Small, cheap build (family requirements)

[GreenT]

I showed my brother a few games running in Dolphin on my iMac, at 1080p and 1440p. He was very impressed, and now he wants me to build him a Dolphin box as cheaply as possible that can do 1080p on his television.

I'm trying to decide between two approaches given his requirements:

A. Pentium G4560 ($65) plus least expensive GTX 1050 graphics card (+$100, $165 total for CPU + GPU)

B. Pentium G4620 ($93) without graphics card (use built-in Intel HD 630, $93 total).

Anybody tried either of these options? It may be unrealistic to expect 3X IR (1080p) on the HD 630, but I don't know. That's the main question.

Other considerations are the case, motherboard and power supply. I showed him pictures of the Fractal Design Node 202 I'm building my Dolphin rig in, but he'd prefer something less expensive. (He'd prefer something small too, but not if it brings the cost up more than a few dollars.)

I know, conflicting priorities. Unfortunately those are the parameters.

Any advice appreciated.

Ted

[Mario119]

(05-05-2017, 11:54 AM)GreenT Wrote: I showed my brother a few games running in Dolphin on my iMac, at 1080p and 1440p. He was very impressed, and now he wants me to build him a Dolphin box as cheaply as possible that can do 1080p on his television.

I'm trying to decide between two approaches given his requirements:

A. Pentium G4560 ($65) plus least expensive GTX 1050 graphics card (+$100, $165 total for CPU + GPU)

B. Pentium G4620 ($93) without graphics card (use built-in Intel HD 630, $93 total).

Anybody tried either of these options? It may be unrealistic to expect 3X IR (1080p) on the HD 630, but I don't know. That's the main question.

Other considerations are the case, motherboard and power supply. I showed him pictures of the Fractal Design Node 202 I'm building my Dolphin rig in, but he'd prefer something less expensive. (He'd prefer something small too, but not if it brings the cost up more than a few dollars.)

I know, conflicting priorities. Unfortunately those are the parameters.

Any advice appreciated.

Ted

I'd definitely go with the Pentium G4560 with the GTX 1050, no doubt. The Pentium G4620 is actually the same exact processor with a slight clock speed bump, not going to be noticeable in gaming. The Pentium G4560 and a GTX 1050 combo should handle most games at 3x IR (even 4x IR in some cases). You'd even be able to do some gaming with it on medium-high settings.    

[GreenT]

(05-05-2017, 12:28 PM)Mario119 Wrote: I'd definitely go with the Pentium G4560 with the GTX 1050, no doubt. The Pentium G4620 is actually the same exact processor with a slight clock speed bump, not going to be noticeable in gaming. The Pentium G4560 and a GTX 1050 combo should handle most games at 3x IR (even 4x IR in some cases). You'd even be able to do some gaming with it on medium-high settings.    

There's more of a difference between the two Pentiums than just clock speed. The G4560 has integrated Intel HD 610, while the G4620 has integrated Intel HD 630. From what I've read, the HD 630 is significantly faster than the HD 610 -- Passmark says 71% faster.

I just don't know if the somewhat higher clock speed on the CPU and the HD 630 graphics can handle 1080p in Dolphin. I know the GTX 1050 can do it, but if he can save $70 with option B, he'd rather do that. I just don't have a system with a G4620 to test it.

[GreenT]

Well, it turns out I can answer this question myself after all.

I just built my dedicated Dolphin box yesterday using an i5-7600. This chip also has Intel HD 630 integrated graphics, and a single thread score on Passmark is about the same as the Pentium G4620, so it should be a good way to estimate how a G4620 would handle Dolphin games at 1080p. I've tried a few games, and can report on the results. (Note: I used Direct3D 11 for all tests.)

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 1080p worked fine with 8X anisotropic filtering. Any amount of anti-aliasing caused it to drop below 100%. At 720p, it worked alright with 2X MSAA.

Mario Kart Wii: In actual gameplay (i.e., racing on the courses), 1080p works pretty well with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing turned off. At 720p, mild combinations of anisotropic and anti-aliasing worked alright. The hardest part of the game for Dolphin seems to be in the non-gameplay portions, such as selecting characters and vehicles, or in the course selection screens.

LOZ Skyward Sword: Can't quite manage 1080p, even with filtering and anti-aliasing turned off. It works at 2.5X IR with the other stuff turned off, so a little better than 720p. At 720p, you can enable anisotropic filtering, but even mild anti-aliasing causes it to drop into the high 90s, which some people might find playable, but I don't.

Super Mario Galaxy: It's alright at 1.5X IR, but there are still lags here and there. Best to stick to native resolution.

TL;DR: If somebody wanted to build the cheapest possible Dolphin box, the Pentium G4620 with HD 630 graphics could play most games at native resolution, and some games at 720p or 1080p. But if the goal is high-def across the board, the G4560 and a $100 GTX 1050 GPU would be a lot better for about $70 more.

[Manuelc]

Hi guys, I'm new and I want to know how to fix dolphin that does not run wad and wii roms please, and appears said lost data help

[JosJuice]

(05-08-2017, 01:29 AM)Manuelc Wrote: Hi guys, I'm new and I want to know how to fix dolphin that does not run wad and wii roms please, and appears said lost data help

Please create a new topic in the Support subforum.

[nonstatik]

(05-08-2017, 01:25 AM)GreenT Wrote: Well, it turns out I can answer this question myself after all.

I just built my dedicated Dolphin box yesterday using an i5-7600. This chip also has Intel HD 630 integrated graphics, and a single thread score on Passmark is about the same as the Pentium G4620, so it should be a good way to estimate how a G4620 would handle Dolphin games at 1080p. I've tried a few games, and can report on the results. (Note: I used Direct3D 11 for all tests.)

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 1080p worked fine with 8X anisotropic filtering. Any amount of anti-aliasing caused it to drop below 100%. At 720p, it worked alright with 2X MSAA.

Mario Kart Wii: In actual gameplay (i.e., racing on the courses), 1080p works pretty well with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing turned off. At 720p, mild combinations of anisotropic and anti-aliasing worked alright. The hardest part of the game for Dolphin seems to be in the non-gameplay portions, such as selecting characters and vehicles, or in the course selection screens.

LOZ Skyward Sword: Can't quite manage 1080p, even with filtering and anti-aliasing turned off. It works at 2.5X IR with the other stuff turned off, so a little better than 720p. At 720p, you can enable anisotropic filtering, but even mild anti-aliasing causes it to drop into the high 90s, which some people might find playable, but I don't.

Super Mario Galaxy: It's alright at 1.5X IR, but there are still lags here and there. Best to stick to native resolution.

TL;DR: If somebody wanted to build the cheapest possible Dolphin box, the Pentium G4620 with HD 630 graphics could play most games at native resolution, and some games at 720p or 1080p. But if the goal is high-def across the board, the G4560 and a $100 GTX 1050 GPU would be a lot better for about $70 more.

I'd suggest testing again using Direct3D 12.  I have a less powerful Kaby Lake CPU/GPU (i7-7Y75/HD 615) and my performance was better using DX12 vs. DX11.  I only tested Super Mario Galaxy 2, though.

[GreenT]

(05-26-2017, 07:20 PM)nonstatik Wrote: I'd suggest testing again using Direct3D 12.  I have a less powerful Kaby Lake CPU/GPU (i7-7Y75/HD 615) and my performance was better using DX12 vs. DX11.  I only tested Super Mario Galaxy 2, though.

I tested with DX11 because it's usable by folks who don't have Windows 10. I have noticed that DX12 performs better too, but now that it's been dropped from Dolphin, it's only an option for those willing to run old builds. 

The basic question was answered to my satisfaction: G4620 with built-in HD630, or G4560 + GTX 1050 GPU? The 4560 + GPU will cost a little more money, but is a better choice for folks who want to run everything in 1080p. DX12 performs better than DX11, but not enough better to change the overall answer to that question. Plus now DX12 has been dropped from Dolphin, so promoting it would likely just lead to frustration for those trying to go without the video card.

[mstreurman]

(05-26-2017, 11:45 PM)GreenT Wrote: I tested with DX11 because it's usable by folks who don't have Windows 10. I have noticed that DX12 performs better too, but now that it's been dropped from Dolphin, it's only an option for those willing to run old builds. 

The basic question was answered to my satisfaction: G4620 with built-in HD630, or G4560 + GTX 1050 GPU? The 4560 + GPU will cost a little more money, but is a better choice for folks who want to run everything in 1080p. DX12 performs better than DX11, but not enough better to change the overall answer to that question. Plus now DX12 has been dropped from Dolphin, so promoting it would likely just lead to frustration for those trying to go without the video card.

You could also go for the GT1030 now which should retail around 65-75 USD

[GreenT]

(05-28-2017, 02:50 PM)mstreurman Wrote: You could also go for the GT1030 now which should retail around 65-75 USD

The GTX 1050 is already purchased. The GT 1030 looks like an interesting option for budget builds or as a drop-in upgrade for a small system, but I don't know how it will perform for Dolphin. Passmark doesn't even list it yet. It's a safe assumption it will be better than Intel's integrated graphics, but how much better? The 1050 can run everything I've tested at 1080p and some games at 4K. If the 1030 can't run everything smoothly at 1080p (including SMG), it isn't an option for this build.