Dolphin PC buying guide

**NaturalViolence** · (This post was last modified: 01-20-2011, 11:11 AM by NaturalViolence.)

Dolphin on integrated graphics older than sandy bridge is a bad idea on so many levels. Expect a lot of games to have horrible slowdowns even with the native resolution. You can also expect some games to give you Z buffer errors.

01-20-2011, 07:46 PM **#512**

Thanks, I put Nvidia Card inside. Smile

(01-20-2011, 11:10 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: Dolphin on integrated graphics older than sandy bridge is a bad idea on so many levels. Expect a lot of games to have horrible slowdowns even with the native resolution. You can also expect some games to give you Z buffer errors.

FantaXP7 · 01-22-2011, 06:43 AM **#513**

Hey Guys,

My current htpc setup:

Intel E5200 (not originally designed for any gaming...)
ATI 5670
2 gig DDR2 800 ram

If I were to buy a Q6600 cpu, could I expect to run most games at 720p faily smoothly? Should I add another stick of 2 gig ram?

Thanks

**NaturalViolence** · 01-22-2011, 07:19 AM **#514**

What OS are you using?

Don't waste money on a Q6600, just OC the E5200. Or save up for an i7 rig.

FantaXP7 · (This post was last modified: 01-22-2011, 07:54 AM by FantaXP7.)

(01-22-2011, 07:19 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: What OS are you using?

Don't waste money on a Q6600, just OC the E5200. Or save up for an i7 rig.

Ok, I will look into overclocking the e5200, I didn't see anything in the bios. Not a big over clocker. I run win 7 32 bit. Should I be using 64 bit?

I may look into buying an i7 for my main setup, but I have a core i5 760 that I could potentially put in there with a new mobo...

**NaturalViolence** · 01-22-2011, 11:15 AM **#516**

Quote:Should I be using 64 bit?

Yes 64 bit builds running on win 7 x64 will yield a moderate improvement (20-30% increase on average).

Quote:I may look into buying an i7 for my main setup, but I have a core i5 760 that I could potentially put in there with a new mobo...

Wait you already have an i5 760 but you didn't buy the mobo yet? Am I understanding that right? An i5 760 is one of the best cpus to use for dolphin at the moment if you OC it. Just make sure to get a good aftermarket air cooler (thermaltake frio and tuniq tower 120 extreme are some good choices), get a good mobo, and have sufficient power overhead. After that OCing is a breeze as long as you don't fiddle with voltages.

FantaXP7 · (This post was last modified: 01-23-2011, 01:26 AM by FantaXP7.)

(01-22-2011, 11:15 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote:
Quote:Should I be using 64 bit?

Yes 64 bit builds running on win 7 x64 will yield a moderate improvement (20-30% increase on average).

Quote:I may look into buying an i7 for my main setup, but I have a core i5 760 that I could potentially put in there with a new mobo...

Wait you already have an i5 760 but you didn't buy the mobo yet? Am I understanding that right? An i5 760 is one of the best cpus to use for dolphin at the moment if you OC it. Just make sure to get a good aftermarket air cooler (thermaltake frio and tuniq tower 120 extreme are some good choices), get a good mobo, and have sufficient power overhead. After that OCing is a breeze as long as you don't fiddle with voltages.

LOL I have the i5 already in my main system. And my main system, I If I had to, would become my secondary system. Buy myself a nicer core i7 for my main system or something.

**NaturalViolence** · 01-23-2011, 05:35 AM **#518**

So then why are you not running dolphin on your main system?

FantaXP7 · 01-23-2011, 09:49 AM **#519**

(01-23-2011, 05:35 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: So then why are you not running dolphin on your main system?

Sorry I didn't make that too clear.

My main system is my desktop pc. I was saying that I can take the parts from my desktop pc, throw it into my HTPC, and build myself a new main desktop system.

**NaturalViolence** · 01-23-2011, 09:55 AM **#520**

And I'm asking why you're running dolphin on your htpc with the e5200 instead of your desktop with the i5 760. Is their a reason for that?