Building a PC for Xenoblade

[akiratheoni]

My one and only requirement for the new PC I'm building is for it to run Xenoblade as well as possible -- hopefully without any issues. Are there still audio issues with Xenoblade in the newest versions of Dolphin? I'm new to this whole thing.

Here are the parts I'm planning on getting in the next month or so -- if there is any improvements I could make to make sure Xenoblade runs as smooth as possible, let me know. I believe I got most of these parts from a recommendation from another user here on a different thread, but I just want to make sure it runs Xenoblade perfectly (it's the only game I care about haha).

Code:

Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)
WD Green 2 TB Desktop Hard Drive
Intel 335 Series Jay Crest 2.5-Inch 180GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC with Boost 3GB
AS Rock LGA1155 DDR3 SATA3 USB3.0
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Rosewill Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case BLACKHAWK

I guess a question is: if I were to just get the best parts (powerful CPU, video card, etc) would Xenoblade work perfectly? Or does it need a particular combination of parts for it to work?

Also should I be aiming to get a new monitor? I have a 22" Westinghouse that has a resolution of 1680x1050... I believe it's this particular model ; old, I know...

[LordVador]

(06-04-2013, 02:05 AM)akiratheoni Wrote: My one and only requirement for the new PC I'm building is for it to run Xenoblade as well as possible

Xenoblade will work just fine.

(06-04-2013, 02:05 AM)akiratheoni Wrote: Are there still audio issues with Xenoblade in the newest versions of Dolphin?

Sound issued are fixed (or almost fixed) with latest builds. Just make sure to use a build as of 3.5-1154

[AnyOldName3]

In answer to your other question, you may want a new monitor, as a 1050*1680 one is barely going to do that GPU justice.

Back onto your first question, you may or may not find a GTX 700 series card from nVidia with >= performance to that card for the same/less money, unless you plan to use it for OpenCL-heavy applications. You may or may not get a better value for money system if you swap the 3570K and Z77 board for a new (i.e. a couple of days since release) 4670K and Z87 board, however this will be marginally more expensive. Also, you may find a WD green-series HDD a little slow for some things, so a blue or black one may be a bit better.

Most of these changes are fully optional, as you won't see an improvement in xenoblade.

[admin89]

Quote:Also should I be aiming to get a new monitor?

Once you step up from a normal LCD monitor to an IPS LED monitor , you will never go back to the ugly LCD again
I really love this one , it's incredible
There is 24" version for 300$ but 22-23" version + 1080P is better IMO (higher pixel density and almost 100$ cheaper)

[akiratheoni]

Thanks for the replies guys. Considering I don't do a lot of other heavy gaming (the only other thing I'd do with this PC is photo editing with Lightroom/Photoshop), the upgrades to the processor/motherboard may not be necessary, although I will definitely consider them. However, I will upgrade the hard drive to a WD Black and definitely consider getting that Dell monitor. Unfortunately I won't be getting the parts until later this month but I definitely like the security knowing that this PC should be able to play Xenoblade well.

Thanks so much for the help guys. It'll be the last time you'll hear from me for a little while, but I'll definitely be back.

[admin89]

If you get that monitor , you may go with Nvidia card (GTX 770) as well
Performance : 7970 ~ GTX 770 (Gigabyte OC version or EVGA Superclocked edittion- 400$) > GTX 680
Reason : You never be satisfied with 1080p you but 2560x1440
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2252699

[moosehunter]

You'll get ~15-20% better speeds in Dolphin with Haswell than with Ivy Bridge.

[LordVador]

If he can already run his games full-speed it won't be really helpful though

[moosehunter]

True, but its an option fo only $10 more.

[Starscream]

(06-06-2013, 02:45 AM)moosehunter Wrote: You'll get ~15-20% better speeds in Dolphin with Haswell than with Ivy Bridge.

I think we should get one or two more people to confirm that before we can make those claims. No offense to you, it's just good to have more than just one case to look at.