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Computer Hardware Choices – Parts for a DIY Arcade Machine

What Computer Parts Do I Need For a Great Home Built Arcade Machine?

So I finally picked up my parts the other day! Woot! This means I can finally start moving forward with the project again. I had been stuck on the “Plans” article for awhile because without having the monitor I would be using I couldn’t finish the measurements for the design.

Now that I have the parts I will be using I wanted to take a moment to discuss why I purchased the specific parts I will be using.

Computer Parts List for DIY Arcade Machine

• Motherboard - INTEL BLKD945GCLF MITX ATOM CPU
• Memory - Crucial Technology 1GB DDR2 PC2-6400 240
• Video Card - EVGA e-Geforce 6200 PCI Graphics Card
• Hard Drive - Western Digital 5000AAKS 500GB SATA II 7200 RPM 16MB
• Power Supply - AGI 350W P4 Power Supply W/2 SATA Connection
• Operating System - Windows XP Home OEM SP3
• Surge Protector - Tripp Lite Protect It! TLP606B 6 Outlet
• Speakers - Cyber Acoustics CA-2016WB Speakers
• Montor - ACER V173B 17" LCD Monitor

Hardware I Still Need to Order

• Trackball Mouse - Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball Mouse 64327
• Small “Miniature” Keyboard - Adesso Mini Multimedia Black PS/2 Internet Keyboard ( MCK-91 )
• USB Gaming Controller - Logitech Precision Plug and Play Gamepad (Blue)

So as you can see I have the bulk of the parts I need to workout the measurements for my Arcade Machine design. I still need to order the mouse and keyboard that will be using with this system, but for now I can use spare ones I have lying around for building, and testing purposes.

I also needed to pickup a USB Gaming Controller for wiring my Arcade Controls. I have a great idea that I have been messing around with for this, so I want to read some reviews on which Gaming Controllers people think are the best. (Yet are still affordable)

NOTE: Also notice that I do not have a CD or DVD ROM drive listed in my parts. I have access to spare drives I can use for my installation, and once Windows is on the system I will be transferring the bulk or my ROMs and Emulators via the network to save myself time and energy. You will NEED a ROM drive of some kind to install your operating system, so if you do not have a spare one lying around make sure you purchase one when you get your parts.

PC Hardware Considerations for a DIY Arcade System

Motherboard - INTEL BLKD945GCLF MITX ATOM CPU

The motherboard I will be using in the system is the Intel Bulk D945GCLF Mini ITX Motherboard. This is a great motherboard for a small DIY Arcade system because it is a Mini ITX motherboard that measures roughly 6” by 6” inches.

The CPU is the Intel ATOM Processor which comes built onto the board. It is a 1.6 ghz CPU which should be fine for almost any type of emulation. I remember running Emulators on my old 533 HP PC, and my crappy 486 Thinkpad Laptop.

This motherboard has Onboard Audio and LAN. Supports one stick of memory, and has one PCI expansion slot. Overall this is a great little board for the price and costs about $75 dollars for the motherboard and cpu combo.

Memory - Crucial Technology 1GB DDR2 PC2-6400 240

For RAM I went with a 1GB module of Crucial DDR2. Crucial is a really solid brand and has a good reputation for producing quality memory. The motherboard I am using requires DDR2 memory so that is why I choose DDR2. PC2-6400 indicates 800mhz memory which is the fastest common DDR2 memory (Excluding DDR2 1066 which isn't as common as 800).

The 1GB memory capacity should be more than enough for Emulating any old Console or Arcade system, including Playstation and Nintendo 64. Older systems did not utilize this much memory, as it has only become common place in the past 2 or 3 years.

Video Card - EVGA e-Geforce 6200 PCI Graphics Card

Because onboard video is usually fairly limited I have opted to go with a PCI Video Card to expand the video memory and capability of the system. Even though Emulators do not require much in the way of graphics, I recommend that if you are building an Arcade Machine you utilize some type of video card. Since the Emulators requirements are low you do not need to blow your bank on the card.

I went with the EVGAGeForce 6200 PCI Card. I am not a big fan of EVGA as their customer service is hit or miss, and quality goes up and down depending on the model of your video card. But I was hard pressed to find a PCI video card to use with this motherboard as it does not support PCI-E or AGP, so I decided to go with this card.

Clock speed and video memory are negligible with a video card in a system like this. The main thing we are going for is hardware that will provide dedicated video and take additional load off the processor. Even with low video requirements onboard video is never great for gaming so I do not recommend using it.

Hard Drive - Western Digital 5000AAKS 500GB SATA II 7200 RPM 16MB

For the hard drive I will be using a Western Digital 500gb Serial ATA hard drive. I have opted for Western Digital because they have a higher reliability rate than Seagate from the numbers I have seen based on customer returns.

I am going with SATA to make use of the faster transfer rates. This is mainly because the price difference between IDE and SATA is only a few dollars, and because the motherboard I am using only has one IDE port, but has two SATA ports.

Also the price difference between a 320gb drive and 500gb drive is only about $6 dollars so it makes more sense to go with the larger capacity. With Emulators for the original Nintendo and SEGA systems ROMs are only a couple K each, so they do not take up much hard drive space.

But once you have hundreds of Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 ROMs, and Playstation ISOs that space starts being used up fast. Having a larger capacity hard drive is always a good idea when you will be storing thousands of files on it.

Power Supply - AGI 350W P4 Power Supply W/2 SATA Connection

The PSU I am going with is an AGI 350 watt power supply. It has SATA connections to power my hard drive, and the wattage is sufficient to power all my hardware including the low end video card.

Make a note that higher end video cards and CPUs require more power. Depending on your setup you may need to go with a 400 or 500 watt PSU or higher. The Intel ATOM CPU and 6200 Video Card do not draw much power from the system so I will be fine with a 350 watt Power Supply.

Operating System - Windows XP Home OEM SP3

For the OS I am going with Windows XP Home. It is about $50 cheaper than XP Pro, and XP Pro does not offer any advantages for an Emulation System.

It is also compatible with many of the Emulators out there, where Vista can be hit or miss depending on the software you are running. I also know XP works well with the menu software I will be using to create a custom interface for my Arcade Machine.

And the biggest benefit is that it is so much cheaper than Windows Vista. I also saved money buy purchasing an OEM copy which can be bought with a computer hardware purchase.

Speakers - Cyber Acoustics CA-2016WB Speakers

The speakers I am using are just an inexpensive pair of Cyber Acoustic speakers. They are USB powered, and have decent a sound for the size and price.

I will be taking these speakers apart so I just wanted to get something cheap, incase I mess up.

Montor - ACER V173B 17" LCD Monitor

I discussed all the considerations for my monitor in a previous article. If you are interested in checking it out, click on the link below.

Using an LCD Monitor for a DIY Arcade Machine

Tripp Lite Protect It! TLP606B 6 Outlet Surge Protector

I will be using a surge protector to plugin the monitor and the system (power supply) within the Arcade Cabinet I build. This way there is only one power cable coming out of the system and it looks more professional.

This will also protect my equipment for over voltages and surges. The surge protector is black so the power cable coming out the system should match the overall look as the system itself will be black.

HARDWARE I STILL NEED TO ORDER:

Trackball Mouse - Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball Mouse 64327

The trackball mouse I have selected was one of the best ones I came across for the design I have in mind. I am planning on mounting the mouse directly through the controller with as little modification to the mouse as possible.

This mouse is very symmetrical so it should be easier to mount through the controller. It is also less expensive than some of the other mice I researched.

Small “Miniature” Keyboard - Adesso Mini Multimedia Black PS/2 Internet Keyboard ( MCK-91 )

I am going with this keyboard mainly for the size. I am looking for a keyboard that is smaller than normal so that I can incorporate it into the design of the system. I want to make it so the keyboard folds out of the Arcade Machine for the times I need to work on the computer, or set things up.

USB Gaming Controller - Logitech Precision Plug and Play Gamepad (Blue) - x2

The last item I am going with is a Logitech Gaming controller. I went with a cheaper model because I do not need the dual analog sticks found on most new controllers.

I will also be taking this item apart to build it into the Arcade System so I wanted to go with something inexpensive but that had good reviews. The controller had a four star rating on Amazon.com and was one of the best that I came across for being a Logitech controller and having for a cheap price.

NOTE: Make sure to get a controller with an "8 way D-Pad".

PC Light Kit - Buying Locally

I will be getting a light kit for illuminating the Marquee on the system. I plan to design a custom marquee and would like to get a white light kit to go behind it. I have not given this part a lot of thought yet so where I get for this is currently up in the air.

Conclusion

This is the basic hardware configuration I will be using in my DIY Arcade Machine. This is by no means a definitive guide as to what is “required” to build your own Arcade machine. You can probably get by with older hardware, or get even better parts if you plan on using it for more than just old Arcade and Console systems.

My main goal here is to create a very functional Arcade machine that will run Emulators great while still staying within a reasonable budget for those who want to build an Arcade machine but can’t blow the bank doing it.