Struggling with hardware of build

[Klaasvaak]

So I recently got the virus of retrogaming by the release of the Nintendo classic mini and all the Raspberry pi builds.

I decided I wanted to build a Nintendo 64 emulator with 4 controllers, but the Raspberry Pi isn't up to that task fully, so I started looking at an x86-64 build, but then realized I have very fond memories of some Gamecube games as well, as I use to own a Gamecube too.

But now the dreaded hardware side is keeping me bogged a bit, I configured a couple of builds with soldered processors (AMD A4-5000, Celeron J3355) because they're small, cheap, fit in a small case, and are passive cooled, but I see everything mentioning an i5-4570k or something, which is a completely different league in terms of budget and build.

What I understand is that the emulator is pretty cpu intensive, and only needs a dual core. So the AMD is probably not a good choice (weak processor and quad core)

However, would a Celeron J3355 (dual core apollo lake, 2Ghz) be able to run Gamecube games like monkeyball, mariokart double dash, Super smash bros brawl, and Zelda Windwaker? It doesn't need to be high resolution, I would be playing on a 1080P screen, but 720p game resolution is fine too, it's the 4-players bit that has me worried, and as I understand it really needs a constant 60fps to avoid (audio) stuttering.

The other option is a Hasswell Pentium/Celeron build with something around a 3,2Ghz version, but it is considerably more expensive, active cooled, needs a bigger case and juicier powersupply.

Of course in terms of performance the latter is always better, but what exactly can I expect from a Celeron J3355 build?

And another important question, is it possible to play the Gamecube games with Nintendo 64 controllers, or do I need dedicated controllers for both uses?

Any help/suggestions are appreciated.

[Helios]

You can expect awful performance.

Get a proper haswell dual core at minimum if you want anything servicable with Dolphin.

I take it you want something small for emulation. What's your budget?

[admin89]

Or just by Alienware Alpha (i3 4170T @ 3.2GHz + GTX 860M for less than $500, you can get a used one on ebay for like $200) , strip off the case and put it in a NES , Gamecube or any console you want
and then you will have a solid device for emulation , all game can be played at 1080p ,isn't that better ?

Quote: is it possible to play the Gamecube games with Nintendo 64 controllers, or do I need dedicated controllers for both uses?

You can use any controller you want as long as it's recognized by the OS
As for me , I use Wii Classic Controller with USB converter adapter and PS3 controller with motioninjoy (a Xbox360 controller's emulator) .

[Klaasvaak]

"You can expect awful performance.

Get a proper haswell dual core at minimum if you want anything servicable with Dolphin.

I take it you want something small for emulation. What's your budget?"

Alright, I've looked into a proper hasswell build, and while these processors aren't expensive, the motherboards are in ITX format, they also need a higher case (those large square boxes) the case I had in mind is 6cm high which fits perfectly on top of my amplifier in the tv-cabinet. And these motherboards cost the same as the whole soldered solution. Price wise I can build the same with an Athlon 5150 (chip is 30 Euro's, and motherboard as well) but I think these are slower in single core performance than that Celeron.

Yes I wanted something small, preferably passive cooled, and cheap. (I started of with the Superpi as idea, only looked further when I realized it's on the edge performance wise for even Nintendo 64)

"Or just by Alienware Alpha (i3 4170T @ 3.2GHz + GTX 860M for less than $500, you can get a used one on ebay for like $200) , strip off the case and put it in a NES , Gamecube or any console you want
and then you will have a solid device for emulation , all game can be played at 1080p ,isn't that better ?
Quote:
is it possible to play the Gamecube games with Nintendo 64 controllers, or do I need dedicated controllers for both uses?
You can use any controller you want as long as it's recognized by the OS
As for me , I use Wii Classic Controller with USB converter adapter and PS3 controller with motioninjoy (a Xbox360 controller's emulator) ."

I'm a Europoor, and the Alienware Alpha isn't sold here. I can import, but will have to pay an additional 21% VAT and some customs contribution, which, due to the awful exchange rate of the Euro at the moment, would set me back 600-700 Euro.

Thing is I have a laptop with an i5-3210m and Geforce 650m, cooling solution is great (can just turn the cpu-fan on at constant 100%) which means the i5, while being mobile, runs at 3,0-3,1 Ghz constant in multitasks and 3,3 in single core tasks, never really powers down due to staying below 60 degrees.

I configured a separate setting for the 650m which makes it quite decent in performance (small overclock and forced P0 state)

So if I need some power I will have to consider plugging my laptop in. But initially I wanted the convenience of a real console, grabbing a controller and playing so to say.

But if that's the kind of hardware I need I'm probably better of using my laptop for the gamecube games and some cheap system for Nintendo 64.

[Helios]

Basically you want hardware that is a reasonable dual core x86 CPU at minimum. Since Intel chips doesn't really deprecate in price all that quickly, you're either looking at a G3258 (deprecated, but fits the bill), or some skylake chip. This excludes ULV CPUs, SoCs, anything AMD etc. if you look at haswell, I have a system with a G3258 that runs everything Dolphin can play at full speed at 4.2 ghz. If you get Skylake, you can get away with lower clock speeds, probably be fine for everything Dolphin.

And for the GPU, anything that is a notch above Intel HD graphics.