Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

Yeah, I heard that it's a good idea to wait until October since many new CPUs and GPUs are being released around now and by October the prices should go down.

That's funny, I thought software like this was safe:
http://lifehacker.com/5824362/ssd-boost-manager-seamlessly-moves-files-and-programs-between-hard-drives
because I thought the common SSD + HDD setup was to use the SSD for files that benefit from quick operation while the HDD is for storage. So store files for SKyrim on SSD to speed up load times. But I thought you could keep them on the HDD when not playing the game to save space.

The other thing I didn't consider was my monitor. If I ever want a UHD monitor in the future, I'll need a DisplayPort on my motherboard. The ASRock Extreme4 is $35 more than the Pro4, but I'm not sure if it is worth it. I should definitely wait... maybe there is a more OC-friendly, DisplayPort having motherboard other than the ASRock?

Store games on a HDD. Modern games are too big for an SSD. You'll barely notice the faster load times anyways. You should use the SSD as your boot drive and move all large data onto a HDD that acts as your secondary drive. That includes video files, image files, audio files (music), video games, and any other "big data". Your programs (except games) and OS will remain on the SSD. The SSD will still speed up application loading times and the OS, making your system feel very responsive.

turtlefu Wrote:If I ever want a UHD monitor in the future, I'll need a DisplayPort on my motherboard.

Only if you're using integrated graphics. Which you shouldn't be. Nearly every modern motherboard and graphics card has one anyways so it shouldn't really matter.

If you have your speakers hooked up directly to your computer or through a regular amp (not a receiver) get the extreme4.

Hm, so maybe getting a 7200 rpm HDD is a good idea. The 5400 rpm one might be too slow. There is room for both in the case... So, would I put Dolphin or PCSX2 or Steam on the SSD, with the actual games on the HDD, then?

Yeah, I guess I didn't reserach well enough. All the latest graphics cards have DisplayPort connections. I would just plug the monitor into the graphics card, not the motherboard. Well, that problem is easily solved!

I have headphones, which I was planning to plug directly into the audio jack on the computer. Is that the major difference betwen the Pro and the Extreme, a better audio codec (I"m guessing it's a codec).

There are hardly any 5,400 rpm 3.5" HDDs left in existence so you won't have to worry much about that. 7,200 rpm is the standard speed for nearly all desktop HDDs these days.

turtlefu Wrote:So, would I put Dolphin or PCSX2 or Steam on the SSD, with the actual games on the HDD, then?

As far as I know steam has to be in the same directory as your steam games. So that would need to be on your secondary drive. But PCSX2 and dolphin can be installed to your primary drive while the games remain on your secondary drive. That's how I have mine setup.

turtlefu Wrote:Is that the major difference betwen the Pro and the Extreme, a better audio codec (I"m guessing it's a codec).

Exactly. The Extreme4 has a much better audio chipset.

Steam can install games where you want now. If you add a secondary library in the settings you will get an option on which Library you want to install it on. This does not work on valve games tho, since they often share many files, thus they are installed into the steam folder.

I actually have an old internal 5400 rpm hdd (I think it's a hitachi) lying around, so I was thinking about not buying a new HDD or just buying an SSD to use as a boot drive with the 5400 rpm as a storage drive. Now that I know game files should be kept on the HDD, I'm thinking a 5400 rpm hdd would affect the load times negatively.

If I really want to make the machine future-proof, I should get the Extreme4, I think. It also has better wi-fi, bluetooth (so I wouldn't have to get a separate adapter for the wiimote), and waterproofing if I ever want to do liquid cooling.

Man, now my system is going even higher over budget! That's the problem with computers, there is no "maximum" so there is something always better you should get... why do I stop!?

How big is the HDD? Does it have a sata port?

turtlefu Wrote:I think. It also has better wi-fi, bluetooth (so I wouldn't have to get a separate adapter for the wiimote), and waterproofing if I ever want to do liquid cooling.

It has none of those things. Where are you reading this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157369

"2T2R DUA- BAND 802.11AC WIFI AND BLUETOOTH V4.0 SUPPORT"
"WATERPROOF BY CONFORMAL COATING"

We are talking about the Extreme4, correct?

I'm not entirely sure about the HDD (it's in an old, unused computer that a friend gave me. It was built on a phenom system about 2-3 years ago so it's likely it has a sata port, probably a SATA 2.0 at most, but it might have a SATA 3.0 port - I'll have to dig out the computer and open it up, but I was planning on doing that for the optical drive anyways)

The ASRock website says that it doesn't have those features, and I'd trust them to know what they're making. The Extreme4AC (a different board) has the bluetooth, though.

Also, looking at those reviews, I'm no longer 100% sure that it's the best option.

That's weird... well, the unboxing video shows that those features are not on the box, so they aren't. It doesn't seem like a good value now (especially because the only major difference seems to be the audio chipset)

Anyways, I uncovered that old PC and here are the specs:
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9 GHz
Motherboard: MSI 785GM-P45 AM3 Socket
GPU: Radeon HD 4200 (Integrated Graphics)
HDD: Samsung HD502HJ 500 GB 7200 rpm SATA 3.0Gb/s
RAM: 2 x OCZ 2GB DDR3-1333 (4 GB Total)
Monitor: Sony SDM-HS93 19" LCD (1280 x 1024)

My desktop (Dell Pre-Built):
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33GHz
Motherboard: Dell
GPU: Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT
HDD: 300 GB, probably a slower 5400 rpm
RAM: 2 GB total, DDR2, probably 1333
Monitor: Dell SE198WFP 19" LCD (1440 x 900, 60Hz)

and my laptop that I use every day (HP pre-built), just for getting the info out:
CPU: APU A8-3500M 1.5 GHz
GPU: Radeon HD 6750M (Dual Graphics Set-Up)
HDD: 640GB, probably 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s or maybe SATA 6 Gb/s
RAM: 6 GB total, DDR3-1600
Screen: 1366x768, not sure about refresh rate

I remember now that my plan was originally to upgrade that old computer because the processor wasn't half bad and it just needed a discrete graphics card. I like that the AM3+/AM3/AM2 sockets are easier to work with than Intel switching sockets with every generation. Well, it doesn't matter because I already decided to build a much better one, but maybe I might be able to salvage the optical drive and HDD (and monitor? not sure which one is better, my guess is the dell)