Classicamiga Forum Retro Edition
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Thread: Some nice neat and small RETRO/MAME SFF machines
Harrison 16:30 5th March 2010
I always liked their laptops too, although not seen many recently. They don't seem to advertise hardware as much any longer either.
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Bloodwych 18:18 5th March 2010
If you look at the newer versions of this PC Esprimo SFF desktop, they retail for about £400-£600.

http://www.dealtime.co.uk/xPO-Fujits...300-Desktop-PC

It has an internal pico style PSU, laptop optical drive which I'm going to replace with a slot loading DVDRW and a couple of silent fans - they are very quiet machines. Well, hopefully, but fans are easily replaced if I get one with a dodgy squeel!

Not sure if the drive is 2.5" or 3.5".

Decided I might put this one in the front room next to the PS3 since it's small and quiet.
[Reply]
1980-20.. 21:37 7th March 2010
Ok i managed to get hold of this tower off ebay, the auction finished today so not collected it yet or inspected it. The blokes thrown in a keyboard and mouse with it wich is handy, i just need to borrow a monitor to test it all works ok.

Here it is.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I also managed to buy this for £20 plus p&p but it wont be of much interest here. All in all a good evening.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Oh if you notice anything amiss with the pc dont be affraid to point it out any help is apreciated.
[Reply]
Bloodwych 13:09 8th March 2010
The case looks a little grubby and outdated, but when you look at what's inside - I think you've got a nice machine and bargain there! A lot of hardware for your cash!

I mean it has a nice motherboard, 3GB RAM is easily enough even for Vista, the dual core CPU great, low power and cool running for MAME, plus it has a 250GB hard drive plus another 80GB drive inside but not connected!

On top of all that it has a wireless card and a perfect graphics card for MAME and emulation - low power and quiet 8400GS - so you're not sharing main memory by using an integrated solution. Even a TV card is wedged in there!

Have we stopped - no! Wireless keyboard and mouse too!

And you've got some OS keys tied to the machine, plus a fresh install of Vista!!!

Looks can be deceiving! Nice buy! The problems (sticking CD drive, no problem there are two) look minor.

It mentions the 80GB hard drive being disconnected because it was used for an optical drive. Here is what I advise. Once you've checked it works, get a SATA to IDE adaptor and hook it up to one of the SATA ports - that's what I did with my old IDE 160GB. Then you can split the page file onto its own channel and hard drive for better performance! Plus you can store drive image backups on the second drive (in case your main drive dies) as it can take a while to set up an OS perfect for MAME and emulation, as well as ROMS and MAME CHDs!!!

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_t...All-Categories

I'd be tempted to replace the case or give it a good clean, but since it will be hidden in a cab I guess it doesn't really matter.

Good start. Hope the pick up goes well.

As for the Speccy - haven't seen one of those in person for years! Used to have one, but replaced it with a +2.
[Reply]
Harrison 19:25 8th March 2010
That is a perfect PC for your MAME cabinet project. As Bloodwych said, that will easily run MAME and other emulation. And the hardware is cool running and quiet too. More than enough ram, HD space and CPU speed to do what you need. And definitely a good price for what you get included to the PC. Nice one

And we are definitely interested in Speccy's, juist as much as any retro hardware. Great price for a rare model too. Have you owned Spectrums before, or is this your first?
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1980-20.. 20:38 8th March 2010
Cheers for the feedback guys just got it home pickup went smoothly.The case is a bit dirtyer than id expected and the psu doesent seem to be sitting flush in the case but all in all it looks ok.

Ive got two spectrum 48k pluses but they are both in need of repair, ive been on the look at for 128k heatsink model for quite a while, its my favourite looking speccy so i was quite happy i won it.
[Reply]
Harrison 20:55 8th March 2010
One thing you might consider is replacing the PSU in the PC you just got. You won't know how long the system has been on and running for or if the PSU was new with these components, or has been with the case longer if the case was used again for the current setup. Do you know how old the system is? And what make the PSU is?

PSUs suddenly becoming faulty and dying is the most common issue with PCs, and when the PSU dies they can easily surge and kill motherboards, HDDs, ram, CPUs etc... so making sure the PSU is good is a top priority.
[Reply]
1980-20.. 21:07 8th March 2010
Hmmmm yes that is somethig to ponder. If i wanted to use a tv with the pc what would i need to connect the two.
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Harrison 02:05 9th March 2010
The graphics card should support TV out. Does it have an S-Video port on it next to the main DVI/VGA port? If not then you can normally switch one of the VGA/DVI ports to output to S-Video or composite and would need to get a cable.

The TV card might also be able to output too.
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1980-20.. 07:22 9th March 2010
Yeah the graphics card has video out via s video but there is no s video connection on my tv, it only has scart rf and composite.
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