HTPC upgrade for Dolphin. Only CPU option.

[HHawk]

(second time I am typing this, because I accidently pressed the back button....argh...)

Hi guys,

(As you can tell, I am new here, after only discovering recently Dolphin Emulator through Google).

I already did a lot of reading on these great forums, but I would like some advice or opinions from you.

I have an HTPC in the living room on which I play movies and series in 720p / 1080p resolution (.mkv) without any problems. However I am planning to use the HTPC also with the Dolphin Emulator.

As mentioned above, I already did some reading and unfortunately I discovered that AMD processor seem to perform below Intel-based systems, especially the new Bulldozer (or 'Failover') processors seem to perform pretty bad.

One thing is sure though; I will need to upgrade my current CPU, which is an "oldie" nowadays: AMD Athlon II X2 240E

As far as I can tell, I have only 2 options available as in upgrading my CPU (only):


AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
TDP: 125W
Clock: 3.4 Ghz.
Cores: 4x

AMD Phenom II X6 1045T Boxed
TDP: 95W
Clock: 2.7 Ghz.
Cores: 6x

To my understanding both these processors support the following (needed) CPU instruction-sets: 3DNow!, MMX, NX-bit, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, x86-64

Also the Black Edition (965) will be able to be overclocked easier, because the multiplier is unlocked. However the TDP is quite a bit higher, especially compared to my "old" AMD processor, which has a TDP of "only" 45W!

Everything is located in "small" and "compact" HTPC enclosure, though with good airflow, I steel need to keep an eye out for temperatures.

What would you recommend me? Upgrading to a Intel based system is not only a lot of work, but also way, way more expensive then just upgrading the processor.

I checked the prices for both mentioned processors and they are: ~90 Euro (965) and ~115 Euro (1045T). Probably even cheaper buying them used.

I think it's also worthwhile to mention the complete details of my current HTPC configuration:

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 240E @ 2.8 Ghz.
Motherboard: Asrock 970 Extreme4 (supports AM3 and AM3+ processors)
Memory: 2x 4GB RAM
Videocard: Nvidia GT 440
Case: Nox Media II (cheap, but a perfect fit for me)

So any advice for me? And what is your opinion?

//edit: not much, changed incorrect font-size.

[DefenderX]

Go for the Phenom II X4 as Dolphin only use 2 cores (3 cores, if LLE on thread is enabled). But the stock clock speed of the Phenom II X4 won't be enough for some games, so you have to overclock.

You need a very good airflow in your HTPC (plus a very good CPU cooler and the Arctic Cooling MX-4 thermal compound).

[HHawk]

Go for the Phenom II X4 as Dolphin only use 2 cores (3 cores, if LLE on thread is enabled). But the stock clock speed of the Phenom II X4 won't be enough for some games, so you have to overclock.

You need a very good airflow in your HTPC (plus a very good CPU cooler and the Arctic Cooling MX-4 thermal compound).

Okay thanks. I will look into it and maybe get an Antec H2O 620 or 920.

Or maybe, when I can get a good price for my current HTPC, I will build myself a complete new one instead. However, as mentioned, this will probably very expensive.

Anyways back to the processor choice; if I have / get adequate cooling and can get the processor stable at, let's say, 4 Ghz or maybe even 4.2 Ghz. Would that be sufficient together with the GT 440?

And once again; thanks for the reply back!

[DefenderX]

Yeah, a Phenom II X4 4.2GHz would be fine for most games, but not the demanding ones (Super Mario Galaxy, The Last Story, F-Zero GX and so on need a Core i5-3570k @ 4.2Ghz).

But your GPU is very weak. The GT 440 is afaik not enough for 1x IR. (the native resolution of the Wii). You should get a decent GPU.

[HHawk]

Yeah, a Phenom II X4 4.2GHz would be fine for most games, but not the demanding ones (Super Mario Galaxy, The Last Story, F-Zero GX and so on need a Core i5-3570k @ 4.2Ghz).

But your GPU is very weak. The GT 440 is afaik not enough for 1x IR. (the native resolution of the Wii). You should get a decent GPU.

Okay, then I will have to upgrade or use my computer rig upstairs (Core i7 970 @ 4.3 Ghz, 12 GB RAM, 2x 670 GTX + 460 GTX physx), however the point was to run it from the living room.

Also regarding GPU, according to this stickied topic

I should be able to run at least 2x IR? Maybe even 2.5x IR.

According to Wikipedia the GT 440 has:

Bandwith: 51.2 GB/s
GFLOPS: 311

[DefenderX]

Ok, then. Thanks for the hint. Yeah, 51GB/s are enough for 2.5x IR (a little bit more than 720p).

[HHawk]

Ok, then. Thanks for the hint. Yeah, 51GB/s are enough for 2.5x IR (a little bit more than 720p).

No problem. I still thank you for your help and advice.

So my best (cheapest) bet would be upgrading the whole system and get at least:

Core i5-3570k (running at at least 4.2 Ghz)
GTX 460

Right...?

Oh and does memory of the videocard have a big impact at higher resolutions (for example running at 1080p)?

[DefenderX]

Yep, the Core i5-3570k + a Z77 MoBo are a good choice The GTX 460 should be enough for 4x IR.

Nope, the VRAM of the GPU won't influcene the performance (unless the GPU has GDDR5 RAM, GDDR5 is faster than GDDR3)

[admin89]

Nvidia GT 440 GDDR3 = Nvidia GT 540M GDDR3 which is fast enough for 2.5x IR , no AA , 16x AF
He has the GDDR5 version for sure . Overclock the memory clock , 3xIR is possible

[NaturalViolence]

One thing is sure though; I will need to upgrade my current CPU, which is an "oldie" nowadays: AMD Athlon II X2 240E

That's actually not very old. But it's designing to be a low power cpu, not a high performance cpu. Which would have made it an ideal choice for an HTPC.

As far as I can tell, I have only 2 options available as in upgrading my CPU (only):


AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
TDP: 125W
Clock: 3.4 Ghz.
Cores: 4x

AMD Phenom II X6 1045T Boxed
TDP: 95W
Clock: 2.7 Ghz.
Cores: 6x

There are plenty of other options out their like the 960T for example.

To my understanding both these processors support the following (needed) CPU instruction-sets: 3DNow!, MMX, NX-bit, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, x86-64

Only SSE2 is needed for dolphin. And phenom II does not support SSE4, it supports SSE4a.

Also the Black Edition (965) will be able to be overclocked easier, because the multiplier is unlocked. However the TDP is quite a bit higher,

Overclocking will raise the TDP to comparable values. The reason the X6 has a lower TDP is because it's clocked much lower.

especially compared to my "old" AMD processor, which has a TDP of "only" 45W!

Yeah well you have to choose between high performance or low power consumption/heat. You can't have both at the same time.

Everything is located in "small" and "compact" HTPC enclosure, though with good airflow, I steel need to keep an eye out for temperatures.

That's what I figured. OCing in that environment is not a good idea.

The 965 is a better choice though (as others have already mentioned).

So my best (cheapest) bet would be upgrading the whole system and get at least:

Core i5-3570k (running at at least 4.2 Ghz)
GTX 460

Best? Yes.
Cheapest? Far from it.

With that system what you will end up with it a gaming desktop, not an HTPC. It will be large, heavy, loud, and consume a lot of power (especially if you decide to OC). So do keep that in mind. Unfortunately because dolphin is so demanding this is the only viable way to have a PC that is capable of running nearly any GC/Wii game at fullspeed with proper audio and image rendering.