Hardware Saving up for a PC build.... any idea how it will do Wii/GC emulation?

[Kyohack]

Like CompassNorth said, 3D support is a nvidia feature and has nothing to do with the manufacturer. I have a GTX 560 and a 760, and both play Wii/GC games in 3D. What matters is finding a monitor that supports nvidia 3D-Vision.

The actual PERFORMANCE and playability will vary, depending on your specs. I use an AMD FX8350 (8 cores @ 4ghz) and a GTX 760, and every GC game I've tried runs flawlessly. A couple Wii games I've tried, such as New Super Mario Bros, and Super Smash Bros Brawl work perfect. However, I do get hiccups in some Wii games such as Metroid: Other M and Pokemon Battle Revolution. There are some Wii games that you will never have perfect emulation with, and this has nothing to do with your specs.

I would like to advise against spending money on a pricey top-of-the-line 900-series nvidia card. If you really want to push your budget, go for something like a GTX 780 which is about 30% more cost efficient according to current prices on newegg. (http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html) Your performance per dollar is much more efficient, and the 900 series cards are too expensive for the marginal performance benefits they give.

Also, there's no need to grab a pricey i7 processor, because there are actually plenty of i3 processors that can outperform the i7 with what you're doing. Dolphin can only take control of two processor cores, so going for a 6-core or 8-core system like I've done is wasteful. What ACTUALLY matters is the performance per core. Take a look at this link, and you'll see that a $160 Intel i3-4370 can actually emulate Dolphin as good, if not better than a $1000 i7: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

As for your optical drive question, yes there are Japanese DVD drives that can read Wii games natively. According to this thread: https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-howto-dump-wii-or-gamecube-games-with-pc-no-wii-needed?page=18

The Hitachi GDR8 line of DVD drives can read Wii discs, apparently. Here's one that looks affordable: http://www.amazon.com/External-LG-GDR-8082N-netbook-Laptop/dp/B001TPUXVQ

TL;DR
Instead of a GTX 970 and an i7, get a GTX 780, and an Intel i3-4370, and your emulation will be the same, if not better.

 

[aofelix]

if this is for emulation only, or mostly only emultation, you could save so much money by getting the anniversary CPU. check out the dolphin forums, i saw an awesome budget build.

the rig you've assembled is a beastly gaming PC. if its focus isn't going to be that, you're wasting your time.

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

OK, it turns out that I DO get the 25% discount applied to walmart.com purchases. I don't have a whole lot of money at the moment, so I've decided to focus entirely on emulation performance.

How good of a price based on its specs do you think this is?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/CYBERPOWE...A-GTX750-1GB-1TB-SATAIII-HDD-24X-DVD/39753416

(AKA: Could I build a better computer than that for $500?)

Keep in mind that since I get the 25% discount (usable between dec 4-6th), it would be $502.49 instead of the listed $669.99 price.

If I get this, I would use it as the base and later upgrade the CPU, GPU, RAM and PSU (with selling the old parts as used) 3-5 months from now. Any way to tell if this pre-built is upgradeable?



According to this website:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9095516
The PSU is 350 Watts. Is that enough for this computer?
(I saw on a review for another model CyberpowerPC that its PSU was too low; couldn't find any reviews for this model)

 

[Kyohack]

Pretty much every desktop PC is going to be upgradable, as long as it's not something super small like Micro ATX form factor.

For the price, that's pretty good. If you keep looking, you might be able to find one with a better graphics card. I would personally want something with GTX 760 or higher, but it's pretty close/about the same. The processor in that pc is fine. i3/i5/i7 doesn't matter at all for dolphin. You just want the processor to be fast. If you look it up in the list I posted, there ARE cheaper processors that could be better, BUT, it is still very excellent (and about a quarter faster than my own personal pc): http://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

If you're thinking about upgrading the GPU, take note of the case size. For example, I'm not entirely sure if that GTX 750 card is single slot or double. If it's single, you maybe need to buy a new pc case in order to fit a better card in. Another factor to consider is PSU wattage. You'll want to get at least 600 watts if you want to be able to upgrade your GPU in the future.

I've seen quite a few PC builds that come with measly 450 watt power supplies. Would be a bother to spend extra on a new PSU.

EDIT:
On a side note, CPUs vary greatly between wattage and socket. Some motherboards might not support a CPU upgrade if they're designed for low power CPUs, so keep that in mind.

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

Pretty much every desktop PC is going to be upgradable, as long as it's not something super small like Micro ATX form factor.

That PC looks about pretty average to me. If you keep looking, you'll probably be able to find one with a better graphics card. I would personally want something with GTX 760 or higher, but it's pretty close/about the same. The processor in that pc is fine. i3/i5/i7 doesn't matter at all for dolphin. You just want the processor to be fast. If you look it up in the list I posted, there ARE cheaper processors that could be better, BUT, it is still very excellent (and about a quarter faster than my own personal pc): http://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

If you're thinking about upgrading the GPU, take note of the case size. For example, I'm not entirely sure if that GTX 750 card is single slot or double. If it's single, you maybe need to buy a new pc case in order to fit a better card in. Another factor to consider is PSU wattage. You'll want to get at least 600 watts if you want to be able to upgrade your GPU in the future.

I've seen quite a few PC builds that come with measly 450 watt power supplies. Would be a bother to spend extra on a new PSU.

The problem is that this 25% discount will only work during December 4th and 6th and after that I lose it. My next paycheck is around $500, so if I'm going to take advantage of this deal, it has to be around a $675 (pre-discount; around $500 post-discount) computer.

I think when I upgrade the GPU later, I will also upgrade the CPU. (New computer case wouldn't be too bad if I can't fit the new GPU in)

EDIT:
Most of the computers on Walmart.com didn't even have graphics cards at all (wasn't even a search option for graphics card so I had to manually check each listing that showed up in the results).

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

And yes, I was comparing the processors by single core performance.

 

[marcus134]

(AKA: Could I build a better computer than that for $500?)

If I get this, I would use it as the base and later upgrade the CPU, GPU, RAM and PSU (with selling the old parts as used) 3-5 months from now. Any way to tell if this pre-built is upgradeable?

I tried, http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tc7vmG 629$ (590$ with 40$ in mail in rebate) (not a hard try to get to 500 though)
cpu, gpu and ram to upgrade + cpu cooler

compared to the walmart comp. you linked:
plus side: you'll get a better psu, hdd, mobo, ram
down side: you'll get less money from reselling the parts you want to upgrade

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

I tried, http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tc7vmG 629$ (590$ with 40$ in mail in rebate) (not a hard try to get to 500 though)
cpu, gpu and ram to upgrade + cpu cooler

compared to the walmart comp. you linked:
plus side: you'll get a better psu, hdd, mobo, ram
down side: you'll get less money from reselling the parts you want to upgrade

I even tried adding up that exact part list with the discount on walmart.com and it still came out to $566.28

EDIT:
Just noticed that part list didn't even have a video card. I'm pretty sure for some graphic enhancement hacks like higher resolution I'd need some kind of gpu.

 

[CompassNorth]

I would like to advise against spending money on a pricey top-of-the-line 900-series nvidia card. If you really want to push your budget, go for something like a GTX 780 which is about 30% more cost efficient according to current prices on newegg. (http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html) Your performance per dollar is much more efficient, and the 900 series cards are too expensive for the marginal performance benefits they give.

Huh? I'm looking at sites right now they're around the same price range, he's better off with the 970 due to that extra GB of VRAM
Also don't use passmark, it's unreliable

Also, there's no need to grab a pricey i7 processor, because there are actually plenty of i3 processors that can outperform the i7 with what you're doing. Dolphin can only take control of two processor cores, so going for a 6-core or 8-core system like I've done is wasteful. What ACTUALLY matters is the performance per core. Take a look at this link, and you'll see that a $160 Intel i3-4370 can actually emulate Dolphin as good, if not better than a $1000 i7: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

While I'll agree he doesn't need an i7, but no the other stuff is wrong. The i3 processors do not outperform the i7. Passmark is unreliable no sane person takes it seriously


Honestly avoid passmark it's garbage

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

Ooh, I think I found an even better value than the earlier computer I listed.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Refurb...and-Windows-8.1-Monitor-Not-Included/37821505

It's $358.72, so with my discount it would be $269.04. It has slightly higher single thread performance, but only 2 cores instead of 4 and no gpu.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2015&cmp[]=2230

For Dolphin, it is the 6th best performing CPU (that's been tested with Dolphin).
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AunYlOAfGABxdFQ0UzJyTFAxbzZhYWtGcGwySlRFa1E#gid=0

I think I'll add this cheap GPU to it since it doesn't have one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/PNY-GeFor...-1GB-DDR3-PCIe-3.0-993MHz-Core-Clock/37674999
It's $84.44, so with my discount it'd be $63.33.

Plus this 450W PSU
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rhino-Panther-450W-ATX-12V-Power-Supply-with-120mm-Fan/16318491
$25.56, with discount $19.17.

Found this 585W PSU, but I don't know if it's even compatible with this computer since it mentions compatability with Pentium processors.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Compucase...ns-1x-Floppy-Connector-4x-SATA-Conne/38137414

That's a total price of $351.54. I think this is a pretty good price for what it has

List of other cheap PSUs I've found on walmart.com incase the above 2 are not compatible:

Spoiler

(In order from cheapest to highest)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/CoolMax-CA-400-400W-80mm-Single-Fan-PSU/10929825

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Solid-Gea...-Fan-Supports-Dual-and-Quad-Core-CPU/34998701

www.walmart.com/ip/CoolMax-CA-450-450W-80mm-Single-Fan-PSU/10929826

www.walmart.com/ip/CoolMax-CX-400B-400W-120mm-Silent-Fan-Black-ATX-PSU/10929830

http://www.walmart.com/ip/CoolMax-CX-400B-400W-120mm-Silent-Fan-Black-ATX-PSU/10929830

www.walmart.com/ip/E-Power-Technology-EPower-Power-Supply-EP-600PM-600W-ATX12V-2.3-Single-120mm-Cooling-Fan-Bare/40163749

www.walmart.com/ip/Antec-450W-Entry-Level-PSU-Black/15907605

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Antec-450W-Entry-Level-PSU-Black/15907605[/spoiler]

 

[Kyohack]

The cpu looks good. HP pavilion is a good line of desktops if you're looking for something cheap to upgrade with a gpu. My old HP pavilion had a 450 watt power supply in it, and it was just enough for me to power an nvidia 560ti when I added a dedicated gpu.

I wouldn't recommend that specific GPU, as the specs are a bit low. I would recommend something x50 or higher, such as 750 or 650. My personal preference has always been x60. The gpu is just as important as the cpu.

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

Actually, I'm going to go with this GPU:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/EVGA-GeFo...fault&beacon_version=1.0.0&findingMethod=p13n

$89.35; $67.01 with my discount.

Requirements for this GPU:
http://www.evga.com/products/Specs/GPU.aspx?pn=fdda7b98-88f1-4f65-b9f1-e4dd54569169

Specs on the prebuilt I'm going to buy:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c04119419&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en#N505

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

Update on the parts I'm getting from Walmart:
The desktop (unchanged) :
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Refurb...and-Windows-8.1-Monitor-Not-Included/37821505
It's $371.87; with discount $278.90.

GPU:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/EVGA-GeFo...fault&beacon_version=1.0.0&findingMethod=p13n
It's $89.35; with discount $67.01.

PSU upgrade:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Solid-Ge...-Fan-Supports-Dual-and-Quad-Core-CPU/34998701
$29.99; with discount $22.49

Total:
$491.21; with discount $368.40

I think what I'll do is when I'm ready to spend what I would have spent on that other build, I'll just replace the CPU and GPU and add another 8GB RAM stick and a CPU cooler to this build.

 

[Celice]

You can get a way better GPU for nearly the same price online. Check /r/buildapc sales. I just saw a GTX 660 for around $90 USD today.

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

You can get a way better GPU for nearly the same price online. Check /r/buildapc sales. I just saw a GTX 660 for around $90 USD today.

Apparently that was a pricing glitch and people that ordered it had their orders canceled (the original listing on that site is gone too).

 

[chartube12]

My recommendation is for him to try and build something with specs close to the $549 alienware alpha. I don't recommend buying the alpha only cause alienwares small cases make upgrading a pain in the ass, if not impossible.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-alpha/pd?oc=dkcwa01&model_id=alienware-alpha

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

For some reason, the price seems to keep going up every day that I check it

I may have to pick out a different prebuilt by the time I get my paycheck on Thursday :/

 

[Celice]

Watch newegg/tigerdirect. They can have some quality bundles of parts for low prices--about $300 after rebate for a full system sans GPU. Usually AMD stuff. You will have to put it together yourself, however.

There are always low-budget builds floating around too, such as on partpicker or PC enthusiast sites

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

OK, I've decided to try to build a cheap Dolphin computer with only parts from Walmart:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/GoldenSun3DS/saved/F4XhP6

This will serve as a backup incase the prebuilts I've been watching go up in price before I can buy any of them.

The total cost of this build comes out to around $385.69 ($289.27 with discount).

 

[GoldenSun3DS]

"Some Intel H81 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Haswell Refresh CPUs."

How would I update a motherboard's BIOS? Would that require a different CPU that functions with the current BIOS version?