Hi there,
Looking to build a new HTPC in the next few months. I think I'll be running Fedora 25 x64. I'm thinking I'll probably go with an AMD graphics card, due to better Vulkan/Wayland support than nVidia (and the rapid development progress on the RADV driver). So I'm thinking of an RX 460 or 470.
I'd like to be able to get 1080p/60fps performance. Games I'd like to play include the Mario Galaxy games, New SMB, Xenoblade, Brawl, and Metroid Prime Trilogy. I'd also like to be able to play native Linux games, and some Windows games under WINE, but nothing really high-spec; Dolphin will probably be the most hardware-intensive program I'll be running. I'd also like to be able to play 4K/HDR video, but just as a future-proofing thing; I don't actually have a 4K TV yet, but if I decide to buy one later I'd like to be ready. (4K gaming isn't as important, though if anybody wants to make some recommendations for what I'd need to run Dolphin at 4K, I'd be interested in hearing them.)
What processor and motherboard would you guys recommend? I was looking at the i3 7100, but I've seen recommendations here for the Pentium 4560 and 4600. What are the benefits of each? Is there a clear best choice? Is there something else I should be considering?
I'm also interested in case recommendations. I'd like something with some extra drive bays. For comparison, my current HTPC has 2 SSDs, 5 3.5" hard drives, an optical drive, and an SD card reader (5.25"). I don't know if I need that many 3.5" bays on the new system (I think I'm probably going to consolidate a few drives), but I'd prefer to have the option in case I want to add more storage later.
I'd say minimum/preferred go like this:
Minimum: 1 5.25" bay for an optical drive, 2 2.5" bays for SSDs, and 2 3.5" bays for platter drives
Preferred: at least 2 5.25" bays, 3 2.5" bays, and 5 3.5" bays
A quiet case would be good too, if possible (I don't intend to go the water-cooling route, just quiet fans). And I prefer that it be a boring black rectangle with no window and no LEDs except power and HD activity. (I'm flexible on the color.)
That's it off the top of my head; I'll add more if I think of anything else. Thanks in advance!
Looking to build a new HTPC in the next few months. I think I'll be running Fedora 25 x64. I'm thinking I'll probably go with an AMD graphics card, due to better Vulkan/Wayland support than nVidia (and the rapid development progress on the RADV driver). So I'm thinking of an RX 460 or 470.
I'd like to be able to get 1080p/60fps performance. Games I'd like to play include the Mario Galaxy games, New SMB, Xenoblade, Brawl, and Metroid Prime Trilogy. I'd also like to be able to play native Linux games, and some Windows games under WINE, but nothing really high-spec; Dolphin will probably be the most hardware-intensive program I'll be running. I'd also like to be able to play 4K/HDR video, but just as a future-proofing thing; I don't actually have a 4K TV yet, but if I decide to buy one later I'd like to be ready. (4K gaming isn't as important, though if anybody wants to make some recommendations for what I'd need to run Dolphin at 4K, I'd be interested in hearing them.)
What processor and motherboard would you guys recommend? I was looking at the i3 7100, but I've seen recommendations here for the Pentium 4560 and 4600. What are the benefits of each? Is there a clear best choice? Is there something else I should be considering?
I'm also interested in case recommendations. I'd like something with some extra drive bays. For comparison, my current HTPC has 2 SSDs, 5 3.5" hard drives, an optical drive, and an SD card reader (5.25"). I don't know if I need that many 3.5" bays on the new system (I think I'm probably going to consolidate a few drives), but I'd prefer to have the option in case I want to add more storage later.
I'd say minimum/preferred go like this:
Minimum: 1 5.25" bay for an optical drive, 2 2.5" bays for SSDs, and 2 3.5" bays for platter drives
Preferred: at least 2 5.25" bays, 3 2.5" bays, and 5 3.5" bays
A quiet case would be good too, if possible (I don't intend to go the water-cooling route, just quiet fans). And I prefer that it be a boring black rectangle with no window and no LEDs except power and HD activity. (I'm flexible on the color.)
That's it off the top of my head; I'll add more if I think of anything else. Thanks in advance!