scart

[iatneH]

The EEE Box and similar ION-based offerings from other manufacturers will suit you fine if you want something clean and compact, probably the best and simplest suggestion for your purpose.

If you want something with a bit more (a lot more) juice, I'd go for the 9300-based LGA775 mini-ITX board from Zotac. I built one up earlier this year inside a mini-box m350 case with a C2D E7500, and it's a tiny little beast.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm not sure the EEE would have enough juice to run certain emulators like the awesome BSNES which asks for a AMD Athlon 2600+ or Intel Core Solo at the least (dual core Phenom II or Core 2 Duo recommended, probably around the 2.4 GHz range). I believe even an old P4 should run a lot of MAME games fine, and the Atom 330 (of some EEE Box configurations), but the more power the better. Core 2 Duo era machines shouldn't be that much more expensive than the Atom...unfortunately, that throws the cooling and power features of an Atom type out the window.

That said, thanks for mentioning the EEE Box, it's a type of computer I've been interested in lately for recommending.

[yyr]

As far as controllers, for the most authentic arcade experience I'd recommend this:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Real-Arc ... 002FKYPU4/

It's only $80 ATM and it's the best stick I've ever owned.

Also, for emulators, don't underestimate how much CPU power you need. Emulation is very CPU-intensive, and while we all know that the CPUs have gotten faster, you will inevitably want to play something on your setup that is a bit more modern. If you don't want to be stuck with frameskip, spend a little more on a faster CPU and reap the rewards.

[Fudoh]

Emulation is very CPU-intensive

It can be, right. But just for reference: I had one of the early EeeBoxes (Single Core Atom CPU, Intel onboard graphics) and it played all the Emus just fine with not a single emu hitting the 25% mark on the CPU usage meter (zero frameskip and v-sync activated). As said, 3D games in MAME are tough (Virtua Racing didn't even play smoothly on my 3.4GHz P4), but everything low-res 2D including stuff like Battle Garegga, DDP or Progear play just fine on a Single Atom CPU. I have to admit that I don't know BSNES though. I used ZSNES and it played and looked great. I know that BSNES is supposed to have the better sound emulation, but ZSNES isn't this bad after all...

[Zapf]

I'm pretty sure BSNES is not gonna be too hot on an atom processor, at least from what I've read about it. It does hardware-accurate emulation an as such its gonna be a lot more cpu intensive.