Setting up a computer for MAME

• 400 MHZ processor or better.
• 64 Mb of Ram, (32 is OK if you don't want to play Neo Geo games).
• 8 GB Hard Drive, (This is enough to hold Mame now and for the forseeable future).
• Any video card with at least 2MB memory

• 650 MHZ processor or better (substitute a 1.5 Ghz or faster if you just have to play S.T.U.N. Runner).
• 128 Mb of Ram.
• 20 GB Hard Drive. This is enough to add in a nice mix of console emulators as well.
• Network Card
• Any video card with at least 8MB memory

• 100 MHZ Pentium processor or better (a 486-DX4 might work too, depending on the motherboard)
• 8 Mb of Ram.
• 20 Mb Hard Drive (Just enough for DOS, MAME, and Pac-Man).

You can simply place the computer somewhere inside the arcade cabinet, or you can take it apart and install it where the original arcade gameboards were. You really only need the motherboard, power supply and hard drive, the rest of the computer can be saved for another project.

Select an operating system that you are familiar with. I use Windows 2000 in my personal MAME cabinet, but almost any OS will do. Linux and FreeBSD require a bit of configuration to skip having to log in. Do a fresh OS install and then install and configure MAME, and you will be ready to go.