Hey everyone,
Been spending a lot of time reading the various posts in the forum on different rigs, requirements, etc. I'm going to be building a rig of my own which is going to be used solely for gaming (having 8 different systems hooked up just isn't working for me anymore
).
I'm trying to stick as close to $500 if possible, so I wanted to ask for some opinions on the hardware I'm currently considering. The thing I'm having the most trouble deciding is the video card. I'll most likely be playing no higher than 720p since that's what my TV is so I don't want to get a graphics card that is total overkill. It would be nice if it were future proof to handle 1080p, but it's not a requirement. I'd like to use a HTPC case as well so I would need a card and mobo that would fit.
Here's what I'm looking at so far:
CPU: i5 2500k
Graphics Card:
MSI Radeon HD 6770
RAM: 4GB (looking for recommendations here on brand, timings, etc.)
Motherboard: looking for recommendations here
PSU:
Antec Basiq BP550 Plus 550W
Case:
Nmedia HTPC 6000B
OS: Windows 7 Pro x64
I'd like to be able to play the more intensive games such as SMG, SMG2 and Skyward Sword at full speed 720p minimum. Looking forward to reading some thoughts and opinions from those more experienced with Dolphin and its requirements. Also, if anyone has any less expensive alternatives for things I've mentioned that won't affect performance, I would love to see those as well.
Thanks,
Michael
You haven't mentioned:
HDD
CD/DVD
Cooling
Is it safe for me to assume that you'll be reusing a HDD and CD/DVD drive from another computer?
I would recommend an aftermarket cooler. You aren't going to have a lot of overclocking headroom with an HTPC case though.
What country are you in? If you're in america you should definitely be buying your parts from newegg.
Quote:Motherboard: looking for recommendations here
If you can afford it get a P67 or Z68 board from asus or gigabyte.
Otherwise get an H67 or H61 board.
Buy whatever you can afford and check the reviews on any product before you buy it. Not all asus/gigabyte boards have good reviews.
Quote:RAM: 4GB (looking for recommendations here on brand, timings, etc.)
Timings don't really matter. Dolphin will perform the same regardless of memory timings. Frequency also doesn't matter as long as it's at least 667 MHz real, 1333MT/s effective (they usually list the effective speed). Mushkin, kingston, OCZ, corsair are just a few good memory brands I can think of off the top of my head but there are MANY other good brands out there. Just make sure to check the reviews on a particular kit before you buy it. Product reviews are ultimately more important than brand name.
Thanks for the reply. I already have a HDD and DVD drive which is why I didn't list them. I live in Canada and usually buy my parts from ncix.com or directcanada.com. There is a newegg.ca but I don't find their prices as good (eg. i5 2500k is $210 @ directcanada with free shipping, $230 @ newegg.ca +$7 shipping).
As far as cooling, that was another thing I was looking for recommendations on. I'll be clocking the processor as high as I can with Air Cooling so I'd like to find a good one that fits the case. I've looked at the
Coolermaster Hyper 212 which looks like it would fit the case.
Will I be able to clock the processor high enough with this cooler and one of the boards you recommended in order for it to handle SMG, SMG2, and Skyward Sword at full speed?
Also, what are your thoughts on the video card I listed? Could I get away with something less powerful? As I mentioned I'll be playing at 720p and probably won't be getting too crazy with anti-aliasing.
Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions.
Michael
(12-22-2011, 04:34 PM)NaturalViolence Wrote: [ -> ]You haven't mentioned:
HDD
CD/DVD
Cooling
Is it safe for me to assume that you'll be reusing a HDD and CD/DVD drive from another computer?
I would recommend an aftermarket cooler. You aren't going to have a lot of overclocking headroom with an HTPC case though.
What country are you in? If you're in america you should definitely be buying your parts from newegg.
Quote:Motherboard: looking for recommendations here
If you can afford it get a P67 or Z68 board from asus or gigabyte.
Otherwise get an H67 or H61 board.
Buy whatever you can afford and check the reviews on any product before you buy it. Not all asus/gigabyte boards have good reviews.
Quote:RAM: 4GB (looking for recommendations here on brand, timings, etc.)
Timings don't really matter. Dolphin will perform the same regardless of memory timings. Frequency also doesn't matter as long as it's at least 667 MHz real, 1333MT/s effective (they usually list the effective speed). Mushkin, kingston, OCZ, corsair are just a few good memory brands I can think of off the top of my head but there are MANY other good brands out there. Just make sure to check the reviews on a particular kit before you buy it. Product reviews are ultimately more important than brand name.
definetly a p67 or z68 otherwise you will lose the nice overclocking ability on theese chips!
(12-23-2011, 05:25 AM)sirme91 Wrote: [ -> ]definetly a p67 or z68 otherwise you will lose the nice overclocking ability on theese chips!
*push*
without overclock no SMG1/SMG2 Zelda 100%.. more like 70-80-90
a 6770 will handle 4x IR easily, but no SSAA
4x SSAA is broken?!
and 9xSSAA with 4xIR not possible with current and the next generation GPU'S
Quote:Thanks for the reply. I already have a HDD and DVD drive which is why I didn't list them. I live in Canada and usually buy my parts from ncix.com or directcanada.com. There is a newegg.ca but I don't find their prices as good (eg. i5 2500k is $210 @ directcanada with free shipping, $230 @ newegg.ca +$7 shipping).
As far as cooling, that was another thing I was looking for recommendations on. I'll be clocking the processor as high as I can with Air Cooling so I'd like to find a good one that fits the case. I've looked at the Coolermaster Hyper 212 which looks like it would fit the case.
Will I be able to clock the processor high enough with this cooler and one of the boards you recommended in order for it to handle SMG, SMG2, and Skyward Sword at full speed?
Also, what are your thoughts on the video card I listed? Could I get away with something less powerful? As I mentioned I'll be playing at 720p and probably won't be getting too crazy with anti-aliasing.
The video card you listed is fine. A 6670 should be fine for 1080p and a 6570 GDDR5 should be more than enough for 720p. You might even be able to get away with a 6450 at 720p but I can't guarantee it. I would go with something a bit more powerful than a hyper 212 though. If you can afford it/fit it in your case this is the mother of all air coolers:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=47090&vpn=NH-D14&manufacture=Noctua
Quote:Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions.
Do canadians all have some virus that makes them super polite in all situations? A virus that somehow only infects canadians. Not trying to be insulting or stereotyping but every canadian I have ever met so far has been like this.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not 100% sure if that cooler will fit so I'll have to do some further research to see if it will. It is a little more expensive than I was hoping to pay for a cooler so I'm going to look at some less expensive alternatives as well.
I've found some good prices on the 6670 so I may lean towards that if it will be sufficient. If I happen to come across a 6770 on sale I'll get that instead just to make it more future-proof.
(12-24-2011, 05:15 PM)NaturalViolence Wrote: [ -> ]The video card you listed is fine. A 6670 should be fine for 1080p and a 6570 GDDR5 should be more than enough for 720p. You might even be able to get away with a 6450 at 720p but I can't guarantee it. I would go with something a bit more powerful than a hyper 212 though. If you can afford it/fit it in your case this is the mother of all air coolers: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=47090&vpn=NH-D14&manufacture=Noctua
Lol, I can tell you that there are a lot of people from here who aren't very polite.
(12-24-2011, 05:15 PM)NaturalViolence Wrote: [ -> ]Do canadians all have some virus that makes them super polite in all situations? A virus that somehow only infects canadians. Not trying to be insulting or stereotyping but every canadian I have ever met so far has been like this.