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Needing a MAME Set and not sure which file to DL

I need a mame set and im not sure what file to download can someone help me out?

Well, this is a bit vague.  This is like going to supermarket and asking someone where to find food.  

What MAME set are you looking for?  Try looking in the currentroms or mame-0222-full sections.  Also, some sets require BIOS ROMs as well, so you will want to look in the bios section for the BIOS roms, if needed.

If you cannot find what you are looking for there, you will need to be a little more specific.

Sorry about that, I was looking for a complete set and tried to download the one i think was the right one from Mega but unfortunately cant be done with a free account 

Oh wow, you are in for quite a task. Downloading a complete set from anywhere will take quite a bit of time to download.  There are ROMs, CHDs and BIOS sets.  Some of the CHD files are HUGE (some are over 2 or 3 GB in size and a few are 14 GB [yes, GB])

A few tips & suggestions:

Have you tried right here at RetroRoms?  You can download quite a bit but there is a daily limit (read the rules and FAQ).  I strongly suggest buying a membership to eliminate daily download limits and most of all, support this website)

Take some time to read the rules and FAQs on RetroRoms. Also, take time to setup your tools properly.  This will save you a lot of time and headaches. 

If you do download from RetroRoms, I caution you with using download managers.  They can be used, however they can also get you in trouble with your daily limits and also cause you to be banned if not setup properly.  Again, read the rules and FAQ's here before downloading anything to save time and possible headaches.

I also suggest downloading the latest MAME from the official site:

https://www.mamedev.org/release.html  (you want the binary NOT the source code)

Also, if you aren't already familiar with ClrMAMEPro, check it out here:

https://mamedev.emulab.it/clrmamepro/

ClrMAME Pro will help you immensely with auditing your ROMs and letting you know what you have and what you need.

There may be sites out there with complete sets but I'm not sure what the rules are about posting ROM sites here so I'll err on the side of caution and not post those here.

Oh I know but im up for it ive got a lot of time on my hands at the minute. so with that being said what should i start with first Roms, CHDs or Bios?

I'm guessing that you want everything, regardless of scenario (is the game actually working?  am I  going to actually play the game?)

Understand that not all games are working in MAME (when you run the game you will get a red screen with valuable information.  Take time to read and understand the messages).

red messages usually indicate that the game is not emulated properly, or at all and will not work, regardless of what you try

I would start with the ROMs first.  Many games require CHDs and BIOS files but you can always download those later (this is where ClrMAME Pro comes in handy).  Download the ROMs first (remember to leave them zipped and place them in the mame\roms directory).

mame\roms   - rom and BIOS sets go here (leave all ROM and BIOS sets zipped)

mame\roms\folder name   CHD files go here placed in their respective game folder name (example: mame\roms\area51  (the CHD for Area 51 would go here)

Since CHD files are often large, I suggest starting with rom sets first.  Running ClrMAME Pro wil also let you know if BIOS or CHD files are needed for the set you are trying to play.

If you do not want to use ClrMAME Pro you can also run mame from a command line with this command:

mame -listroms setname (example:  mame -listroms area51

Good luck and be careful - I cannot stress this enough:  Go easy on the server and do not download more than one file at a time.

Really would just like working games to be honest but if that's not possible Ill look elsewhere

Sorry, I do not know of a way to know ahead of time.  The problem with such a list is that MAME is in continuous development, so games break and get fixed all of the time.  Perhaps someone with better knowledge can lend a hand here.

So maybe i should just DL a few games at a time test them and go from there (even though im more of a pack person myself)

Yes, download a few small sets until you get a better feel of what you are doing and what you want. I used to be a Pokerom and needed them all, until one day I had some clarity and thought "what am I doing?"  Do I really need 5 variants of a game?  Do I really want the Japanese games? (I don't speak nor understand Japanese so those games are not in my collection).

Your mileage will vary and your sets will be different.  I hope you find what you are looking for and at the end of the day are satisfied with what you have.

thanks so much for all your help

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