Processor/Vidcard for arcade cabinet?

iNonEntity

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Sep 1, 2014
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I'm thinking of building a game cabinet for my mother's birthday gift, and was wondering what kind of components would be needed to emulate her old games. Would a basic processor with integrated graphics suffice - or would I need a basic video card? Or am I completely off and is there something more important to worry about ._. I don't really know how emulating differs from regular games. Any advice is appreciated; more cores? Higher clock speeds? More RAM? 64/32 bit? etc
 
Solution
Every Intel CPU has integrated graphics except for some Xeon chips. Since your budget is 700$, here's a 500$ build with OS and monitor that should run your arcade games very well with 200$ left over for fight sticks (seems like a lot, right:)?):
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk X110 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @...
Every Intel CPU has integrated graphics except for some Xeon chips. Since your budget is 700$, here's a 500$ build with OS and monitor that should run your arcade games very well with 200$ left over for fight sticks (seems like a lot, right:)?):
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk X110 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.00 @ B&H)
Monitor: LG 22M35D 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $494.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-29 18:29 EST-0500

If you would like more storage and a GPU, though, I would get something like this, although it only leaves 60$ for the fight sticks:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.49 @ Newegg)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($86.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.02 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.00 @ B&H)
Monitor: LG 22M35D 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $638.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-29 18:42 EST-0500
 
Solution
Would this suffice?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G850 2.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.27 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($51.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($22.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($25.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: LG 22M35D 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $498.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-29 19:49 EST-0500

Also I don't need a case, since I'm setting it inside of a cabinet I plan to custom build
 
Yes, it is enough, but that CPU is pretty outdated. Plus, the HD 7850 is equivalent (in terms of performance) to the R7 260X while being 45$ cheaper, and since arcade games don't require plenty of graphics processing power AFAIK, the HD 7850 will suffice. Also, CX PSUs sue bad caps. I would recommend a unit from Antec, XFX or Seasonic.
 
Yeah, I guess a 270 is a bit overkill lol How about this one?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/diamond-video-card-r7250d51g

I've had bad experiences with Seasonic lol Maybe an Antec, but what do you mean sue bad caps? They have good reviews...? Is this one okay?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-vp450


Oh and yeah the i3 beats the Pentium by a long-shot, but the price to performance ratio on the G850 is beastly imo. I also heard they can overclock well. Maybe a G3258 instead?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3258
 
The 250 will also be okay.

Seasonic units are always of good quality. Maybe you had a bad one, but the VP-450 is a solid PSU too.

The G3258 is a good CPU, but I wouldn't overclock it as the money spent doesn't give back a significant performance gain.