Hi everyone,
after reading tons of benchmarks and reviews all over the web, I'm just as confused - or even more - as before. So, I'll rely on what you'll write :-).
What I'm going to do is to build a new machine which I also want to use for Dolphin emulation. I'm interested in playing these games:
- Mario Kart Double Dash
- New Super Mario Bros
- Zelda Wind Waker
- Zelda Twilight Princess
- Zelda Skyward Sword
I'm on a very tight budget, theres no room for any extras. In germany (where I live) I can get one of these for my budget:
Option A:
AMD A8 3870K with discrete Radeon 6550D GPU
(I'll buy a dedicated GPU later, once my budget recovers)
Option B:
Intel Core i3 2100 or Core i3 2120 with dedicated Radeon 6570 GPU
There are benchmarks where Option A "wins" for gaming:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/A...ew/1470/18
And there are benchmarks where Option B "wins":
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gami...20-10.html
Even if both setups are not perfect, I can't afford something more expensive right now. Saving any more money and waiting is out of question, too. I'd like to be able to play something (see list above) in Dolphin right away, even if I need to lower the graphic settings then.
A link to some Dolphin-related benchmarks (if available) would be great!
I'd say, go for Option B. Most people pay no mind to benchmark tests because they don't always correspond to Dolphin's performance. It's not always about clock speed; CPU architecture matters a lot. Intel's Sandy Bridge chips run faster than similar ones from AMD clock-for-clock. Keep in mind too, Dolphin is also a dual-core application, triple-core if you count using LLE on Thread, so throwing more cores into the equation won't help as much as you might expect.
The i3 2100 or i3 2120 will play a vast majority of GC/Wii games with no problem. It's just that several demanding games are out of the question for full-speed gameplay, like the Super Mario Galaxy games. Most people need heavily overclocked systems to get those kind of results. The games on your list will do very well on Option B; the Hyrule Field in Twilight Princess will probably slow down as it's a large open area. Not only is Option B cheaper, but if your motherboard should be set to upgrade to Ivy Bridge chips later on, which will be even faster than current Sandy Bridge chips.
Thank you!
(03-14-2012, 01:06 AM)ExtremeDude2 Wrote: [ -> ] (03-14-2012, 12:11 AM)thecapn Wrote: [ -> ]There are benchmarks where Option A "wins" for gaming:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/A...ew/1470/18
this ^^ is only because the i3 had no GPU, so B would be better in gaming.
Well, thats not 100% correct. The Core i3 has an integrated GPU which just happens to be a lot worse than what you get with the A8. Actually, the integrated GPU on the A8 is pretty decent (it's the best among the integrated ones) This is also the reason why the A8 wins all gaming benchmarks where no additional GPU is used.
Shonumi Wrote:Not only is Option B cheaper, but if your motherboard should be set to upgrade to Ivy Bridge chips later on, which will be even faster than current Sandy Bridge chips.
Actually the A8 3870K with the integrated GPU is a bit cheaper than the Core i3 + Radeon 6570 here in Germany :-).
Your recommendations are clear, but has anyone tried the A8 3870K with the integrated GPU and/or a standalone GPU for Dolphin emulation? The Core i3 might be better because it is a dual-core CPU (=Dolphin can utilize it's full potential), but is the difference really that big?
In other words, if I should find a super-cheap deal for the AMD A8 now, should I go for that or should I choose the Core i3 in any case?
(03-14-2012, 06:10 AM)thecapn Wrote: [ -> ] (03-14-2012, 01:06 AM)ExtremeDude2 Wrote: [ -> ] (03-14-2012, 12:11 AM)thecapn Wrote: [ -> ]There are benchmarks where Option A "wins" for gaming:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/A...ew/1470/18
this ^^ is only because the i3 had no GPU, so B would be better in gaming.
Well, thats not 100% correct. The Core i3 has an integrated GPU which just happens to be a lot worse than what you get with the A8. Actually, the integrated GPU on the A8 is pretty decent (it's the best among the integrated ones) This is also the reason why the A8 wins all gaming benchmarks where no additional GPU is used.
That's what I'm saying the i3 would have done better if it had the GPU your getting in B.
You should be able to play these games (with the exception of SS) fairly well with either setup.
As stated by Shonumi, you will suffer from slowdowns in Hyrule Field in Twilight Princess and probably in other large areas.
For Skyward Sword, it depends on the area you're in. Don't expect 100% speed at all times.
Now, as for your CPU choice: it depends on you.
Will you be upgrading anytime soon? If so, get the Intel build. You will be able to upgrade to a faster CPU such as the Ivy Bridge. Just make sure you get a P67 or Z68 motherboard as they will support the Ivy Bridge processors with a BIOS update.
If you're not going to upgrade anytime soon... and you can only pick between these CPU's, then you should probably get the AMD CPU.
You can overclock the AMD CPU when you need it. The Intel one is locked.
With your GPU's you should be able to handle x1.5 and in some cases x2 IR.
B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B
Not even close, B wins hands down when it comes to dolphin.
get i3 2100 + 5670
come on, try at least
Go with B with a P67 or z68 board. I'm from a Phenom II X4 @ 3.5ghz with a 6970 and My SMG performance was horrendous.
When I've upgrade to Sandy bridge (i5-2500K stock) with a 6790(yes downgrade) I was able to run the emulator fine.
I know 2100 is different from 2500k but the difference with the AMD variant is a lot.
bumping this cause i got a similair setup in mind, a i3 2120 but with a radeon 6870 i already have the videocard but i have to pick a cpu under 150 euros in Holland, tight budget, i already have a p67 motherboard on the way as well.
does that give me an edge over the TS? I do wanna play all the zelda games without lag or at least as much as possible and at higher res, i did not finish skyward sword because i could no longer enjoy it on my 50 inch screen with the jaggies so big and the resolution so low and undefined.
i still own it but i think this gem of a game deserves better.
so basically, just playing the games at low res with no filtering to improve the image is not really tempting to me, the entire reason for me to play dolphin is to play the games i own and love in better graphics quality.