MiSTer FPGA Forum

As I could not search the forum for some reason saying "sdram" was too common...

Do many arcade cores require an external SDRAM board?
If yes, does this include CPS-based games?
Will 32mb be enough or should I go for the 128mb?

The reason I ask is because many arcade cores does not work for me, and I have only the DE10 nano board so far..

It would be nice to have external ram requirement in the MRA and that the OSD could highlight if a game/core was not playable.

If you go less than 128 you'll always wish you hadn't.

JudgeDrokk wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 4:42 pm If you go less than 128 you'll always wish you hadn't.

Only if you absolutely have to play every single NeoGeo ROM

In the scheme of things the cost of 128 isn’t that much more (given postage cost, other boards, etc) and some stuff needs it.

I just bought the 128 straight up to eliminate any future issues of “is this not working because it needs more ram or have I screwed something up?”

https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Main_Mi ... -use-SDRAM

AFAIK, Neo Geo is the only one that requires a 128MB, and that's only if you play certain games that are that large, since the Neo Geo core loads the ROMs uncompressed into SDRAM.

But this could always change, there could be more cores that rely on it. You never know.

the question relates to arcade cores only, all your answers and the link seems to be for console..

I tested all arcade cores available at the time a while back and posted it here:
viewtopic.php?p=2193#p2193

On another note, clearly the search function should be improved on this site. The topic of the thread is "Arcade List", but those terms are not searchable either because they are too common...

Harrumph wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:57 am I tested all arcade cores available at the time a while back and posted it here:
viewtopic.php?p=2193#p2193

On another note, clearly the search function should be improved on this site. The topic of the thread is "Arcade List", but those terms are not searchable either because they are too common...

Thanks Harrumph.. I will play ghostn goblins and green beret until my sdram board arrives

But why not add a check so that its easy to see that the game is not playable due to missing sdram, should be quite straight forward.

throAU wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:32 pm In the scheme of things the cost of 128 isn’t that much more (given postage cost, other boards, etc) and some stuff needs it.

I just bought the 128 straight up to eliminate any future issues of “is this not working because it needs more ram or have I screwed something up?”

~40 USD is a significant difference. Sure, it's recommended for the arcade fans, but if you're mostly interested in microcomputers/consoles, then it's a pointless expense.

akeley wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:41 pm

throAU wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:32 pm In the scheme of things the cost of 128 isn’t that much more (given postage cost, other boards, etc) and some stuff needs it.

I just bought the 128 straight up to eliminate any future issues of “is this not working because it needs more ram or have I screwed something up?”

~40 USD is a significant difference. Sure, it's recommended for the arcade fans, but if you're mostly interested in microcomputers/consoles, then it's a pointless expense.

Yeah, 40 dollars is 40 dollars, but when you consider the *total* bom cost, it isn't much.

As in, percentage of the cost of

de10-nano
sd-card
Maybe a large hard drive for storing ROMs on
usb hub
power supply/converter if not on 110v
wifi adapter
bluetooth adapter
IO board
heatsinks
fan
case
controllers

add all of that up and $40 vs. the whole cost isn't much... that's my point.

Most people won't really need I/O board, USB hub, or a large HDD. They might also already have stuff like controllers or SD cards. In reality, a setup which will allow you to experience ~98% of MiSTer's library is available for well under 200USD. Extra 40USD in this case is quite a lot.

There is a misconception out there that MiSTer is a pricey solution, I've seen it mentioned many times by people curious about this project. There is no need to artificially inflate the cost becuase then they might just give up on it and get a Pi4 or something.

akeley wrote: ↑Mon Jan 25, 2021 10:58 amThere is a misconception out there that MiSTer is a pricey solution, I've seen it mentioned many times by people curious about this project. There is no need to artificially inflate the cost becuase then they might just give up on it and get a Pi4 or something.

not sure it's a myth.. a pi4 is £35.. de10 is £108 (and you would need a usb hub of some sort to use it)

If a Raspberry Pi is going to satisfy a user, they should get it.
People who use MiSTer are generally not satisfied with Pi in some way; it's not a choice based on economy.

"Economy" is a very important factor for some people, myself included. If somebody told me that I need to buy all this stuff which throAU quoted (spending 2-3 times as much as I actually have) I would've never bothered with MiSTer.

im ready to close this thread