Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

turtlefu Wrote:1366x768, not sure about refresh rate

It's almost always 59.94Hz (often rounded to 60Hz).

Pretty much the only exception are some new 120Hz panels.

turtlefu Wrote: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

Optical drives are pretty useless on modern PCs. You might not even need it since all software these days can be installed either by downloading the installer off a website or via a flashdrive in the case of an OS. But if you need one you can indeed reuse your existing one as long as it supports sata since your new motherboard won't support pata (IDE).

You can also reuse the DDR3 ram. 1333 MHz is fine unless you're running on integrated graphics. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise, the benchmarking data is very clear on this. You can add another 2 x 2GB kit for cheap if you want 8GB (which I would recommend doing if you're a pc gamer).

What power supply and chassis does your current system have?

turtlefu Wrote:(and monitor? not sure which one is better, my guess is the dell)

I would go with the dell.

They're both 19" and both have an approximate total screen resolution of 1.33 MP. So screen space and total resolution are identical. However one is fullscreen (4:3 aspect ratio) and the other is widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio). Widescreen of course gives you more width and less height in this case since the total resolution is about the same. So I would be inclined to tell you to pick whichever format you prefer. However the sony monitor is a decade out of date and as a result has fairly poor specs compared to the dell (especially response times, 25ms BWB, jesus). So I would go with the dell which is only a few years old and has much better specs.

I opened it up and took pictures: http://s1029.photobucket.com/user/TurtleFu/library/Old%20Computer

I agree about the optical drive, but it could be helpful installing the OS (or I think I could just fresh format the HDD that currently has the OS on it, the OS might not be tied to the motherboard). Does it make a difference in Dolphin if games are played from disc or played on the hard drive? I have several Wii games and it would be nice to save space on the HDD by playing from disc. Of course, that might not be a problem because I found a second HDD in the case, that weirdly didn't show up when I looked through the OS, even though it was connected. Or it may have been there, but the Seagate is not the HDD that the OS is stored on anyways. It's 1 TB too!

I thought about re-using the RAM, because memory prices right now are very high (2 months ago you could get 8 GB from Crucial for $40. Now, the same set costs almost $70). I can't find the same model of memory though, because I think it's been discontinued. And I heard it's not a good idea to mix memory models. Of course, I can always make do with 4 GB for now by re-using the memory and then get an 8GB set later on. Also, while it may true that there is not a huge difference between 1333 or 1600 MHz RAM, it seems like they cost nearly the same so I see no real reason not to get 1600 MHz RAM.

Okay, I opened the computer up to get a closer look. I can't tell what the case is: it has no brand stamp on it and it doesn't look fancy at all. There is an Antek fan in the front but it may have been purchased separately. Does anyone recognize this at all? I'm not sure if the airflow is good enough, it seems like there is a good amount of room in there, but excuse the cable management, I didn't build this! It's pretty dusty and in not-great shape, but cleaning it might just do the trick.
The PSU is an Allied 400W, which is too small for what I want, I think.

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it. This is very exciting! (I took one of the memory modules out and now I can't get it back in... good thing I got this desktop to practice)

You can't play games in dolphin from the original disks, but you can from copies or images you've made. This is due to nintendo's anti-piracy measures.

Please use direct links next time. Opening all of the imagesmanually from that link is time consuming and for people with slower internet all the video ads and crap in the background can make it take a long time to load each page.

Also please tell me you cleaned it while you had it open. You're starting to get some serious dust buildup.

You really need a better shot of that PSU label if you expect me to be able to read it. And because you don't have a good shot of the ports on the ODD (optical disk drive) I cannot determine for sure if there are any SATA ports on it. But I doubt it judging by the looks of it and the age of the system. You will need an ODD that supports SATA for your new system (if you even want to bother with having an ODD).

turtlefu Wrote:I agree about the optical drive, but it could be helpful installing the OS (or I think I could just fresh format the HDD that currently has the OS on it, the OS might not be tied to the motherboard).

I've installed both windows 7 and windows 8 via a usb flash drive. It is extremely easy to do with modern motherboards. If you have a physical disk you will have to dump it as a .iso first though. But you can do that with your current system beforehand.

turtlefu Wrote:Does it make a difference in Dolphin if games are played from disc or played on the hard drive? I have several Wii games and it would be nice to save space on the HDD by playing from disc.

There are very few ODDs in existence that can play Wii games directly. They are very rare and sell for crazy high prices on ebay. And updating their firmware will remove their ability to read Wii discs properly.

I guarantee that you do not have one of these drives or you would know about it.

You can burn a backup image to a regular DVD after you dump the game onto a HDD or flash storage. And running the game off of that DVD will not affect dolphins performance. However you cannot play the game from Wii disc directly.

turtlefu Wrote:Of course, that might not be a problem because I found a second HDD in the case, that weirdly didn't show up when I looked through the OS, even though it was connected. Or it may have been there, but the Seagate is not the HDD that the OS is stored on anyways. It's 1 TB too!

Good. Were both drives properly connected to both the motherboard and the power supply? Did you check in device manager to make sure the OS is reading it?

If it's not formatted it won't show up in "my computer" since the OS can't read/write files to it yet. But that doesn't mean that the OS isn't detecting it.

turtlefu Wrote:And I heard it's not a good idea to mix memory models.

You heard wrong. Just try to make sure the voltage, latencies, and frequency are the same. Particularly the first two.

turtlefu Wrote:Also, while it may true that there is not a huge difference between 1333 or 1600 MHz RAM, it seems like they cost nearly the same so I see no real reason not to get 1600 MHz RAM.

Only if you're buying new ram to replace the existing ram rather than add to it. Ultimately it doesn't really matter. Your system should downclock the 1600 MHz ram to 1333MHz automatically anyways to match the frequency of all 4 memory modules.

turtlefu Wrote:I can't tell what the case is: it has no brand stamp on it and it doesn't look fancy at all. There is an Antek fan in the front but it may have been purchased separately. Does anyone recognize this at all? I'm not sure if the airflow is good enough, it seems like there is a good amount of room in there, but excuse the cable management, I didn't build this! It's pretty dusty and in not-great shape, but cleaning it might just do the trick.

Where did you get this system from? Is it an OEM or a home built?

turtlefu Wrote:For some reason, the two hard drives were connected to the motherboard through SATA 1.0 ports. The motherboard has SATA 2.0 ports but they were empty. Those two HDD are capable of using SATA 2.0, though, right?

Depends on how old they are. You're unlikely to see much if any difference between SATA I and SATA II on a standard speed HDD though so don't worry too much about it.

turtlefu Wrote:The PSU is an Allied 400W, which is too small for what I want, I think.

Depends on what graphics card you use and how much overclocked you do. Even if it provides enough power I could highly recommend upgrading to a better PSU instead of taking your chances with a no-name brand PSU.

turtlefu Wrote:FYI I took one of the memory modules out and now I can't get it back in...

I'm amazed you knew what the correct term for them is. Nobody ever says "memory modules". They always make something up like "ram sticks" or use an incorrect term. And when you do use the correct term they think you're talking about the RAM ICs.

You can definitely keep the HDDs and the ram to save on cost.

So? My brother has gone from saying 'a ram' to 'a ram stick' (even though that's not what I've told him to do) and even that little bit of progress took weeks of me asking why his friend wanted a male sheep inside his computer.

AnyOldName3 Wrote:and even that little bit of progress took weeks of me asking why his friend wanted a male sheep inside his computer.

Good man. Never stop doing your job as a brother.

AnyOldName3 Wrote:So?

I just thought it was impressive is all. I'm not sure if I've ever seen someone use the correct term online before. I wouldn't know what it was if I hadn't been tutoring someone for their A+ exam and then suddenly realized one day I didn't know what the proper term was.

Sorry for the trouble! I guess I wasn't thinking.

Hard Drives : The Samsung is the OS drive, I'm pretty the Seagate was on the system but it was definitely connected to the motherboard.
Optical Drive connection : Optical drive does not have SATA connection, which means I can't re-use it. But if I can't play Wii games from disc and I can install the OS from USB, then I don't need one anyways. Connection 2: no SATA port
Memory module : I was able to get it back in, just had to be extra careful. In case you can't read: OCZ3G1333LV4GK, 2 GB 9-9-9 @ 1.65V
SATA connections : I was wrong, it seems like the SATA I and SATA II connections are not marked, or they might all be SATA I. Either way, the HDD can definitely use SATA II
The Antec fan : The only way I have to identify the case. I think it might be generic...
The entire case , with the hdd cage removed: I'm not sure if this is good enough for airflow. There is an exhaust funnel that leads to an opening on the side panel right above the heat sink.
The power supply unit : I cropped it to make it easier to read, but 400 W is not enough for an overclocked i5-4670K and a mid-high range graphics card, I think.
Front : No branding, case looks very generic and cheap.

The computer was given to me by a friend, who built it himself as a office computer that could play counterstrike. I received it a couple weeks ago but I haven't used it for anything (I got it to practice taking apart and putting back together computer parts). I haven't cleaned it yet because I don't intend to use it, and today was the first day I opened it. But yeah, my FRIEND certainly didn't clean it, and he didn't bother to untangle the wires either!

RAM: cheapest 4 GB of 1.65V C9 1333 MHz is $39, while I can get 4 GB of 1.65 V C9 1600 MHz for $30. 8 GB of 1.65 V C9 1600 MHz is $60. I don't think I really need to add RAM, it seems more cost-effective to just replace it in the future. And if I did replace RAM, I might as well get something like a DDR3-1600 C8 8 GB set (you used to be able to get a Crucial one for $48...) So it makes more sense for me to use this set and then wait for memory prices to go down.

Like I said, my friend built this computer. I can ask him where he got the case, but knowing him he'll just say "I don't remember".

So yay, I save some money by not needing to buy a hard drive, I already have Windows installed on one (just need to do a fresh format), and I can re-use the RAM. I'm thinking I'll need a new case, though. But still, that saves me at least $100, putting my system thoroughly in-budget!

But, would using SATA II instead of SATA III affect performance that much, gaming wise? (Dolphin or PC gaming) I would probably add an SSD before I add another HDD, but it's just a thought.

Haha, somebody said to me once they needed more "RAM memory" in their computer! They probably got the money to buy it out of their "ATM machine".

turtlefu Wrote:Hard Drives : The Samsung is the OS drive, I'm pretty the Seagate was on the system but it was definitely connected to the motherboard.

Once you get the system hooked up again with both drives go ahead and format the seagate drive from within the OS: http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/107/~/formatting-a-drive-or-device-using-disk-management

Then test it.

Or you can do it on another desktop. It doesn't really matter. If you happen to have an external usb HDD enclosure lying around that will work too.

turtlefu Wrote:Either way, the HDD can definitely use SATA II

How do you know that? Just because it's hooked up to a sata II port doesn't mean it supports SATA II. They're backwards compatible you know.

turtlefu Wrote:The Antec fan : The only way I have to identify the case. I think it might be generic...
The entire case , with the hdd cage removed: I'm not sure if this is good enough for airflow. There is an exhaust funnel that leads to an opening on the side panel right above the heat sink.

I doubt it's an OEM case judging by how roomy it is. You're absolutely sure there is no information anywhere on the inside or outside of the chassis? Not even the company name?

Since you've got a micro-atx motherboard inside a midtower chassis I should have been able to figure out that it was home built. OEMs always try to save as much space as possible.

turtlefu Wrote:The power supply unit : I cropped it to make it easier to read, but 400 W is not enough for an overclocked i5-4670K and a mid-high range graphics card, I think.

Definitely not. Although you would be surprised what you can get away with.

turtlefu Wrote:Front : No branding, case looks very generic and cheap.

Agreed.

turtlefu Wrote:RAM: cheapest 4 GB of 1.65V C9 1333 MHz is $39, while I cant get 4 GB of 1.65 V C9 1600 MHz for $30. 8 GB of 1.65 V C9 1600 MHz is $60.

Get the 4GB 1600 kit. As long as both have the same 9-9-9-24 latency and 1.65v voltage you should be fine. If you want to be super safe boot up the pc with just the 1333MHz kit the first time, go into the UEFI setup and change the frequency from automatic to manual and set it to 1333 MHz. Then shut down/unplug the system and install the 1600 MHz kit alongside the 1333 MHz kit before you reboot.

You probably won't have to do this though.

turtlefu Wrote:I don't think I really need to add RAM, it seems more cost-effective to just replace it in the future. And if I did replace RAM, I might as well get something like a DDR3-1600 C8 8 GB set (you used to be able to get a Crucial one for $48...)

Keep in mind that by the time anything above DDR3 1333MHz is useful for consumer grade cpus DDR4 will be out. So I wouldn't be so sure.

turtlefu Wrote:Like I said, my friend built this computer. I can ask him where he got the case, but knowing him he'll just say "I don't remember".

I would like to know the manufacturer and model, not where he got it from.

turtlefu Wrote:So yay, I save some money by not needing to buy a hard drive, I already have Windows installed on one (just need to do a fresh format), and I can re-use the RAM. I'm thinking I'll need a new case, though. But still, that saves me at least $100, putting my system thoroughly in-budget!

Yeah I would definitely get a new chassis. What's your budget?

I'll have to format the hard drives later, I'm pretty busy. I might be able to do it tomorrow.

I looked up the model numbers of the hard drives online and it says their interface is SATA 3.0Gb/s, which is SATA II.

There is no identifying info on the outside or inside of the case. The only other clue is that the rear fan is "Globe Fan " brand: photo .
(Which still makes little sense because the front fan is Antec brand). It is very possible my friend just got an extremely cheap case from the local MicroCenter, which does have some brandless, generic cases. (Which is why I said "where" because he definitely wouldn't remember the manufacturer)

As for RAM: is DDR4 RAM compatible with the current Z87 motherboards? As it stands, I won't buy more RAM now because the prices have skyrocketed. When they go down I will either buy a 4 GB set of 1333 MHz RAM or buy a new 8 GB set of 1600 MHz RAM. But as for DDR4 RAM...I want to try and make this build as future-proof as possible, will that be a problem?

I started off with a less than $500 budget, now I'm thinking that is unrealistic. I would like to spend no more than $800 but I want as much of a future-proof system as possible. This is the build I am at now: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/19xSM
Intel Core i5-4670K ($200)
CM Hyper 212 EVO ($30)
Thermal Compound: Arctic MX4 ($10)
ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ($150)
Sapphire Radeon 7870 GHz 2GB ($200)
Rosewill BlackHawk ($70)
SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze ($73)
Total: $733

I'm considering spending the extra budget on a Sapphire 7870 XT or a GTX 760 when it comes out. But again, I would like to try to spend as little as I can...

turtlefu Wrote:It is very possible my friend just got an extremely cheap case from the local MicroCenter, which does have some brandless, generic cases.

This makes a lot of sense. Both Globe Fan and Antec provide cheap case fans for a wide range of companies.

turtlefu Wrote:is DDR4 RAM compatible with the current Z87 motherboards? As it stands, I won't buy more RAM now because the prices have skyrocketed. When they go down I will either buy a 4 GB set of 1333 MHz RAM or buy a new 8 GB set of 1600 MHz RAM. But as for DDR4 RAM...I want to try and make this build as future-proof as possible, will that be a problem?

It won't exist until 2014 on servers and 2015 on consumer systems. And no the Z87 chipset and LGA1150 platform won't support it. I'm just trying to point out that haswell is the fastest consumer grade cpu availible right now and DDR3 1333 MHz is plenty for it. So buying a second 4GB kit and running it at 1333 MHz isn't the end of the world. There will be little to no performance hit (0-3% at the most). By the time cpus are fast enough to properly utilize DDR3 1600 MHz ram DDR4 will be the standard memory interface.

Replace the chassis with this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008

I promise you won't regret it.

I love seasonic but I would recommend that you spend a tiny bit extra a get yourself a modular psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

You'll thank me for that one too. It will also give you a bit more power to work with for potential future upgrades.

The rest of your build is perfect. Confirm that you have enough power using this power calculator: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

I prefer nvidia cards myself but to each his own. 7870 GHz, GTX 660, and GTX 760 are all great choices.