You don't need to download 10,000 ROMs. The beauty of MAME 0.72 is its ability to run the "greatest hits" flawlessly. Here is a suggested “New Starter Pack” list for MAME 0.72 that prioritizes games which run better on this version than on modern MAME (due to input lag changes in later builds):
: Every zip file is standalone and contains all necessary data to run without a parent file, though this takes up significantly more storage. 2. Modern Ports and Use Cases mame 072 roms new
If you’ve recently acquired a 0.72 set, here is how to make the most of it: You don't need to download 10,000 ROMs