Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1uq9x

Currently running with on board graphics only - isn't quite cutting it.

After being suggested a gtx 650 ti boost or a gtx 660 (from the good people here) to run dolphin at 4x IR, I've decided to go with the 650 as if it'll do the job, it's significantly cheaper.

My question is 1GB or 2GB? I've tried reading up and educating myself but it's hard to get a straight answer on how that will actually affect performance.

I guess if 1GB will do this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814127731 will probably be my option.

If 1GB s not enough: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814130910

Anyone care to critique my choices, inform me about the difference between graphics memory that would be much appreciated.

Also, which is the best manufacturer to go with?

Additional info, the graphics card is going to be the only part of my PC that I'm buying purely for dolphin. If it wasn't for dolphin I probably would stick with integrated graphics or get something much cheaper.

JT! Wrote:My question is 1GB or 2GB? I've tried reading up and educating myself but it's hard to get a straight answer on how that will actually affect performance.

At your resolution for dolphin it won't make any difference. For most PC games it won't make any difference. For some PC games it can reduce stuttering and/or boost framerates by varying amounts depending on the game (it's usually a small difference though).

2GB will likely be needed to run future games at max texture quality, geometry quality/draw distance, and resolution smoothly. And it's needed to run some heavily modded games smoothly (skyrim or GTA 4 with HD texture packs for example). And to run games at ultra HD or triple monitor resolutions smoothly.

JT! Wrote:Also, which is the best manufacturer to go with?

Most manufacturers are solid these days. MSI, EVGA, gigabyte, asus, and pny are all good. Avoid galaxy and ecs. Zotac is hit or miss depending on the card.

EVGA tends to offer the best warranty and customer support. MSI, gigabyte, and asus tend to offer the best cooling and clock rates. I prefer EVGA myself.

Thanks, I'll stick with 1gb for now then. So long as I can max out dolphin's IR to 4x that'll do me just fine.