Will this rig have what it takes?

[Shonumi]

Yes, yes, another one of these threads. I'm planning on getting a new computer. I've done some research but I still have a couple of questions. First, the specs:

CPU : i5-2500K 3.30 GHz
GPU : NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB
RAM : 4GB DDR3/1600MHz
Z68 Mobo

It looks good to me, but I want to know how it'll do with increased internal resolution and AA options. Ideally, I'd want 1080p at full speed (GC + Wii games) with at least some AA, but 720p is fine too. Also, I'll be running 64-bit Linux, so I'm going to rely on OpenGL. I've heard that some Nvidia cards perform pretty well with the right drivers. Will this hardware be enough to cover any shortfalls I might encounter with graphics plugin?

[Garteal]

Hi Shonumi,

You will be able to play most games at fullspeed with 3x internal resolution. Ideally, you should leave AA off as it only eats performance with barely visual improvement. The internal resolution already takes care of most of the stuff.

OpenGL is usually slower than DirectX9/11, and on Linux it's usually worse. If you have the chance/cash to get Windows 7x64, I'd recommend you get that instead as it'll greatly improve performance/compatibility.

What games do you plan on playing?

[Duke Nukem]

I'm not trying to be a party pooper here or anything, but Linux....?
Please I beg you, I don't care what else you do with Linux but please dual boot and install Windows 7.
Dolphin will run so much more smoothly on that rig with Windows. Direct3d9/11 is faster and better then OpenGL and the game compatibility for the Windows version of Dolphin is so much higher.

[Zee530]

A little overclock wouldnt hurt either

[Shonumi]

Hey guys thanks for all of the replies.

@Gartreal, Gabriel Belmont
I plan mostly to play GC games and a few Wii games. I'll be moving out, probably in a few years, but the Wii belongs to my sister, so I kinda want to still be able to play my favorite games on a new computer. I had no idea that AA doesn't offer all that much; I'll be sure to stick with internal res then.

Regarding the OS, if need be, I have a 32-bit copy of Win7, so I can dual-boot. I installed Dolphin on my laptop last week (32-bit Slackware) and after some fine tuning, I actually got it run decently. The specs on my laptop are laughably weak: Intel Pentium T3400 @ 2.16Ghz, Integrated Intel 965M, 2GB DDR2. I was kinda surprised; I saw no major graphical issues when I tested Sonic Adventure 2:Battle, Skies of Arcadia, and TimeSplitters 2. Granted, the first two were very slow (15 and 9fps respectively) but TimeSplitters consistently got 30fps (the max I set it for my little test).

While the results are encouraging, like I said, I have a copy of Win7 to dual-boot into if I encounter a game with huge issues. I guess until I actually get this new machine, I'll just do some more game testing (Linux and Windows).

@Zee530
The only thing I've ever OC'ed was my Dingoo A320. I haven't kept up with PC gaming hardware since 2004, but there's only one thing I'm curious about in regards to OCing. It'll raise the running temperature of the computer, right? So I'll need to account for that when I look at my cooling system.

[ShadowFlash]

Never saw any compatibility differences between linux and windows versions except some plugin stuff (some games have gfx issues with opengl plugin, some - with d3d9).
For nVidia cards - they perform better in both linux and windows (AMD still have some bad ATI legacy with their driver issues)

---

Quote:TimeSplitters consistently got 30fps (the max I set it for my little test)

I was going to drop my jaw when i saw TimeSplitters runnimg at 30fps with that CPU and integrated card , just before i realised that was TimeSplitters 2, not Future Perfect

[NaturalViolence]

Quote:For nVidia cards - they perform better in both linux and windows (AMD still have some bad ATI legacy with their driver issues)

.....no they don't. We did a benchmark on this a few months ago: http://forums.dolphin-emu.org/showthread.php?tid=14201

Quote: Ideally, you should leave AA off as it only eats performance with barely visual improvement. The internal resolution already takes care of most of the stuff.

I have to completely disagree with this. 4xSSAA is currently broken but 9xSSAA does an excellent job at removing aliasing in d3d9. In openGL and d3d11 MSAA does a terrific job at moving most geometry aliasing and usually has no performance hit if you have enough vram and vram bandwidth. Internal resolution on the other hand barely reduces aliasing at all no matter how high you set it. This is due to the linear filter dolphin uses for regular downscaling.

[Garteal]

I should have phrased it differently I suppose, but no matter. Thanks for filling it up.

Quote:Internal resolution on the other hand barely reduces anti-aliasing at all no matter how high you set it.

It does the job well enough.
SSAA and MSAA both do their things ofcourse by anti-aliasing the edges.
It's up to you whether you want to have smooth edges or a higher framerate.

[ShadowFlash]

It's just me or.... low end video card (GT440 2Gb), Metroid Prime 2.
1x internal res, no AA - 55-60 fps. 36-60fps with scan visor on.
1.5x, 8xCSAA - 55-60 fps. 36-60 fps with scan visor on.
1.5x, 8xMSAA - 52-60 fps, 28-60 fps with scan visor on.

Ok, that was a fast game.

Now something really heavy.
Xenoblade, your first battles right after intro.
1x, no AA - 22-25fps.
1.5x, 8xCSAA - 18-25 fps.

So i think only very high AA settings or ultra high resolutions with high aa settings will have significant performance impact.