Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

An i7 2600K or a i5 2500K is recommended for CPU.
My 2600K loves Dolphin even with LLE and high settings.

I would go with one of these setups for your project.
This should run cool enough, be small enough, and consume the right amount of power to fit inside a NES.
AMD System

AMD Athlon II X3 425e
Asus M4A88TI-Deluxe
picoPSU-150-XT + 102W Adapter Power Kit Cyncronix
Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB
HD 6450
4 Gig 1333Mhz Ram

Intel System
Core I3 2100
ASRock H67M-ITX/HT
picoPSU-150-XT + 102W Adapter Power Kit Cyncronix
Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB
HD 6450
4 Gig 1333Mhz Ram

Bart, the Athlon II series is old and no longer sold. The few places that still have them in stock sell them at the same price as the Phenom II, which is a better architecture. Now, if you're recommending it because it has 3 cores, then perhaps I'll look at a triple-core processor. Also, is the 6450 really strong enough for Dolphin?

Maverick, those newer Core chips are rather expensive, and I'd prefer to get by with what I can.

Also, I've been tossing about a fun idea. I'm going to get USB adapters for my NES Controller Ports, and possibly even install a quartet of N64 USB Adapters on the front of the case as well. This thing will be an emulation powerhouse for its size.

The reasons I brought up the X3 was because of 3 cores and low power cpu.
I would go the with the i3 2100 though it is only a 65 watt cpu so you have a bit more headroom for a faster video card with the small psu you will need for that system.

Well, the i3 2100 is rather expensive right now, which is a downside. Also, I'm looking at those PicoPSUs, and I believe I would require 150w for the system. The AC/DC converter bricks they have only go up to 102w. I don't understand why they would sell a 150w PSU if they don't have an AC/DC converter that could supply 150w.

(05-10-2011, 07:01 AM)laoshanlong Wrote: [ -> ]Well, the i3 2100 is rather expensive right now, which is a downside. Also, I'm looking at those PicoPSUs, and I believe I would require 150w for the system. The AC/DC converter bricks they have only go up to 102w. I don't understand why they would sell a 150w PSU if they don't have an AC/DC converter that could supply 150w.

Check out this website for the converter bricks.
http://www.mini-box.com/12v-12-5A-AC-DC-Power-Adapter
Also the reason why I considered the HD 6450 is also because it is a low power card. You do not have a lot to work with when using a 150 watt psu.
I recently upgraded my case from one with a 150 watt psu so I could use the hd 5570 I am using now.

Well, the 6670 draws about 60w at peak, and the 6570 draws about the same. The Phenom II I was listing earlier is rated for max draw of 80w, which puts those two components at 140w, which is admittedly close.

But I could also opt to go with the Mini ITX PSUs. I'd only have to worry about how tall they are in the design.

What are the dimensions of the NES case? It will be tough to find a better PSU than the pico for a case that small. Don't forget about the power draw of the rest of the system components also.

The top portion of the NES case is 10"x8". The bottom portion tapers down by about an inch length-wise. It's 3.5" tall.

Looks like the pico psu is your only option for that size.