helps needed: Building HTPC to play Wii and stream Movies online

[icez84]

Building HTPC to play Wii and stream Movies online
Hi all,

Actually the case is, my gf been bugging me to dig out that old wii of mine amongs the dozen of boxes in the balcony so she can play her favorite shooting games.(its seem her favorite de-stressing method is shooting at zombies) I also happened to know she gonna get a xiaomi box 2 for watching tv online. So instead of buying a 80usd tv box, Im thinking of building a HTPC for her to view her favorite tv drama, play that resident evil game w a decent resolution + airplay...

However, i dont wanna spend too much, however i have no idea what specs will be sufficient for these uses? I suspect the emulation needed for the wii might be more taxing than i expect... I was think of going AMD APU but worry about the both the cpu prowess and gpu of it....

The casing the smaller then better, best if silent.. However im not too worry about those as much..

Can anyone point me in the right direction on the hardware needed for these?... All helps is appreciated!!

[KHg8m3r]

An overclocked Pentium G3258 at 4.7 GHz will perform the same as an i5-4690K/i7-4790K overclocked to 4.7 GHz, as Dolphin is only a dual core program. And you can reach that speed on the Intel stock cooler.

AMD CPUs have very slow single core speeds compared to Intel, especially compared to the overclocked G3258 monster. The G3258 will outperform it even in everyday tasks.

Here's a build I've been sitting on for awhile: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/K3726h

[icez84]

I have built before my own computer 4,5 years ago but i kept it stock as overclocking back in the days seem more troublesome. Ihv read that nowaday the OC can be done on the mobo 's bio....

Do i need to go up to 400++ for my gf's needs?

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As in, do i need a z97 mobo and a gtx780? She just wanna watch her favorite drama from youku(app alike to youku or netflix for K-drama) and play her resident evil shooting game. I do wanna add in airplay function for her so will be easier.

[KHg8m3r]

Yes, overclocking is done on the motherboard now. Way easier than the older days of overclocking. And for the G3258 to be the beast that it is, you need to overclock it to at least 4.4 Ghz

Using the Intel HD graphics you can get around 1x to 2x IR (resolution upscaling) depending on the game. The GTX 750 Ti will hit 4x IR and some AA, making things look really nice But you could always just stay with the Intel HD and stay around native Wii/GC res, but then whats the point of having upscaling and an HD TV when you can't add on all the goodies? You can drop down to the GTX 750 for like $20-30 off or so, and it will perform about the same as the 750 Ti, just maybe not as much AA or something.

The Z87/Z97 boards are the best when it comes to overclocking. A Z97 would be more future-proof as it will support 5th gen Broadwell CPUs. Some vendors allow you to "unofficially" overclock on the non-Z series boards by way of a firmware update for the boards (Intel hasn't said much in regards to that, but may change its stance), but you can't adjust the Vcore of the CPU, which will result in overheating at lower clocks, so you might as well get one that overclocks "officially" and properly.

[icez84]

Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor
MSI CSM-B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Gigabyte GeForce GT 730 2GB Video Card
SuperFlower 475W PSU
Case yet to be decided
OS yet to be decided
Total Damage : $354.83

Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor
Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Gigabyte GeForce GT 730 2GB Video Card
SuperFlower 475W PSU
Case yet to be decided
OS yet to be decided
Total Damage : $363.16

Also i can get the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 1GB Video Card for $134 while as the current Gigabyte GeForce GT 730 2GB Video Card for $76.50 is it necessarily for me to upgrade to GTX750 for my gf's needs?

Also whats the difference between Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard and MSI CSM-B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard, which one will be easier for OC-ing via bios and maintain a cool temp? The different between the Mobo and CPU among these 2 is roughly $9 more for Asus combo.

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An overclocked Pentium G3258 at 4.7 GHz will perform the same as an i5-4690K/i7-4790K overclocked to 4.7 GHz, as Dolphin is only a dual core program. And you can reach that speed on the Intel stock cooler.

AMD CPUs have very slow single core speeds compared to Intel, especially compared to the overclocked G3258 monster. The G3258 will outperform it even in everyday tasks.

Here's a build I've been sitting on for awhile: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/K3726h

Yes, overclocking is done on the motherboard now. Way easier than the older days of overclocking. And for the G3258 to be the beast that it is, you need to overclock it to at least 4.4 Ghz

Using the Intel HD graphics you can get around 1x to 2x IR (resolution upscaling) depending on the game. The GTX 750 Ti will hit 4x IR and some AA, making things look really nice But you could always just stay with the Intel HD and stay around native Wii/GC res, but then whats the point of having upscaling and an HD TV when you can't add on all the goodies? You can drop down to the GTX 750 for like $20-30 off or so, and it will perform about the same as the 750 Ti, just maybe not as much AA or something.

The Z87/Z97 boards are the best when it comes to overclocking. A Z97 would be more future-proof as it will support 5th gen Broadwell CPUs. Some vendors allow you to "unofficially" overclock on the non-Z series boards by way of a firmware update for the boards (Intel hasn't said much in regards to that, but may change its stance), but you can't adjust the Vcore of the CPU, which will result in overheating at lower clocks, so you might as well get one that overclocks "officially" and properly.

I See... I guess i do need to go Z97 and a 750gtx ti... But if this is the case, will i be better off to buy a xbox one or ps4? Xbox one i believe i can use the xmbc and might be cheaper. Will her be better off w the HTPC or with a console? LOL either way its doesnt sound good for my wallets. lolz PS: If i go w the HTPC, what os would you recommend?

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Im choosing the Spec with the bundle. hoping to save some buck.. Its seem that China have a relatively higher tax on electronic, its seem to be more expensive on every parts im seeing around here.

[KHg8m3r]

See above post as to why I wouldn't recommend a B85 board. The ASUS mobo doesn't say anything in Google about overclocking, while the MSI has their OC Genie. I wouldn't recommend the OC Genie because it won't push the G3258 to the point where it needs to be to be great, 4.4+ Ghz.

The GT 730 is practically the GT 640, which in terms of Dolphin is equal to the Intel HD 4600, which is only slightly faster than what is in the G3258. If you must go lower end, get the GT 740 GDDR5 variant, as its very similar to the GTX 650, so it will look a lot better. But really, its only like $18 cheaper than the GTX 750, which is an order or two of magnitudes faster. $100 GTX 750: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-...1gp42751kr

I See... I guess i do need to go Z97 and a 750gtx ti... But if this is the case, will i be better off to buy a xbox one or ps4? Xbox one i believe i can use the xmbc and might be cheaper. Will her be better off w the HTPC or with a console? LOL either way its doesnt sound good for my wallets. lolz PS: If i go w the HTPC, what os would you recommend?

Neither the Xbone or PS4 can use XMBC or run PC software (Dolphin/XMBC). The G3258 and a GTX 750 will be pretty equal to the PS4/Xbone in terms of pushing pixels on games. As for what you want to do besides Dolphin, if you want to play regular games, see what platform has the best ones for you in PS4/Xbone/PC, and then if you want to be able to use regular Windows or not.

I would say Windows 7 because Windows 8 made such a big change, but 7 is nearing the end of its product life-cycle, so for future-proofing, go with Windows 8.1.

[admin89]

Mini ITX is the best form factor for HTPC . At least , that is what I'm thinking
i3 4330 (integrated Intel HD 4600) + Any H81 mini ITX will do fine at 2->2.5x IR (1600x1320)
And btw , Superflower PSU is no-name brand . A no name PSU usually has 50% efficiency or even worse ( For Example , a no-name 475W real power output = 475 : 2 = 237.5) . A no-name PSU will kill your PC faster than anything else due to zero protection

[icez84]

Mini ITX is the best form factor for HTPC . At least , that is what I'm thinking
i3 4330 (integrated Intel HD 4600) + Any H81 mini ITX will do fine at 2->2.5x IR (1600x1320)
And btw , Superflower PSU is no-name brand . A no name PSU usually has 50% efficiency or even worse ( For Example , a no-name 475W real power output = 475 : 2 = 237.5) . A no-name PSU will kill your PC faster than anything else due to zero protection

Will it be sufficient for my gf's need and lust for online drama-ing and her resident evil shooting game? (hope to upgrade the wii's resolution to a slightly better one)
My old build use a superflower with bronze 80+, these taiwanese manufacturer do give a good price to performance for their pc parts and their bicycle. ;p I cycle alot to know They have Gold 80+ 600w for roughly 100$. Pretty decent pricing.

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See above post as to why I wouldn't recommend a B85 board. The ASUS mobo doesn't say anything in Google about overclocking, while the MSI has their OC Genie. I wouldn't recommend the OC Genie because it won't push the G3258 to the point where it needs to be to be great, 4.4+ Ghz.

The GT 730 is practically the GT 640, which in terms of Dolphin is equal to the Intel HD 4600, which is only slightly faster than what is in the G3258. If you must go lower end, get the GT 740 GDDR5 variant, as its very similar to the GTX 650, so it will look a lot better. But really, its only like $18 cheaper than the GTX 750, which is an order or two of magnitudes faster. $100 GTX 750: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-...1gp42751kr

I See... I guess i do need to go Z97 and a 750gtx ti... But if this is the case, will i be better off to buy a xbox one or ps4? Xbox one i believe i can use the xmbc and might be cheaper. Will her be better off w the HTPC or with a console? LOL either way its doesnt sound good for my wallets. lolz PS: If i go w the HTPC, what os would you recommend?

Neither the Xbone or PS4 can use XMBC or run PC software (Dolphin/XMBC). The G3258 and a GTX 750 will be pretty equal to the PS4/Xbone in terms of pushing pixels on games. As for what you want to do besides Dolphin, if you want to play regular games, see what platform has the best ones for you in PS4/Xbone/PC, and then if you want to be able to use regular Windows or not.

I would say Windows 7 because Windows 8 made such a big change, but 7 is nearing the end of its product life-cycle, so for future-proofing, go with Windows 8.1.

Yea i know what you mean but with the G3258 n a GTX780, is great for future proofing, but i really doubt my gf care about it. She a typical gal just wanna plug n play. I want something an improvement over the old Wii and yet give her the ease to use of youku, netflix apps on it like on the ROKU or xiaomi tv box2. The OS for the HTPC must be simple like on those ROKU n xiaomi, she not very tech savvy and i dont want her to call me every night on how to operate it.... lolz

Btw, found the prefect sweet looking case for her.

http://www.jonsbo.com/en/products_9_3.html
http://www.jonsbo.com/en/products_13_3.html

[KHg8m3r]

Removing the GTX card and swapping for the i3-4330 with the cheapest motherboard: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cg8hvK

The G3258 ($69.99) plus Z87 board ($79.99) = $149.98
The i3-4330 ($134.98) plus cheapest H81 board ($44.38) = $179.36

G3258 with Z87 board and GTX 750 card = $444 without rebates, $395 with rebates http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Tg8hvK
i3-4330 with H81 board and no dedicated GPU = $350 without rebates, $324 with rebates http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cg8hvK


In all the reviews I've seen online, even with the G3258 at 4.7 Ghz, these two perform practically the same in real world applications, with the i3 edging its way to the top in about half the cases.
However, the G3258 will dominate in Dolphin, but it's recommended to get a dedicated GPU to go with it. So if you want to save on money and still get good performance in Dolphin, the i3 will also be a good choice.

Both will play tv shows perfectly fine.

Edit: nice looking case
Setting up the Steam Big Picture Mode with Dolphin loaded into it is a great way to have an all in one game place. Or if using XMBC, ROM Collection Browser is also a good way. I tinkered with Dolphin and another program similar to it before (many years ago), and this seems pretty easy to get games running in it. I can try tomorrow and see how it is

[icez84]

Removing the GTX card and swapping for the i3-4330 with the cheapest motherboard: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cg8hvK

The G3258 ($69.99) plus Z87 board ($79.99) = $149.98
The i3-4330 ($134.98) plus cheapest H81 board ($44.38) = $179.36

G3258 with Z87 board and GTX 750 card = $444 without rebates, $395 with rebates http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Tg8hvK
i3-4330 with H81 board and no dedicated GPU = $350 without rebates, $324 with rebates http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cg8hvK


In all the reviews I've seen online, even with the G3258 at 4.7 Ghz, these two perform practically the same in real world applications, with the i3 edging its way to the top in about half the cases.
However, the G3258 will dominate in Dolphin, but it's recommended to get a dedicated GPU to go with it. So if you want to save on money and still get good performance in Dolphin, the i3 will also be a good choice.

Both will play tv shows perfectly fine.

Edit: nice looking case
Setting up the Steam Big Picture Mode with Dolphin loaded into it is a great way to have an all in one game place. Or if using XMBC, ROM Collection Browser is also a good way. I tinkered with Dolphin and another program similar to it before (many years ago), and this seems pretty easy to get games running in it. I can try tomorrow and see how it is

Lemme go figure out the prices of G3258 plus Z87 board vs i3-4330 plus cheapest H81 board that i can get over here. Btw Will it be laggy if she play games on dolphin w the I3 w/o GPU?

btw what about G3258 plus Z87 board w GTX740 vs I3?