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Planning to do a bartop... looking for feedback


BladeZX

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I am planning on doing a bartop but am looking for ideas on what I should use in way of computer, case, monitor, etc

I would like to do a single player bartop and am looking to put in an Intel processor so I can run most emulators on it. I am wondering about what size of led monitor to use in it and would it be mounted landscape or portrait.

I am trying to find a good case (myopenpc case or other) that would work good for a bartop

I appreciate any feedback and specs people are using in their bartops

Thanks

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So I do not have anything done yet, but I am planning on doing the same, a 1 player bartop. I am only interested in MAME and some older consoles (i.e. NES/Genesis era) so my specs are going to be different from yours but I have already built the PC and am running a Dell GX520 as my PC - Intel PentiumD 4, 3.0Ghz, 4 GB Ram and Windows 7 64-bit. I have it pulled from the case and plan to mount it on the back panel and have it swing out in case of service. This is good enough for what I need but if you want to run more current consoles, I would suggest at a minimum the Core 2 Duo but if you can swing an i3 or i5, I would recommend that. I would also recommend an NVidia graphics card, the more current the better if you plan to run current consoles or PC games.

I am going to use a 17" 4:3 LCD monitor but a 19" would be fine as well. All personal preference at that point and also depends upon how big you want this to be. I am looking to make it table top/desktop top so I want it smaller so it can fit most places easily.

A lot of it is personal preference and depends upon your application and where it will go.

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The more I see bartops on here, the more I think I may go for a 2 player one.

I really like the looks of the retrocade style bartop. Very nice indeed.

What kits are available? There is no way I am building the wood for it. That would be funny to watch.

Are 4:3 LCD or LED monitors hard to come by now?

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LCD monitor are all over the place. I am lucky enough that work is doing a purge of anything old so I scored a bunch of 17 and 19" LCDs as well as the PCs. But people are always getting rid of them on eBay or Craiglist and such.

A 2 player bartop is nice but will you use that second player often? The bartop I am building for myself so it is just a 1 player. I can always plug a controller in on the off chance anyone wants to join in. Like I said, personal preference.

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I just did a search and I did find a few of them.

Where can I buy a 2 player bartop kit like the retrocade one?

I am planning on some Mortal Kombat artwork instead of space invaders.

I like the layout of the retrocade for buttons. I would also want a pinball button on the side of the control panel.

Thanks

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i54670k and a separate gpu would be the way I would go. Tippers does a 2 player bartop kit. Also there are a number of builders that supply kits over on BYOAC. Most are stateside and should ship to canada.

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I suggest going for the 2 player cabinet. When you have your first birthday party or barbecue gathering at your home, you'll see the difference, even if its just once a year. ;) Just load up Bubble Bobble in Mame and even the non-gamers will ask you where to buy a cab. Then put on you best smile on and tell them, "it's unique, you only can build it youself." :D :D :D

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What is the best way to open the control panel on my bartop so I can easily access the underneath of it?

Easy,

Make sure the base of the cab is not the full length. Leave a 100mm gap at the front, this will allow you to switch 4/8 way and gain access to the wiring if you have any problems.. also helps with ventilation.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

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The more I see bartops on here, the more I think I may go for a 2 player one.

I really like the looks of the retrocade style bartop. Very nice indeed. Are 4:3 LCD or LED monitors hard to come by now?

The best place to find cheap 4:3 LCDs is your local thrift shop. I bought two of them for builds for $10 each at the one in my neighborhood. Doesn't seem to be any shortage of them there at all. As for the size, it's all personal preference of course-- Seems like most people use 19" LCDs, which is definitely what I would do for a two-player set up. However, if you want to build a one-player machine that's aesthetically more the same scale as a full-sized machine, you should go with a 15" monitor (assuming you care about that). Anything bigger than that and the machine gets a lot wider. This is of course assuming you care whether or not it looks a certain way.

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