Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

.....so you want me to randomly spit out ideas on how to improve your system without a budget? Am I understanding you correctly?

(05-13-2012, 11:24 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: [ -> ].....so you want me to randomly spit out ideas on how to improve your system without a budget? Am I understanding you correctly?

I'm kinda like that.
I could just leave you alone if you so wish.

Meh. The problem with your question is that the products available on the market and their prices completely change every few months. Also you haven't stated anything about what you're trying to achieve.
Also I don't know what hardware you have other than the core components listed in your profile:
-case?
-power supply?
-CD/DVD drive? interested in blu-ray?
-HDD?
-audio card (if any)?
-interested in a TV tuner card, video capture card, or any other kind of expansion card?
-speakers/headphones?
-monitor?
-mouse?
-keyboard?
-interested in a mic or webcam?
-controllers?
-wireless adapter/router?

I wouldn't bother upgrading the cpu/mobo/ram/cooling for a few years. Video card and SSD would probably be up high on the list depending on what you plan on doing with the system. I think I remember you saying that you were using a 720p HDTV as your display. If that's true than a good monitor should be at the top of your list. If productivity is a concern then I recommend going for multi-monitor.

(05-13-2012, 01:54 PM)NaturalViolence Wrote: [ -> ]Meh. The problem with your question is that the products available on the market and there prices completely change every few months. Also you haven't stated anything about what you're trying to achieve.
Also I don't know what hardware you have other than the core components listed in your profile:
-case? Raidmax Altas
-power supply? Antec BP550
-CD/DVD drive? interested in blu-ray? Generic brand, not really.
-HDD? Refurbished 320GB SATA and and used Samsung 80GB IDE HDD
-audio card (if any)? Asus onboard and GTS 450 audio
-interested in a TV tuner card, video capture card, or any other kind of expansion card? Don't really like or watch TV.
-speakers/headphones? Speakers that come with the TV, no headphones.
-monitor? Viore 720p display. (Viore is a branch of Wal-Mart LOL.)
-mouse? Generic Logitech Mouse, no interest in high end ones.
-keyboard? Generic Keyboard, no interest in gaming keyboards.
-interested in a mic or webcam? Thought about it, but only for Let's Play's, not a very social person.
-controllers? A wired Xbox 360 controller and a Logitech Controller.
-wireless adapter/router? A belkin router my Mum purchased a few years ago.

I wouldn't bother upgrading the cpu/mobo/ram/cooling for a few years. Video card and SSD would probably be up high on the list depending on what you plan on doing with the system. I think I remember you saying that you were using a 720p HDTV as your display. If that's true than a good monitor should be at the top of your list. If productivity is a concern then I recommend going for multi-monitor.

Productivity? On this rig I can actually get work DONE. That's enough for me.
Probably gonna get a Viewsonic or Asus monitor eventually.
Don't really know what I intend to achieve, really.

Quote:Refurbished 320gb SATA and and used Samsung 80gb HDD

GB not gb. Big difference.

Quote:Speakers that come with the TV, no headphones.

Quote:Viore 720p display. (Viore is a branch of Wal-Mart LOL.)

Quote:Asus onboard and GTS 450 audio

Oh god your audio/video system is in serious need of upgrade. It makes sense to focus on this since you now have an up to date and rather good PC.

Quote:Thought about it, but only for Let's Play's, not a very social person.

I'm in the same situation but a mic is useful for a few games.

What is a good 1080p monitor for less than $200?

A good pair of speakers for around $60?

A good sound card for less than $50?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236099

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121034

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020

Quote:A good pair of speakers for around $60?

A good sound card for less than $50?

Neither of those exists. If you're on a tight budget I would recommend headphones instead of speakers.

Alright guru’s here is my idea for a tower to HTPC upgrade…

MB: BIOSTAR TA75M FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138333

APU: AMD A8-3870K Unlocked Llano 3.0GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6550D AD3870WNGXBOX
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819106001

Graphic: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102958
(accidently had 6770 originally, corrected now)

RAM: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

- Connecting to a 50” 720p Tv, future proofing system for future upgrade to 1080p, so I think I need 4x IR.
- Would prefer to stick with AMD, (strong Intel preference on this forum)
- Is Llano APU a good choice or should I go with Zambezi AM3+ setup?


Secondly - Vram setup: thinking of using Windows Ready boost (usb flash drive memory) instead of HD VRam, I read it kills HD lifespan, is there a limit of size and number of USB’s used? Is there any benefit to use USB3.0 over USB2.0? Any thoughts would be appreciated.


Thank You

APU ?
Most games should run fine if you heavily overclock it
But then again , Intel Pentium Sandy Bridge G860 @ 3.0Ghz will blow your A8-3870 @ 3.8 Ghz away
Those CPU intensive games are out of your reach : SMG (LLE) , The Last Story , F zero , Xenoblade (LLE) , Star Fox Adventure and a lot more...need i5 2500k @ 4.4Ghz

Is there a reason to get an APU if your using a discrete GPU? AM3 would give you an upgrade path where's FM1 is getting replaced with FM2 with Trinity.