Supermodel noob wants to add SWT to an existing MAME cab....

[Dcpmark]

....and I've got lots of questions.

1) First, and most important, is there a wiki or FAQ where I should start so I won't have to ask as many beginner's questions? I haven't seen one.

2) My current MAME cab computer is 2.13Ghz C2D with 2GB RAM and a 82945G Express chipset running 32bit Windows Xp Home. Using what's available right now at Best Buy for a new computer, any recommendations for the perfect setup for Supermodel, i.e, computer, RAM, graphics card? I'm running an old 27" NEC Multisync CRT in my cab. I'm guessing a 64-bit OS is preferable to 32-bit, but most new computers come with Windows 8 now. Is that a problem? Should I be looking to get Windows 7 64-bit or even Windows XP 64-bit for compatibility issues? I'm a Mac guy who uses Windows for MAME only, so I don't know much about that OS.

3) What's the best USB joystick for SWT that can be installed in a control panel?

Thanks in advance!

[Bart]

The FAQ on the web site doesn't address system requirements because the minimum requirements have not been determined. I hesitate making recommendations on purchases but I can tell you this much: I have an i5-2500K at 3.2 GHz, 8 GB RAM, and a GeForce GTX 460 and Supermodel runs flawlessly. The most important things are the CPU speed and the GPU.

Re: OS, Windows 7 is great. I haven't tried Windows 8 but I can't imagine its new features being useful for a MAME cabinet. It ought to run Supermodel as well as Win7, though.

[Dcpmark]

Thanks, Bart!

Does an i7 offer anything over an i5 as it relates specifically to Supermodel or MAME? Also, any recommendations for a proper joystick (with 2 triggers) to use for SWT??

NOTE: I edited this to take out "USB" for the joystick. I'll take recommendations for any type of joystick that can be made to work with SWT in Supermodel and also be used in MAME. I'm thinking that properly positioned the right stick can be used solo in SWT and also used as a right trigger joystick for Battlezone. I found this possibility......any thoughts?

http://na.suzohapp.com/joysticks/95006500.htm

[Bart]

If I'm not mistaken, the i7 is a newer generation of chips than i5 and I would imagine it generally performs better. You won't notice any difference in Supermodel because once you've achieved 'full speed' (60 FPS), any extra computational power doesn't give you anything. However, you may want that faster CPU for other applications. I imagine there must be some MAME drivers that still don't run at full speed on my system.

Re: the joystick, it looks quite pricey and I can't offer any recommendations as I've never purchased one. If it's DirectInput compatible, it ought to work just fine with Supermodel but of course, that cannot be guaranteed. Some devices have proven to be more difficult to work with than others, if you look back on some of the posts here from when Supermodel v0.2a was first released. I can tell you that for Star Wars Trilogy, you will need an analog device. A digital stick will not work well at all.

[Dcpmark]

I'm torn between these specs....same price:

1) 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-2600 processor. Features an 8MB Intel® Smart Cache and 3.4GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz. 4GB RAM.
2) 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 i5-3470 processor. Features a 6MB Intel Smart Cache and 3.2GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.6. 8 GB RAM.

I did find that same stick for $179 from Twisted Quarters....still pricey but worthwhile for Star Wars Trilogy and other stick games.

[Bart]

It looks to me like option #1 is better. It's the newer of the two architectures, has more cache, and runs faster. Same price? Easy decision

[Dcpmark]

I'm torn between these specs....same price:

1) 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-2600 processor. Features an 8MB Intel® Smart Cache and 3.4GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz. 4GB RAM. Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.

So I went with this computer, and I was surprised to see SWT run slowly. Menus seemed very snappy, but the movie of the X-Wings approaching the Death Star ran in slow motion. Gameplay seemed a little slow, too. Could the GPU be a problem? This computer came with a built-in GPU (Intel HD Graphics 3000), which seems to benchmark as mid-level at best. I'm not sure I can even add a better card because it's a tiny desktop and it came with a 220W power supply. If it is the GPU I will return it and get another computer.

Or is it the 4GB of memory?

[Bart]

I'm torn between these specs....same price:

1) 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-2600 processor. Features an 8MB Intel® Smart Cache and 3.4GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz. 4GB RAM. Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.

So I went with this computer, and I was surprised to see SWT run slowly. Menus seemed very snappy, but the movie of the X-Wings approaching the Death Star ran in slow motion. Gameplay seemed a little slow, too. Could the GPU be a problem? This computer came with a built-in GPU (Intel HD Graphics 3000), which seems to benchmark as mid-level at best. I'm not sure I can even add a better card because it's a tiny desktop and it came with a 220W power supply. If it is the GPU I will return it and get another computer.

Or is it the 4GB of memory?

It's not the memory and almost certainly the built-in graphics. At some point in the future (maybe), I hope to rewrite the graphics engine in a way that is more friendly to lower end GPUs but for now, I recommend an Nvidia GPU. I have a GTX 460 and it works great.

[Dcpmark]

I'm torn between these specs....same price:

1) 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-2600 processor. Features an 8MB Intel® Smart Cache and 3.4GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz. 4GB RAM. Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.

So I went with this computer, and I was surprised to see SWT run slowly. Menus seemed very snappy, but the movie of the X-Wings approaching the Death Star ran in slow motion. Gameplay seemed a little slow, too. Could the GPU be a problem? This computer came with a built-in GPU (Intel HD Graphics 3000), which seems to benchmark as mid-level at best. I'm not sure I can even add a better card because it's a tiny desktop and it came with a 220W power supply. If it is the GPU I will return it and get another computer.

Or is it the 4GB of memory?

It's not the memory and almost certainly the built-in graphics. At some point in the future (maybe), I hope to rewrite the graphics engine in a way that is more friendly to lower end GPUs but for now, I recommend an Nvidia GPU. I have a GTX 460 and it works great.

Thanks a ton, Bart! I've already processed the return and have picked out a different computer with a discrete GPU.

[Bart]

Thanks a ton, Bart! I've already processed the return and have picked out a different computer with a discrete GPU.

This is why I don't like to make purchasing recommendations But you could have probably just bought an add-in GPU and it would've been fine. I hope you ended up grabbing something with an Nvidia GPU because although the AMD GPUs are just as good, some versions of the drivers don't play well with Supermodel (as others here can attest). I hope the new computer works out for you.