Why We Use PC Arcade Systems Instead of Raspberry Pi or Pandora’s Box

A premium arcade cabinet is only as capable as the computer running it.

That’s why American Gear Company builds our full-size arcade machines around real AMD Ryzen-powered PCs instead of relying on inexpensive Android arcade boards or low-power single-board computers.

Raspberry Pi and Pandora’s Box systems absolutely have their place. They’re affordable, compact and capable of running thousands of classic games.

But if you’re investing in a premium arcade cabinet, we think the computer inside it should be capable of doing considerably more than simply running Pac-Man.

PC vs. Pandora’s Box: The Hardware Difference

You don’t have to upgrade to our highest-performance system to see the difference.

Our standard [Premium Arcade Cabinet](/products/premium-arcade-cabinet) starts with a real AMD Ryzen-powered PC featuring:

• AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS processor
• 16GB LPDDR5 high-speed memory
• 512GB Linux arcade drive
• Full PC-based arcade operating system

Customers who want even more performance can step up to our Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 upgrade options.

Now compare that with the popular Pandora’s Box 10th Anniversary platform.

Before you even move up to Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9, our standard machine has eight times the RAM of the Pandora’s Box platform.

But raw specifications are only part of the story.

Why PC Power Matters for Arcade Emulation

Classic arcade games aren’t particularly difficult to emulate.

Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Street Fighter II and thousands of other retro titles can run on relatively modest hardware.

The difference becomes obvious when you start moving into more demanding systems.

Dreamcast. Naomi. Sega Model 2 and Model 3. GameCube. Wii. PlayStation 2. Modern arcade hardware. PC games.

As the original hardware becomes more sophisticated, emulation requires considerably more processing power.

That’s where a real PC starts separating itself from an inexpensive arcade box.

More CPU performance, more memory and stronger graphics capability give the system additional headroom for demanding emulators, higher resolutions, graphical enhancements and newer software.

And for customers who want to push their machine even further, that’s exactly why we offer Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 upgrades.

What About Raspberry Pi Arcade Systems?

We actually like Raspberry Pi.

It’s a fantastic platform for DIY arcade projects, compact systems and inexpensive retro gaming. For classic 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, a Raspberry Pi can be an excellent choice.

But there’s an important difference between asking:

“Can this computer run arcade games?”

and asking:

“What computer would we choose for a premium full-size arcade machine that someone may own for 10 or 20 years?”

For that, we want the additional horsepower of a real PC.

A Raspberry Pi is designed around compact size, efficiency and affordability.

Inside a full-size premium arcade cabinet, those aren’t our biggest constraints.

Performance, compatibility and expandability are.

A PC Gives Your Arcade Room to Grow

This may be the biggest advantage of all.

A Pandora’s Box is essentially an appliance. You get the hardware and software ecosystem it was designed around.

A PC is an entire platform.

That means your arcade has considerably more room to evolve.

You can add games.

You can expand storage.

You can update emulators.

You can connect your Steam account.

You can add light guns.

You can add spinners.

You can connect additional USB controllers and accessories.

You can take advantage of new software as it becomes available.

Our [Premium Arcade Cabinet](/products/premium-arcade-cabinet) uses a USB-based controller architecture specifically so the machine can work with additional arcade accessories and aftermarket controllers.

When you’re buying an arcade cabinet you may still be playing years from now, that flexibility matters.

Why We Build Our Premium Arcade Cabinets This Way

The computer isn’t the only place where we refuse to build down to the lowest possible price.

Our full-size arcade cabinets are designed as premium machines from the beginning.

We use Baltic birch plywood instead of cheap particle board.

We use quality arcade controls.

We use real computer monitors.

We include premium audio.

We include a full-size 3-inch trackball.

And our Premium Arcade Cabinets are backed by a 5-year parts warranty.

Putting bargain-basement computing hardware behind all of that wouldn’t make much sense.

Could we build a cheaper arcade cabinet by installing an inexpensive Android arcade board?

Absolutely.

But cheaper isn’t what we’re trying to build.

We would rather give our customers a machine with considerably more capability and room to grow.

Build an Arcade You Won’t Outgrow

If all you want is an inexpensive box that plays old-school arcade games, Raspberry Pi or Pandora’s Box hardware may be perfectly adequate.

But if you’re investing in a premium arcade machine, we believe you should expect more.

That’s why even our standard [Premium Arcade Cabinet](/products/premium-arcade-cabinet) starts with a Ryzen-powered PC—and why Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 upgrades are available for players who want even more performance.

More processing power.

More memory.

More storage.

More compatibility.

More upgradeability.

Most importantly, more room to grow.

A premium arcade cabinet shouldn’t just be powerful enough for yesterday’s games.

It should be ready for what you want to play next.

Ready for an Arcade That Won’t Be Limited by Its Computer?

Choose your cabinet size, artwork, controls and performance level and build an arcade around the games you actually want to play—not around the limitations of the cheapest computer we could put inside it.

[Explore the American Gear Company Premium Arcade Cabinet →](/products/premium-arcade-cabinet)