Hardware Discussion Thread

[Grey1213]

Okay, I have a completely outdated PC that's about 8-10 years old, and I was wondering if I should build a PC or buy one. If I try to build I'd probably have to replace pretty much everything (I think, not sure and haven't checked. Given how old it is I just assume I will)

So if the most intensive thing I'd do on it was use dolphin and a ps2 emulator, which route is better and how much would I generally have to spend?

[admin89]

Desktop form factor is getting smaller and smaller . For $470 , the alienware alpha is a good deal that you can not miss
i3 4130T @ 2.9GHz , GTX 860M (faster than desktop GTX 750 but slower than GTX 750ti , this will be more than enough for 1080p ). Just update to Windows 10 64bit via Windows Update and use direct3d12 , most games will run full speed
Or you could get a gaming laptop like Dell 7559 which is the best deal right now

If you want painless experience of course....
Otherwise , just build a pc from scratch : i3 6100 (or i5 6500* for Cemu) + GTX 750Ti + Crucial DDR4 2x4GB (dual channel) + 128GB/256GB SSD as main drive (OS) and reuse your old HDD for storage
* : New Wii U Emu like Cemu can use multi-cores unlike Dolphin and PCSX2 (2 cores) . Dolphin can use up to 3 cores and PCSX2 can use multi-thread for now but it's complicated to explain , so I say 2 cores instead .

[Grey1213]

(03-24-2016, 04:06 AM)admin89 Wrote: Desktop form factor is getting smaller and smaller . For $470 , the alienware alpha is a good deal that you can not miss
i3 4130T @ 2.9GHz , GTX 860M (faster than desktop GTX 750 but slower than GTX 750ti , this will be more than enough for 1080p ). Just update to Windows 10 64bit via Windows Update and use direct3d12 , most games will run full speed
Or you could get a gaming laptop like Dell 7559 which is the best deal right now

If you want painless experience of course....
Otherwise , just build a pc from scratch : i3 6100 (or i5 6500* for Cemu) + GTX 750Ti + Crucial DDR4 2x4GB (dual channel) + 128GB/256GB SSD as main drive (OS) and reuse your old HDD for storage  
* : New Wii U Emu like Cemu can use multi-cores unlike Dolphin and PCSX2 (2 cores) . Dolphin can use up to 3 cores and PCSX2 can use multi-thread for now but it's complicated to explain , so I say 2 cores  instead .

Thanks! But is there a decent amount of money to be saved by building it over buying a built one? I've been hearing mixed answers to that...

But about cemu, do you think the cpu you mentioned have the ability to run the emulator at full speed once its more optimised? That would probably decide whether I go for the more expensive one or not. And I don't think I'm willing to spend much more than that.

[NaturalViolence]

Define "decent". You will generally save money by going the DIY route but not a huge amount depending on the brand of OEM you're comparing it against. Even if you don't you'll end up with higher quality parts usually which makes it more cost effective even if you end up paying the same amount of money. I wouldn't bother thinking about CEMU at this point. Plan your build around what is already optimized and wait until CEMU is more refined. I don't think many internet forums would recommend you to buy a prebuilt unless you don't know how/don't think you can learn how.

Edit: Also by the time CEMU is thoroughly optimized it will likely use at least 4 cores considering the WiiU has a triple core cpu.

[admin89]

Quote:Thanks! But is there a decent amount of money to be saved by building it over buying a built one?

Just like @NV said , depending on the OEM you're comparing to ...

For Example :
i3 6100 @ 3.7GHz ($125) or i5 (optional)
MSI H110I Pro ($75)
LIAN LI PC-Q04A Silver Aluminum mini ITX Case ($55)
EVGA B1 600W B 80+ Bronze ($45)
Crucial 16Gb Kit DDR4 2133MHz ($64)
EVGA GTX 750ti SC ($110)
Samsung 850 250GB SSD ($88)

Total Cost : $562
Sure this machine is more powerful than the Alienware but it costs more and not that small

[NaturalViolence]

Don't forget DIY systems are upgradable which is a big plus. Here's something a bit closer to the size and specs of the alpha just for fun: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MBpc3C

It's 7 liters vs. the alpha's 3 liter case but that's still ridiculously small to the point where it will fit pretty much anywhere. If you remove the cost of the OS it's only $510, which is barely more than the $475 the alpha costs. If you're reusing a windows license from a previous rig, getting a student or professional discount, or using linux than the OS cost is basically eliminated.

I went with an i3 6100 like admin because it costs exactly the same amount as the i3 4130T in the alpha yet is much faster. There would be no point in downgrading it to the alpha's specs since it wouldn't save any money. Same with the ram (8GB DDR4 2133) and mobo (asrock H110 with AC wifi).

You can't really go any smaller than this system without removing the graphics card. And there are no integrated graphics solutions that are as fast as the alpha's gpu. Even this system is limited to low profile graphics cards which is pretty limiting. You would have to bump up to the ML08 (12 liters) or ML07 (14 liters) to use a full size card. However this setup is way more flexible when it comes to internal storage, power, and cpu/mobo upgrades.

I absolutely love silverstones small/slim cases. I just finished upgrading my HTPC to a silverstone Milo ML07 with a silverstone SX500-LG modular SFX PSU. Yes you don't need 500w for a build like this but unfortunately nobody makes low wattage modular SFX PSUs. And having a modular PSU is extremely important for building in compact cases like this. The flat ribbon cables and ultra quiet fans they use are icing on the cake. I might actually do a video review on it soon. I'm still really surprised that after all these years silverstone is still the only company in the US (that I know of) making a full lineup of slim mini-itx cases that support graphics cards. Instead the ITX case market is still flooded with cube shaped cases which are inefficient for space utilization, awkward to assemble/disassemble, look ugly (imo), are a nightmare to cable manage properly, and don't easily fit in many of the areas where you would normally put a PC in a home theater or desk setup.

[IceStrike256]

I just bought that MSI 750 ti for my own custom build.

[admin89]

http://wccftech.com/fermi-dx12-support/
Nvidia promised to launch DX12 update for Fermi in Q1 2016 . I believe this is another lie from Nvidia
They drop support for Fermi
I have the latest Nvidia driver atm . Still...

[NaturalViolence]

You know these days whenever anyone says Nvidia lied about something my skepticism immediately kicks in because of the number of widespread incorrect claims about statements from Nvidia spread over the last few years. They did not lie this time either. In that article posted January 2016 they said that dx12 support for fermi would be coming "later this year". Last time I checked it is still "this year". In the title of the article the author says Q1 but he has no source for this and never mentions it in the article. He seems to just be interpreting "later this year" as "Q1" because it sounds better. Bookmark this thread and in January 2017 if it's still unsupported then you can say that they lied.

Quite frankly I'm amazed Nvidia is bothering to support this 6 year old GPU architecture with dx12. You definitely won't see AMD doing that with their HD5000 cards. You can see why it would be a low priority for them considering it's borderline legacy status at this point.

[ExtremeDude2]

(03-27-2016, 04:20 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: You definitely won't see AMD doing that with their HD5000 cards.

They already stopped updating those drivers last year, that's why I got a 960.