Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

Hello and thank you for this awesome emulator, I've been dying for a chance to build my first pc build from the ground up the problem is that I don't know that much about choosing hardware. Upon reading some threads this one https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-fixing-to-upgrade seems to be great with a few minor changes(*). I don't plan on overclocking until I get the GPU as for Micro Center it is to far away. The games I want to run full speed/close to full speed (when I have the GPU) are Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3, SSBB, and Super Mario Galaxy 1-2.

Current budget: $126.00(amazon)+$593.00=$719.00

i7 4790k (340$)
Asrock Z97 Pro4(110$)
*no GPU (not enough $ yet)
CM Hyper 212 Evo (35$)
Gskill Ripjaws X Series 2x4GB 1600MHz (80$)
Arctic MX-4 (10$)
*Silver Stone USB 3.0 case (37$) (is this the correct size?)
EVGA 600W 80 PLUS BRONZE (65$)
***already own a 2TB hard drive (just got to reformat it)

Total: $667.00 (no GPU & no Hard Drive)


(Final Edit)

*i5 4690k (240$)
*ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard combo (Save $80.00 when purchased together i5 4690k) ($134.99-$80 = $54.99)
*ASUS DirectCU II Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 CrossFireX ($10 less with promo code, via Newegg) ($199.99-$10=$189.99)
CM Hyper 212 Evo (Amazon $31.10)
Gskill Ripjaws X Series 2x4GB 1600MHz (Amazon $88.97)
Arctic MX-4 ($9.99)
*Silver Stone USB 3.0 case ($34.99) (bought the wrong case)
*Ultra Etorque X1 Mid-Tower Gaming Case ($43 @tigerdirect)
EVGA 600W 80 PLUS BRONZE ($59.99)
***already own a 2TB hard drive (just got to reformat it)
+Super Eggsaver (4-7 bus. days) ($7.99)
+1 x GIFT AMD SILVER 2 GAMES 2014 (free $100.00 value)

Total: $715.02 (***no Hard Drive)
(Edit Solved) any suggestions on the GPU

(07-04-2014, 12:17 AM)jkpwed Wrote: [ -> ]Hello and thank you for this awesome emulator, I've been dying for a chance to build my first pc build from the ground up the problem is that I don't know that much about choosing hardware. Upon reading some threads this one https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-fixing-to-upgrade seems to be great with a few minor changes(*). I don't plan on overclocking until I get the GPU as for Micro Center it is to far away. The games I want to run full speed/close to full speed (when I have the GPU) are Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3, SSBB, and Super Mario Galaxy 1-2.

Current budget: $126.00(amazon)+$593.00=$719.00

i7 4790k (340$)
Asrock Z97 Pro4(110$)
*no GPU (not enough $ yet)
CM Hyper 212 Evo (35$)
Gskill Ripjaws X Series 2x4GB 1600MHz (80$)
Arctic MX-4 (10$)
*Silver Stone USB 3.0 case (37$) (is this the correct size?)
EVGA 600W 80 PLUS BRONZE (65$)
***already own a 2TB hard drive (just got to reformat it)

Total: $667.00 (no GPU & no Hard Drive)

You can dowgrade the cpu to a i5 4690k to have money for the GPU, i7 is useless for dolphin

Thanks I'll start searching for more post for the GPU.

(07-04-2014, 12:27 AM)jkpwed Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks I'll start searching for more post for the GPU.

Alse if you are not going to have lots of programs open or apps that need a lot of ram u can buy 4GB becoz it is enough for dolphin

Will 4gb ram be enough I don't want to slow down the system.

(07-04-2014, 12:44 AM)jkpwed Wrote: [ -> ]Will 4gb ram be enough I don't want to slow down the system.

Unless you open lots of apps or use thing that need lots of ram like virtualization, yes. You can also buy now 4GB and a GPU and then if you need buy another stick to have 8GB

Thanks I'll Edit the 1st post agien

SAPPHIRE DUAL-X Radeon R7 265 (150$ via Newegg) should be good at that price range .With 179.2GB/sec Memory Bandwidth , High Internal resolution such as 3x or 4x (no AA) shouldn't be a problem at all
Use extra money to buy another 4GB stick (2x4GB dual channel)

Thanks I'll edit the 1st post

You have a nice build there for the budget, but if I were you I still wouldn't expect some of those games to run at full speed all the time. You'll never know how intense the emulation can get and having the expectation of 100% speed all the time will disappoint you. Depends on your settings too, if you're a graphics whore like me then you'll love to have max/close to max GFX settings and that may cause hiccups too.

To address your question about the case size, the motherboard you will get has an ATX form factor, so any case that is ATX Mid and up would be fine. Since your PSU is not modular you should keep that in mind as you pick a case. You'll be shoving a bunch of excess cords either behind the case or in a corner of the case. My last build I had the same situation with a Corsair GS600. All the extra cords took up a lot of space, and as a result they slightly obstructed ventilation and picked up a lot of dust as well.

If you want to look at some modular PSUs, here are a couple at around the same price range and in the 600W range as well:
Corsair CX600M: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6817139048
Raidmax RX-635AP: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6817152046