Building a HTPC wondering if this would be good enough to run Dolphin

[MasterGuns244]

Looking to build a HTPC (Home Theater PC) out of an old broken NES.
Will be looking to run Dolphin among other Emulators on it, and would like your opinion on my selected hardware.

Motherboard: ASUS H81I-PLUS LGA 1150 Intel H81 Mini ITX
Processor: Intel Core i3 4130 Haswell 3.4GHz Dual Core LGA 1150
RAM: G.Skill 4GB or 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
GPU: GIGABYTE GV-N640D5-1GL GeForce GT 640 1GB 64-bit GDDR5
HDD: Seagate 2.5" SATA 6.0GB/s 1TB Hybrid Drive
Cooling: 2x 60mm Case Fans, and 1 Zalman 110mm Low Profile CPU Cooler
PSU: 300W Mini ITX
Cartridge Bay will contain a 4 Port USB 3.0 Hub with HD Audio Ports

Pending benchmark results I may switch from a GeForce 640 to the integrated Intel Iris Pro 5200.

Just need some help figuring out if I should get a better GPU or if I'm good with what I have now.

[admin89]

You may love this one
It's basically an Intel NUC on steroids . Powerful CPU , good enough GPU for 3x Internal Resolution (1920x1584) no AA 16xAF , low power consumption , low heat output , deadly silent !

[MasterGuns244]

(02-18-2014, 03:40 PM)admin89 Wrote: You may love this one
It's basically an Intel NUC on steroids . Powerful CPU , good enough GPU for 3x Internal Resolution (1920x1584) no AA 16xAF , low power consumption , low heat output , deadly silent !

That is a good suggestion and I have been looking into it after the SteamOS announcement, but I want to physically build it from parts and manufacture it into the NES Case. Good idea though.

[admin89]

Sapphire 7750 low profile GDDR5 is the best GPU for Slim HTPC due to the form factor , brand , extremely low power consumption . AMD 7750 GDDR5 >= Nvidia GTX 650 GDDR5
Unfortunately , it's out of stock so i can't suggest it
BTW , i recommend this slim cooler :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835220065

[NaturalViolence]

admin89 Wrote:deadly silent !

No. Not even close.

MasterGuns244 Wrote:Pending benchmark results I may switch from a GeForce 640 to the integrated Intel Iris Pro 5200.

Intels drivers are still crap. I would highly recommend an AMD or Nvidia GPU.

Not to mention Iris Pro is only available as an embedded solution for OEMs.

I would stick with the stock cooler on whatever you choose. Similarly sized aftermarket coolers just aren't much better.

I would also bump that GT 640 up to a GTX 750 now that it's out if you can afford it.

[MasterGuns244]

(02-19-2014, 09:52 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: I would stick with the stock cooler on whatever you choose. Similarly sized aftermarket coolers just aren't much better.

I would also bump that GT 640 up to a GTX 750 now that it's out if you can afford it.

I can't fit a GTX 750 in a Low Profile case design of only 3-3.5 inches of internal height, good idea though. and the stock cooler would be too high as I am putting a 3.5" Tray with USB 3.0 ports into the cartridge slot that will store a 2.5" hard drive as well, so I am kind of splitting it into a dual portion design (Bottom will have Motherboard, CPU, RAM, GPU, PSU, and Cooler. While the top will have the HDD Tray (and hard drive obviously)).

[Theron]

I'd love to see a pic of the NES HTPC when finished. That sounds cool.

[MasterGuns244]

(02-19-2014, 06:06 PM)Theron Wrote: I'd love to see a pic of the NES HTPC when finished. That sounds cool.

I'd love to post pics and do the build ASAP but I can't do it for a few years because I need to pay for college and rent. Maybe if I have some spare cash lying around in a year or so I will. but I'll definitely be posting them here and on Reddit.

[NaturalViolence]

You realize that in a few years hardware and prices will be completely different right? Why ask about what parts to use now if you're planning to build it in a few years? Most of these parts won't even be on the market anymore by then.