Best CPU for Dolphin WITHOUT Overclocking?

lamentofking · (This post was last modified: 03-16-2014, 04:50 AM by lamentofking.)

I've been googling around and I guess I'm not searching for the right terms but I saw the Dolphin Benchmark file on these forums and now I'm wondering, is there a CPU that can run games on Dolphin full speed without overclocking? I ask cause I heard overclocking can reduce the life of your CPU faster.

**NaturalViolence** · 03-16-2014, 05:23 AM #2

lamentofking Wrote:is there a CPU that can run games on Dolphin full speed without overclocking?

With every game? No. In fact there isn't a cpu that can do that WITH overclocking either.

lamentofking Wrote:I ask cause I heard overclocking can reduce the life of your CPU faster.

In theory yes. But exactly how much is unknown. It's widely believed that even with moderate overclocks cpus still last at least 5-10 years. By which time most people should have replaced it anyways. This is supported by the large number of users who have overclocked without any long term problems. Reports of faulty cpus with moderate voltage/clock rate increases are virtually unheard of. The people who kill their cpus quickly with overclocking are the people who use insane cooling systems (liquid nitrogen for example) to try and reach the highest clock rates possible for competitive reasons (usually at formal overclocking competitions). Moderate overclocking which is what most people do is perfectly safe. This type of overclocking is done to increase performance rather than for sport.

lamentofking · 03-16-2014, 05:46 AM #3

(03-16-2014, 05:23 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote:
lamentofking Wrote:is there a CPU that can run games on Dolphin full speed without overclocking?

With every game? No. In fact there isn't a cpu that can do that WITH overclocking either.

lamentofking Wrote:I ask cause I heard overclocking can reduce the life of your CPU faster.

In theory yes. But exactly how much is unknown. It's widely believed that even with moderate overclocks cpus still last at least 5-10 years. By which time most people should have replaced it anyways. This is supported by the large number of users who have overclocked without any long term problems. Reports of faulty cpus with moderate voltage/clock rate increases are virtually unheard of. The people who kill their cpus quickly with overclocking are the people who use insane cooling systems (liquid nitrogen for example) to try and reach the highest clock rates possible for competitive reasons (usually at formal overclocking competitions). Moderate overclocking which is what most people do is perfectly safe. This type of overclocking is done to increase performance rather than for sport.

Alright then what is the best/fastest cpu for non-desktops? Is it the i7-4930mx?

**NaturalViolence** · 03-16-2014, 05:50 AM #4

Close. i7-4940MX. Laptops based on that cpu will all cost several thousand dollars though. I would highly recommend a much cheaper desktop instead for playing dolphin. If you need portability for other tasks get a cheaper laptop to use for those other tasks on the go.

Darkness Knight · 03-16-2014, 06:21 AM #5

Haswell - i5 4670.

Salu2 - Darkness Knight

**NaturalViolence** · 03-16-2014, 06:43 AM #6

That's not a laptop cpu.

lamentofking · 03-16-2014, 02:04 PM #7

(03-16-2014, 05:50 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: Close. i7-4940MX. Laptops based on that cpu will all cost several thousand dollars though. I would highly recommend a much cheaper desktop instead for playing dolphin. If you need portability for other tasks get a cheaper laptop to use for those other tasks on the go.

I'd prefer to play Dolphin on the go. I already have a Wii so playing Dolphin while not near my Wii would be nice. Any laptops under $1250 that you'd recommend with good CPUs?

**NaturalViolence** · 03-16-2014, 03:46 PM #8

PM admin89 if he doesn't respond soon here. He's our resident laptop guru.

**admin89** · (This post was last modified: 03-16-2014, 08:29 PM by admin89.)

i7 4700HQ is as good as i3 4130 @ 3.4GHz and i3 4130 is on par with i5 3570k @ 4.4GHz in Dolphin Benchmark
That should be good enough to run most game full speed
The new MSI GE60 Apache has latest Nvidia Maxwell GPU : Nvidia GTX 850M . That thing is incredibly fast , it outperforms GTX 765M while using less power (45W vs 75 W) . Less power consumption = less heat

lamentofking · 03-16-2014, 10:32 PM **#10**

(03-16-2014, 08:27 PM)admin89 Wrote: i7 4700HQ is as good as i3 4130 @ 3.4GHz and i3 4130 is on par with i5 3570k @ 4.4GHz in Dolphin Benchmark
That should be good enough to run most game full speed
The new MSI GE60 Apache has latest Nvidia Maxwell GPU : Nvidia GTX 850M . That thing is incredibly fast , it outperforms GTX 765M while using less power (45W vs 75 W) . Less power consumption = less heat

Thanks admin89. I was looking at the gaming notebooks labeled thin and light on newegg since I prefer something thinner (if it doesn't sacrifice CPU power) and saw 5 thin and light notebooks. Any of these you'd recommend? I don't know if the Razer Blade laptop is all hype or if it is really a powerful emulation machine.