MAME #VERSION Recommendations ?

My experience with MAME is limited. And as I'm looking into it again after a long time I notice it might suffer from slight performance degradation with certain ROM's as the #VERSIONs evolve. Tho I don't have the experience yet to know if that's a natural side effect of more accurate emulation, or simply becoming more bloated and less efficent for certain ROMs.

I know I may not have any issues if I were on a modern high power computer. But for Me and Those who may not be on a modern machine, does anyone perhaps have the experience to know the Ideal #VERSION number ~range or 'sweet spot' in MAME's generation history for optimal performance on low gfx power pc's ?

I ask also cause I suspect its not just the pc, but the Emu itself sometimes... seeing as there are games, just for example - KILLER_INSTINCT 1 and 2, which require a CHD for MAME... which run, but not smooth. If i use u64emu though they run smooth. and yes both at comperable visual settings. I've also seen this (but Rarely) with lesser 2d intensive games as well.

Also making me believe its simply the MAME VERSION, is that oddly it runs CPS3 nocd ROM version surprisingly well and smooth for the most part on my machine (sorry I never tried the CHD CPS3 rom version for comparison sake, i would have if i knew were to find it lol)... but anyway just an example of what seems like flat out inconsistancy Emu wise

Any Input if you have a Favorite mame version. I'd like to hear about it.

EDIT: oh yea... everything I mentioned about ROM performance was with verified ROM's using mame cmd> mame -verifyroms romname

update.. after some more experimentation i notice the performance prob i mentioned is a multi source issue.

First, this i hope someone can explain to me as i found little on mame's site re: resolution bit depth
The old UI emu version of MAME i use to use, had a setting for example... -r 640x480x16@60
The new mame0154b seems to ignore the (x16) 16bit setting and defaults to 32bit.

The only info i could find re: resolution in the offical 0154 is that its set as: 640x480@60, or 0x0@0 aka AUTO
So is the bit depth setting a hack mame version specific setting only?
Only way so far i figured how to get 0154 to 16bit(ddraw), was to set my Desktop bit depth to 16, and set mame -switchres 0 (OFF) so it hanges on to the 16bit desktop setting. IMO is kind of a ghetto way of doing it.

If anyone could enlighten me how to tell mame the bit depth that would solve one issue as I'm going to do more experimenting with a little earlyer versions aswell for the following reason. . . .

...the 0154 version which i downloaded from the offical site mamedev.org ,gives me a outgoing hit on my firewall when loading.

for example to:
23.62.97.xxx
63.236.252.xxx

I have all non specified apps blocked from network access, however that is also too ghetto IMO. Unless theres a GOOD reason its doing that, and the option can be switched OFF.... i will be experimenting with slightly older version to see if it does the same, yet still have enough rom support for what im looking for.

any input on what looks like a mame mess to me for the above mentioned and still version recomendations is greatly appreciated ;)

#Update:
- re mame: Long story short so far I'd recommend mame version 0103 or bellow.

#Related Questions:
Ideal cps3 emulator recomendations? (Im aware of cps3emuator, however I'm spoiled from save states and winkawaks shot factory)
or any recommended competent MAME Forks? evolving from before the mentioned ~010X break?


#Details:
I downloaded the last #VERSION of each year listed at mamedev's previous release list. worked my way backward and stopped testing at 0103b.

0103b Allowed setting 16bit,
Did not have any outgoing hit on my firewall,
And did not Studder on some simple 2D sidescrollers.

So soon after that version ~010X something changed (and not for the better IMO)
You can also notice the download for ~010X and bellow are ZIP and above are .EXE (self extracting which can just be opened with 7z)... which i extracted and setup myself, so i know the self-extracting package had nothing to do with it.

Looking farther into the hit on my firewall from all versions ~01XX and above, turns out it might be a (CRL) server, which wouldn't bother me IF mame were an internet application or i was using Netplay or something. Otherwise WTF. I realize what CRL is but IMO such types of security in this day and age, there concepts are kind of a joke and seem more like a security risk IMO than a benefit. Besides the fact mame is not a net application, the whole situation seems a lot like Malware.

Tho I have a firewall. I'd feel much less annoyed if there is a way to disable mame's net access on those versions. That, or does anyone perhaps have recommendations on an ideal CPS3 emulator? I have CPS3emulator 10a ,from the nebula site I think it was.. which works great, performance wise better than MAME(which im not surprized), no ping on my firewall is always a plus tooo (sorry Rant LOL), however cps3emu10a is lacking in basic features... I don't even know how to pause it(I dont' think it does) and no save states... so atm those basic featurs for CPS3 is only reason I'm currently holding on to any mame version above ~010X since that version doesnt support CPS3. Perhaps as I learn more i could port features such as winkawak's shot factory to cps3emu, but since im not that knowledgeable yet, I'm reluctantly holding onto that mame version.

On that same note, I realize this is old aswell, but incase theres anyone just getting back into it as I.. will save you some grief perhaps to know (mame~012X) and above can use the same (nocd cps3) ROM set as (cps3emu10a), however above (mame~013X) you need a new cps3 romset or the CHD version.


EDIT: Hurray for FastFood approach to emulation, inconsistancy and a childish egotistical lets try and make one app emu every type of Arcade, lol did no one learn from windows8. Anyway sorry RANT had to do it

The latest version of MAME is always the best version of MAME. I would try SDLMAME, though, because it has the Timothy Lottes CRT shader, which looks absolutely great.

<deleted link>

re bulbousbeard,

Sir chit sucking spam fuk, stay the fuk away from my threads.

ps for those less informed who may not have secure browsers or firewalls.. don't click links like the one Sir Chit Sucker posted.

I deleted his link, next time just report the post.