Debating between a laptop and a desktop.

[RoxasA]

Hi! I hope I make this thread correctly and won't end up with it closed, if anything is wrong or against the rules then I apologize in advance.

I'm looking to buy a computer over the next and debating between one of the following, with a laptop the top choice due to mobility (even though I know a poorer choice, sorry.)

The laptop is this one, the specs are the following.

Dell

i7-6500 - 2.5 Ghz with 3.10 Turbo
Intel HD 520 Graphics
12 GB Ram
Windows 10 64 bit

And then there's this desktop which I'm iffy on.

HP

i5-6400 2.7 with 3.30 Turbo
Nivida GTX 745 4 GB Graphics
12 GB Ram
Windows 10 64 bit

I'm mainly looking to run SSBM, Zelda SS/TP, Tales of Symphonia, etc. I don't really care for anything about native resolution, but the higher the better. I would prefer the laptop, but couldn't find much regarding Dolphin and that processor/Graphic

Thanks!

[admin89]

A non-gaming laptop will not run Dolphin well , it will overheat for sure since most non-gaming laptops have only 1 heatsink . That Dell laptop is weak , the CPU is ultra low voltage dual core i7 with crappy Intel iGPU
Intel IGPU is bad , you will have graphic issues with demanding games such as Zelda SS .
If you can pay $160 more , you can get a true gaming laptop with 3 heatsinks . It's actually the best bang for buck gaming laptop atm
i5 6300HQ is stronger than ULV i7 6500U . Ultra low voltage CPU tends to underclock itself to save power , you should avoid that
The Quad Core i7 6700HQ version is much better , only $50 more if you can afford . GTX 960M is on par with GTX 750Ti , you should be able to use 4xIR without losing FPS

[RoxasA]

(03-15-2016, 05:20 PM)admin89 Wrote: A non-gaming laptop will not run Dolphin well , it will overheat for sure since most non-gaming laptops have only 1 heatsink  . That Dell laptop is weak , the CPU is ultra low voltage dual core i7 with crappy Intel iGPU
Intel IGPU is bad , you will have graphic issues with demanding games such as Zelda SS .
If you can pay $160 more , you can get a true gaming laptop with 3 heatsinks . It's actually the best bang for buck gaming laptop atm
i5 6300HQ is stronger than  ULV i7 6500U . Ultra low voltage CPU tends to underclock itself to save power , you should avoid that
The Quad Core i7 6700HQ version is much better , only $50 more if  you can afford . GTX 960M is on par with GTX 750Ti , you should be able to use 4xIR without losing FPS

That laptop you recommended does look great, but sadly I wouldn't be able to afford it. Would the desktop I linked be any better or still similar?

Also, if I use/buy a gaming cooling fan for it, would that help at all for the laptop or still mainly be crap even for just Melee?

Thanks!

[admin89]

Laptop coolers are all snake oil . External cooler barely make any difference between using it or not using it . In most case , it only lower 2-3 degree Celsius
If your CPU hits 85C or higher temp , your CPU will be underclocked to keep the temp down

Quote:Would the desktop I linked be any better or still similar?

Though it's not as fast as the gaming laptop but it can run most games full speed at 1080p

[Helios]

I'm guessing if you're debating between both a laptop and a desktop then the size factor isn't a problem.

If you're okay with a desktop, are you okay with building one yourself if we told you what parts to buy? Or would you prefer a pre-built system?

[RoxasA]

(03-15-2016, 05:37 PM)admin89 Wrote: Laptop coolers are all snake oil . External cooler barely make any difference between using it or not using it . In most case , it only lower 2-3 degree Celsius
If your CPU hits 85C or higher temp , your CPU will be underclocked to keep the temp down  
Though it's not as fast as the gaming laptop but it can run most games full speed at 1080p

Alright then, would love to have the laptop to run it but if it'll overheat then that doesn't sound very good.

(03-16-2016, 03:42 AM)helios747 Wrote: I'm guessing if you're debating between both a laptop and a desktop then the size factor isn't a problem.

If you're okay with a desktop, are you okay with building one yourself if we told you what parts to buy? Or would you prefer a pre-built system?

I'm mainly wanting the laptop since it'd be easier for school and on the go along with playing Melee occasionally, but I don't think I could swing building my own PC especially under like $675 with tax and OS. Pre-built would be best, sorry.

[Helios]

Alright, no prob. Fortunately for you a laptop will work perfectly fine. In 2016 Dolphin is pretty good with most Skylake Intel CPUs.

Just have to get one with decent cooling. When I get home or get some time today I'll poke around some websites and see if any fit the bill. It won't be the easiest thing in the world to find but not impossible by any means. Better than some people that come on the forums that want a $400 laptop to play Dolphin perfectly.

[RoxasA]

(03-16-2016, 04:05 AM)helios747 Wrote: Alright, no prob. Fortunately for you a laptop will work perfectly fine. In 2016 Dolphin is pretty good with most Skylake Intel CPUs.

Just have to get one with decent cooling. When I get home or get some time today I'll poke around some websites and see if any fit the bill. It won't be the easiest thing in the world to find but not impossible by any means. Better than some people that come on the forums that want a $400 laptop to play Dolphin perfectly.

Awesome, I'd definitely would appreciate that if you could. Intel makes a lot of the decisions difficult it seems with figuring out what is good and what isn't lol.

[Helios]

Alright, here's the problem.

Where we are with laptops in 2016 is that all laptops in the 500-700 price range are pretty much all Ultra Low Voltage CPUs. Which is fine for most people, but suffers for emulation because of the lower clock speeds and high throttling rates (Due to not investing much in cooling because they don't have to)

Now, these ULV Skylake CPUs will run Dolphin fine. They're really good! But they'll get hot REALLY quick and throttle.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154113

That is the best I can do while avoiding ULV CPUs.

[RoxasA]

(03-16-2016, 05:40 AM)helios747 Wrote: Alright, here's the problem.

Where we are with laptops in 2016 is that all laptops in the 500-700 price range are pretty much all Ultra Low Voltage CPUs. Which is fine for most people, but suffers for emulation because of the lower clock speeds and high throttling rates (Due to not investing much in cooling because they don't have to)

Now, these ULV Skylake CPUs will run Dolphin fine. They're really good! But they'll get hot REALLY quick and throttle.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154113

That is the best I can do while avoiding ULV CPUs.

How fast/how much time would I have to run dolphin before the CPU will begin heating up? I only need around 35 minutes of play time before I'm done for a while, but if that's even too much while plugged in then dang.