
In light of the current PC topics that are springing up, I present you with a Dolphin PC buying guide for just about anyone. I will breaking it down into three categories; Budget, Mainstream and Enthusiast. Take what I have to say with a grain of salt but more importantly understand that computer prices will change over time and that the prices you see here may be different for you based on location.
Also understand that these configurations are geared to give you a pleasurable experience while emulating GC/Wii. While you are free to mix and match parts, or go for cheaper alternatives, a personal satisfactory level of game-play is considered to be 30 FPS or better. Parts selected here will give you that but you may have to sacrifice a few extras on the lower builds (or play at lower internal resolutions). Each build is configured to give you the most bang for your buck.
Things I will not include and will leave up to your own discretion will be:
Also understand that these configurations are geared to give you a pleasurable experience while emulating GC/Wii. While you are free to mix and match parts, or go for cheaper alternatives, a personal satisfactory level of game-play is considered to be 30 FPS or better. Parts selected here will give you that but you may have to sacrifice a few extras on the lower builds (or play at lower internal resolutions). Each build is configured to give you the most bang for your buck.
Things I will not include and will leave up to your own discretion will be:
- Operating System
- Keyboard and Mouse
- Monitor
- Sound Card
- Optical Drive
- Speakers or Headsets
- Heatsink and Case fans
Quote:[color=#FF0000]B[/color]UDGET BUILD ~$445
Highlight of this build is the possibility to unlock 2 additional cores from the 550, giving you a $100 Quad Core PC that can overclock to 4GHz. Keep an eye out for mail in rebates! The CORSAIR RAM is known to FREQUENTLY go on sale for around $25!
Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition $99
Motherboard: BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX 128M $109
RAM: CORSAIR TWIN2X4096-6400C5 $46
Graphics Card: Radeon 4850 (any brand) $99
Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 Black $20
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W $35
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 160GB $39
Quote:[color=#FF0000]M[/color]AINSTREAM BUILD ~$670
Highlight of this build is the CPU again. The E8400 is a monster of an overclocker, capable of speeds beyond 4GHz. The large on-chip cache and raw power make this CPU the king of this class as no current AMD CPU can match its performance when it comes to Dolphin - not even a 955 Quad!
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 $167
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R $114
RAM: CORSAIR TWIN2X4096-6400C5 $46
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 260 (any brand) $159
Case: Cooler Master 690 Black $49
Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W $79
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB $56
Quote:[color=#FF0000]E[/color]NTHUSIAST BUILD ~$1425
Highlight of this build is the Hard Drive. SSDs being where they currently are, it would be far more beneficial to use a Raptor drive instead. The choice of the 920 over a Q9550 comes from the fact that a Q9550 is no different than a E8400 (clock for clock) when it comes to Dolphin. The only real option is to go with a processor that can overclock just as high, but still be faster clock for clock. Is the extra cost worth it? In my humble opinion, no, no it is not. If you have cash to burn and are looking to use your new PC for something other than Dolphin then this might be the choice for you.
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 $279
Motherboard: EVGA E758-A1 $294
RAM: OCZ OCZ3G1600LV6GK $99
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 285 (any brand) $314
Case: Antec P183 $139
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W $119
Hard Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB $179