Hoakypoaky

Well I spent most the day researching these G-Sync monitors, as well as newly announced models coming to market soon. There is only one G-Sync monitor being produced (by any manufacturer) that's 32 inches, not curved, and at least 1440p resolution. It's the Acer Predator XB321HK. It's over $1200, is 4K resolution, but unfortunately only runs at 60Hz MAX, regardless of resolution settings (1440p, 4K, etc). So what the hell is the point of dropping this much coin on this monitor if the refresh rate is so low? There are plenty of G-Sync options on 27" or larger curved monitors, and the upcoming 27" models run at 4K & 144hz. Unfortunately none of those size options fit my needs. I guess 32 inch flat G-Sync monitors at a minimum 1440p are rare. So I don't think G-Snyc is going to work for me at the moment. Maybe when more models hit the market in a year or so. I guess my question at this point is.... do you think it's worth it to purchase a 1440p WQHD monitor running at 60Hz max for around $450, or just roll with a VIZIO 1080p TV running at 60Hz for $200? I guess the only benefit would be proper integer scale.

Wow that was a lot to take in. Thanks for taking the time to write your detailed response. Greatly appreciated! I think you've sold me on the G-sync monitor. If I go that route, the VR idea is dead, as the costs will just be more than I'm willing to spend on this project. I think I'm much better off focusing on just making a great arcade emulator. That means I can cut back on the 1080 Ti GPU, 32GB RAM, VR equipment, etc and use some of those savings for a decent monitor. I was planning on running scanline shader effects & had no idea about integer scales. So based on what you described, I should go with a 1440p monitor. 4K would be nice, but at 32 inches I don't even what to think about that cost. Perhaps a G-Sync 1440p monitor is the way to go? Sounds like 4K would work as well with proper integer scales. So just so I don't get confused..... if you use a G-Sync monitor, it sounds like you have to have a specific brand GPU, specifically an Nvidia GeForce GPU. Is that correct? Does the brand of the monitor matter? Does IPS vs TN really matter? As far as refresh rates go, what is the ideal monitor refresh rate capability when building an emulation arcade? 60Hz? 100Hz? 144Hz? This stuff starts to get a little confusing. This all sounds great, but I think I will have a hard time finding a G-Sync monitor that is 32 inches to fit in my cabinet & is also the right price. Not many are out there at 32" (most are 27" or 35" which does not fit my cabinet, and this is the only one I could find that checks all the boxes (Acer Predator XB321HK 32" 4K UHD) but it only has a 60Hz refresh rate. Curious on your thoughts of these 2 monitors, as one is 4K and double the price of the 1440p... also looks like doing VEGA mount would be no problem on these. https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-XB321HK-bmiphz-Widescreen/dp/B01A3N60A2/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1498495579&sr=1-7&keywords=g-sync&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A3547808011 https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PB328Q-2560x1440-DisplayPort-Monitor/dp/B00XI4PAD2/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1498495579&sr=1-10&keywords=g-sync&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A3547808011&th=1 Thanks for all your help Lordmonkus Means a lot. Are you one of the programmers for Launchbox, or only a moderator on the forum? Just curious

Well I guess my understanding of monitors & emulation is a bit lacking, as I thought that running at 1440p or above was considered a disadvantage, for running MAME arcade classics, NES, etc. I'm not familiar with input latency & or the various refresh rates for particular old arcade games. Do those high end monitors adjust the correct refresh rate automatically? Perhaps you could show me the forum link about these monitors so I can educate myself. The more I think about the VR setup, the more I realize what a silly idea it is, at this point. Perhaps that money could be better well spent. I cant see myself playing games like GTA5 or First Person Shooters on my arcade cabinet either. Just modern platformers like Cuphead or fighters like Tekken 7. So I'm not sure if the 1440p is really necessary. 60fps would be great tho.

Those are all very valid points (especially on the VR) & I will definitely take them into consideration. If I was smart I'd forget the VR thing & just build something that can run Mortal Kombat X smoothly on Steam. Yeah I looked at those G Sync monitors, but it would be pretty pricey, since I need a 32 inch to fit in my cabinet. They look sweet though. I thought 1080p was more than enough resolution for emulation, if not too much. Sounds like more HDD space the better, pretty cheap anyways. I'll still get the M.2 drive for the OS though.

Well as I said, I'd like the build to be future proofed for VR, so I'm well aware this is overkill for emulation. If I run multiple high end GPUs down the road, that could be 500W alone. So I don't mind if it's overpowered. Again I'm still deciding on the build. I'm also wondering from someone who has done this before, how much HDD space is required for the emulation side (all the emulators, roms, Launchbox, big box extras, perhaps rocket launcher, videos, etc). Plus adding my steam games. I'm thinking 8TB? I really have no idea how much space is required to have a complete emulation setup with every game & system from Pong to PS1.

Hey guys! First post here but I've been lurking for a while now. I've been wanting to build an emulation cabinet for years, and I recently decided to get started. Just looking for advice, pointers, or any suggestions if you think this is not feasible. I'm still in the planning stages. The original goal was to build a cabinet that could run everything from Pac-Man to PlayStaton1, with an i3 CPU build, and use Hyperspin as a front end. Then after hearing & learning about Launchbox, I completely fell in love with it. I want to run LB Big Box as my front end now, so I started planning an i5 CPU computer build. Then once I realized I could run Steam games through LB, I thought hey, let's do a more powerful CPU build that can run Mortal Combat X, Tekken 7, or additional Steam fighting/platformer games down the road. This will cost significantly more for the build. Then while looking through the valve website, I stumbled into their Virtual Reality setups with the HTC Vive. Now the costs are getting crazy, but how cool would it be to have a VR setup on this computer as well? I'd need the fastest CPU & a huge GPU, more RAM, bigger HD & not to mention the costs of the VR hardware. I know LB can't handle running front end the VR games (can it?), so I'd have to back out to the desktop to launch into the VR stuff. Not that big a deal. My game room is big & has plenty of space for the VR. I could run the cables through the coindoor, or place Vive cable docking station on the frontside of the cabinet. But first and foremost, this build is for an emulation arcade, and even if I try to do the VR, it would be after I setup the Launchbox side. So I'm thinking of making a build to handle emulation/steam games, but with a motherboard that can handle overclocking & future VR upgrades (more RAM, big GPU, etc) Didi mention I'm a Mac guy who knows just the basics of Windows & has never built a PC before? First time for everything, but I'm learning! Let's do this PARTS SO FAR: Rec Room Masters 32" Pro Upright Xtension Arcade Cabinet Rec Room Masters Xtension Control Board Plus, with two 8-way/one 4-way joysticks, trackball & spinner (might swap joysticks) X-Arcade single mech coin door 32" VIZIO D-Series 1080p HDTV FIRM COMPUTER SPECS: Intel i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad Core CPU Asus Maximus IX Code LG1151 motherboard 250GB SSD for OS & 8TB HDD for games, still unsure on HDD size 1000W Power supply for future expansion RAM, GPU & liquid cooling dependent if I do VR build So do you think the VR is feasible, added on top to the Big Box emulation with all the bells & whistles? Honestly if I do the VR side, it won't be until the arcade is setup how I want it, and I know that will take months to tweak. With an overclocked i7 CPU to almost 5.0 GHz & decent RAM & GPU, I'm fairly confident that I can run anything up to PS1/steam games without issue. Any thoughts appreciated