So, with me finally having a much more powerful desktop (I assume) to run most games, I have a question which more than likely gives me a noobish appearance. Now, obviously, how a CPU/GPU handles Dolphin (or any sixth gen console emulator) is not to be compared with how the same CPU or GPU handles a PC game in terms of how the instructions are optimized and executed. Comparing how emulators and PC games is like apples to oranges.
Will running such a CPU-intensive program be severely detrimental in any way whatsoever? Weird question I know, I always wanted to find out for sure. I can see it being being strenuous on a laptop, but a desktop....not so sure.
Again, my specs are sufficient (I hope), but I always find it good to get reassurance from other users.
Computers are made to be used, so, running programs on them is normal. As long as you're not abusing your hardware (and by you, I mean you, overclocking too much, etc), your PC will last as long as it's supposed to last.
No issues at all. I did strain my E8500 with a hefty overclock (3.16-->4.05Ghz) for many years before I retired it myself. The CPU is still as good as new, but I wanted something faster.
I also have a Dell Pentium 4 from 2004 which have been running 24/7 as a server since 2004 with no issues, except a fan broke once.
I haven't really heard of people burning out CPUs for years, except in laptops, but gfx cards can, however dolphin is less taxing on the graphics usually than PC games.
Also where as mobile CPUs usually are operating in temps from 70-100C in laptops, desktop CPUs are running at 40-70C.
Also I can reassure you that your specs are as good as it gets to play dolphin games. You might consider getting a 3rd party cooler to go beyond 4.2Ghz to run the heaviest games around.
I would not worry. Enjoy your games!
(04-07-2013, 04:52 AM)cluthz Wrote: [ -> ]No issues at all. I did strain my E8500 with a hefty overclock (3.16-->4.05Ghz) for many years before I retired it myself. The CPU is still as good as new, but I wanted something faster.
I also have a Dell Pentium 4 from 2004 which have been running 24/7 as a server since 2004 with no issues, except a fan broke once.
I haven't really heard of people burning out CPUs for years, except in laptops, but gfx cards can, however dolphin is less taxing on the graphics usually than PC games.
Also where as mobile CPUs usually are operating in temps from 70-100C in laptops, desktop CPUs are running at 40-70C.
Also I can reassure you that your specs are as good as it gets to play dolphin games. You might consider getting a 3rd party cooler to go beyond 4.2Ghz to run the heaviest games around.
I would not worry. Enjoy your games!
Heh,thanks for the reassurance! I do have a fairly beefy CPU cooler, so I'm not worried about heat per se, just the strain that Dolphin puts on the CPU, but I guess I have no real reason to freak out about it.
By the time your current hardware even begins to near failure due to age and/or usage, you should be in the market for a new setup. Don't worry about it, especially since you're not doing any overclocking.
Not to mention the chances that your cpu will die before your power supply or motherboard are mind bogglingly low. CPUs usually last at least a decade even under 24/7 heavy use if they're not OCed. Technically speaking just turning on your computer reduces its lifespan. And any time your computer does something it reduces its lifespan. The more demanding the task the more it reduces lifespan. But like SS said that doesn't mean you shouldn't do anything strenuous with your computer. Similarly turning on a car technically reduces its lifespan. Driving the car reduces its lifespan even more. The faster you drive it the faster the car's engine deteriorates. But that sure as hell doesn't mean you should never drive your car over 30 miles an hour.
(04-07-2013, 06:11 AM)Shonumi Wrote: [ -> ]By the time your current hardware even begins to near failure due to age and/or usage, you should be in the market for a new setup. Don't worry about it, especially since you're not doing any overclocking.
Ah, makes more sense, thanks for clearing that up! Lucky for me, this CPU's clock frequency is locked (well, not completely, Turbo Boost goes up to 3.8 GHz on a single core).
(04-07-2013, 06:58 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: [ -> ]Not to mention the chances that your cpu will die before your power supply or motherboard are mind bogglingly low. CPUs usually last at least a decade even under 24/7 heavy use if they're not OCed. Technically speaking just turning on your computer reduces its lifespan. And any time your computer does something it reduces its lifespan. The more demanding the task the more it reduces lifespan. But like SS said that doesn't mean you shouldn't do anything strenuous with your computer. Similarly turning on a car technically reduces its lifespan. Driving the car reduces its lifespan even more. The faster you drive it the faster the car's engine deteriorates. But that sure as hell doesn't mean you should never drive your car over 30 miles an hour.
Perhaps I am being overly paranoid yet again, but yeah, you're right, I shouldn't limit using Dolphin (or any CPU intensive program) solely based off of fear of wear and tear. It's unavoidable and I might as well put it to good use. Frankly, I'm glad I did the research that I did in deciding what components to get as most games work full speed (bar the more intense ones naturally). Also you used a good analogy, in fact, most electronics are more likely to fail when they're being powered on as opposed to when they're currently on. I'm just going to stop being noobish and paranoid and enjoy the ride. I have a freakin Core i5 3570 with a 2 GB GPU, I might as well use it!
So far the only CPUs i have seen dying by themselves are old K7 Athlons (running too hot due a design flaw) but if you want to extend the life of your PC:
- Keep it cool, specialy if you are into the overclock thing.
- Keep it clean. dust inside the case gathers static that can kill your PC, i didn`t believe it until a motherboard i had died from a discharge.
- Don`t overload the PSU. get a better PSU if you plan to have a mid-high specs video card and /or an array of HDDs or who-knows-what-else plugged to your CPU
Heavy computational apps in modern CPUs make them runs faster, eat more power and therefore, emit more heat, remember, keep it cool.
(04-07-2013, 09:03 AM)omega_rugal Wrote: [ -> ]So far the only CPUs i have seen dying by themselves are old K7 Athlons (running too hot due a design flaw) but if you want to extend the life of your PC:
- Keep it cool, specialy if you are into the overclock thing.
- Keep it clean. dust inside the case gathers static that can kill your PC, i didn`t believe it until a motherboard i had died from a discharge.
- Don`t overload the PSU. get a better PSU if you plan to have a mid-high specs video card and /or an array of HDDs or who-knows-what-else plugged to your CPU
Heavy computational apps in modern CPUs make them runs faster, eat more power and therefore, emit more heat, remember, keep it cool.
Luckily I have a nice gold-plated Corsair 650W PSU I got for $80 and a nice CPU cooler to top it off. As for overclocking, I don't plan on it (plus the CPU is locked since it's the simple 3570 and not the 3570K, had no real reason to get it). For now, I have a 1 TB HDD, Multi DVD/CD reader and burner, a 2 GB MSI GTX 660 and 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM. I've had it a month and so far, so good. I'm rather impressed actually. I think 650 W is plenty for my needs.
omega_rugal Wrote:So far the only CPUs i have seen dying by themselves are old K7 Athlons (running too hot due a design flaw)
If I recall they also lacked any type of thermal management which all modern cpus have. So instead of the cpu throttling when it got too hot it would just BSOD or die. Even with constant high temperatures it's still extremely difficult to "break" a modern cpu.