Neo Geo CD - Thoughts & General Discussion

[Gyrian]

I'll add another +1 for the rf shield removal advice. I removed the plate from my cdz unit thanks to advice I read on this forum some years ago. Never had any issues (just keep the unit in a relatively dust free environment). Removing the plate is super easy.

1. Remove the four bottom screws and lift the top covering/shell from the unit.
2. Carefully remove all visible screws that hold the board to the bottom shell.
3. Lift the laser assembly and remove all screws you see underneath where the laser assembly was and beneath the small pcb to the left of the laser assembly.
4. Remove the metal plates that were seated below the laser assembly and the smaller pcb.
5. Lift the board out of the plastic shell and discard the rf sheilding plate that resides below it.
6. Reassemble the unit.

Thanks for the breakdown! Rather straightforward.

 

[kaironman]

NTM on CDZ is worth the trouble, so are other favorites, but on the whole, the CD is only good, if you forget that it's part of the SNK family. An arcade machine that went vegan.

Neo Turf Masters load times are not that bad in a regular CD System (not CDZ), in my opinion.

Is a great entry-level system for the SNK World. So far, I'm so happy with my purchase. The only shame is the absence of Shock Troopers, one of my favourite Neo Geo games.

 

[BlackaneseNiNjA]

For those still interested in CDZ cooling solutions, here is a good discussion that took place about a year ago concerning the possibility of adding taller feet to the bottom of the unit in addition to removing the rf shielding:

http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showt...Geo-CDZ-Easy-Cooling-Mod-amp-Case-Restoration

 

[GohanX]

Yeah, removing the rf shield is easy, there are just a lot of screws and you need to take care handling the cd drive and cables.

 

[Atro]

For those still interested in CDZ cooling solutions, here is a good discussion that took place about a year ago concerning the possibility of adding taller feet to the bottom of the unit in addition to removing the rf shielding:

http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showt...Geo-CDZ-Easy-Cooling-Mod-amp-Case-Restoration

The thing is... Heat goes up. Not down.

 

[BlackaneseNiNjA]

The thing is... Heat goes up. Not down.

I'm aware The hottest IC's are on the bottom of the pcb and removing the rf shielding that traps their emitted heat is what makes the biggest difference. Although he missed the rf shield removal, SmokeMonster's idea to allow as much airflow as possible for the unit is not completely misguided for anyone who has their console enclosed or sitting on a surface that may also trap heat.

 

[Neo Alec]

One of the keys is to set the CDZ on a flat surface; not carpet.

 

[ki_atsushi]

I wish the Neo CD was designed with more ram in it from the beginning. Later games like Ninja Master's and Last Blade suffer not just from slow loading times, but missing background animations. I found it unacceptable that the trees weren't blowing in the wind and there were no ripples in the water like the original versions had.

 

[Liquid Snake]

Playing KOF 98 on the Neo Cd stressed me out alot.

wait until you play LB2................

 

[BlackaneseNiNjA]

One of the keys is to set the CDZ on a flat surface; not carpet.

Whats up Neo Alec! That is true but since the cdz has no internal fan, we're looking at natural convection as the primary means of cooling. As such, having an unrestricted airflow path is the key to facilitate proper cooling in this case. Ensuring sufficient venting at the bottom and top of the unit will only serve to promote airflow as the warm air starts to rise and exit the enclosure. Although the neo cdz already features vent openings on the bottom and top of its shell, it is not a bad idea to promote the intended chimney effect by increasing the distance between the bottom vent openings and any possibly obstructing surface (even after the rf shielding is removed).

TL;DR version: After removing the rf shielding you don't have to add taller rubber feet if you don't want to, but it will only help cooling capability and possibly help prolong the life of the components.

 

[Gyrian]

I wish the Neo CD was designed with more ram in it from the beginning. Later games like Ninja Master's and Last Blade suffer not just from slow loading times, but missing background animations. I found it unacceptable that the trees weren't blowing in the wind and there were no ripples in the water like the original versions had.

While this limitation is a shame, it's more a reflection of the insane stuff that SNK was pulling off on the Neo with its unhinged cartridges. Neo CD was a monster in terms of console RAM for its generation. I can't place anything that even came close to its 7MB memory until what, the Dreamcast turned up with 16MB many years later?

 

[Zerrminator]

I've gone down the Neo CD route 2 times and both times I realized..... this sucks and went back to MVS. I'm big into fighters so the load time just kills it for me.

 

[wingzrow]

So basically SNK made a non future proofed machine, that couldn't play it's own games properly, was prone to overheating on the 2nd model, & to this day is still expensive as hell. Ah well, maybe one day I'll get a CDZ after I get my Pocket Color Collection pinned down.

 

[oliverclaude]

The volks-arcade console was such a heartfelt idea... well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

 

[jbeedham]

I've never had issues with my CDZ overheating. I should note I keep the console on a flat surface when I use it. Don't play with your consoles sitting directly on carpet. You are just asking for trouble.

 

[Ren-chan]

I wish the Neo CD was designed with more ram in it from the beginning. Later games like Ninja Master's and Last Blade suffer not just from slow loading times, but missing background animations. I found it unacceptable that the trees weren't blowing in the wind and there were no ripples in the water like the original versions had.

I found it worse on Last Blade 2 that it took 3 loading times to just 1 fight.
The VS stage and the scenario intro
the characters entrance
the combat loading

Last time I played that game I had to ask for a day off at work.

 

[NGCDFreak]

The Dreamcast is my Neo CD now hahaha!

 

[[OCEAN]]

Never had trouble with my CD-Z overheating, but I might remove the RF shielding as a precaution measure.
IMO, aside from collecting, there aren't many more reasons to go for the CD route... True that there are a few exclusives and arranged soundtracks are pretty cool, but at the end of the day the experience is much better on AES or MVS due to loading times (as said, especially on later titles). I keep mine from the old days (when home carts were much more expensive), but haven't almost touched it since I got an MVS back in 2003.

 

[cat]

I found it worse on Last Blade 2 that it took 3 loading times to just 1 fight.
The VS stage and the scenario intro
the characters entrance
the combat loading

Last time I played that game I had to ask for a day off at work.

Last blade 2 has a terrible reputation for loading times, it's one of the worse culprits on the neo cd apparently.
Isn't it possible to turn off some of the in game stuff in the options to speed things up a bit ???.

 

[wingzrow]

The Dreamcast is my Neo CD now hahaha!

Is there a cd emulator for dreamcast?

 

[xsq]

Is there a cd emulator for dreamcast?

NEO4ALL.

 

[Glowsquid]

The NCD is great for the 1990-1995 games. Prices are reasonable for most games, loading is not that big of an issue (usually one big load at the beginning and that's it, or that and 5-10 seconds loads for games in the 100mb-200 mb range) and the AV/quality is very nice. Also, while fighters are indeed not ideal on the thing, earlier ones such as Galaxy Fight, Karnov's Revenge and World Heroes Perfect have tolerable loading times. It's starting with KOF 95 that it gets really out of control.

Personally I'm very happy with my top loader. But if your primary interest is to play stuff like Metal Slug/Real Bout/KOF then yeah, it's not worth it.

Last blade 2 has a terrible reputation for loading times, it's one of the worse culprits on the neo cd apparently.
Isn't it possible to turn off some of the in game stuff in the options to speed things up a bit ???.

KOF 97 and (I think) some of the games released after it have a "demo cut" setting in the options to speed up loadings. Enabling it in KOF 97 cuts out the cutscenes, the sprite portraits on the character selection screen and the newcast transitions. Selecting a specific stage in the fighting games that allow it also slightly helps loading time. It helps, but not considerably so.

 

[GohanX]

Is there a cd emulator for dreamcast?

NEO4ALL.

Yup, neo4all works great, you can even burn patched Neo CDrs with neo4all patched into it so it boots like a native game. It's pretty cool.

 

[kaironman]

Personally I'm very happy with my top loader. But if your primary interest is to play stuff like Metal Slug/Real Bout/KOF then yeah, it's not worth it.

IMHO Metal Slug 1&2 load times are good. The only bad thing is the occasional mid-level load, but even these are matter of few seconds.

 

[Neo Alec]

I've gone down the Neo CD route 2 times and both times I realized..... this sucks and went back to MVS. I'm big into fighters so the load time just kills it for me.

Me too, but back in the day it was the bomb. I could get all the new games I couldn't afford on cart, with some of the best CD soundtracks of any games out there.

Although I sold my whole CD collection toward the end of the 90's, I later started gathering a modest CD collection just because I miss the hardware and discs from a collector's standpoint. I just love all things Neo.