Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

Hi, I've currently got a laptop with the following specs:

Windows 8.1 Pro
Intel i7-2670QM 2.2GHz (typically turbos to 2.8 while playing Dolphin)
6GB RAM
Nvidia GT 540M
256GB SSD (Samsung 840 EVO)

Unfortunately this laptop is now dead due to a motherboard/power control issue, so I am stuck buying a new one, which is a shame because this laptop did exceptionally well running dolphin. I've tried to find a new laptop that will be the same or better and have run into two options. First is a decent price Lenovo Y40 with the newer i7-4510U processors, which to me don't look like they're as powerful as the old i7 I had at all, as well as 8GB RAM, and a R9 m275 2GB. Hard drive will be the same as the old laptop since I'll be switching it in.

What concerns me with this laptop is the fact that it's a ULV processor and the cores/threads aren't the same as the i7 I used to have. The ULV one supposedly has a higher single-core performance, but with only two cores I would wonder whether or not this would be seen as an "upgrade" for Dolphin? I typically use all the multi-core rendering options that are available. This laptop is a good deal at $780 and I can get it within a week.

The second option is the older Y410p, it's $60 more expensive but literally a few dollars short of my absolute maximum budget. It's got the higher end i7-4700MQ, same RAM, and a GT 755M (there is an optional optical bay GPU that will allow dual 755Ms in SLI mode, but I hear those are hard to find and have major temperature control issues). The i7-4700MQ is a clear upgrade over the i7 since the threads and cores are the same, and the efficiency and power is better, but the laptop is on backorder and may not get to me for a month or more, and the graphics are significantly weaker.

My question is will the i7-4210U be enough to run Wii and GC games at full speed? I don't care about graphical effects as much as long as it runs full speed on the lowest settings without any frame drops or input lag. My old laptop did this perfectly except on a small minority of Wii games (Xenoblade and Skyward Sword), but even then it was good enough to where it didn't hinder gameplay. I want to go for the cheaper option with better graphics for other non-dolphin games, but the extra graphics is not worth it if I can't play Wii and GC games. This is a very weird situation for me, two years ago I paid $700 for my laptop and now it seems $800 might not even get me the same level of processing power!

I tried looking for some benchmark results and found a spreadsheet, but it's got hardly anything on it in terms of mobile processors and doesn't seem to have included the most recent ones. Help is appreciated, thanks!

Out of those I would go for the one with the i7-4700mq however atm none of those laptops with run all GC + Wii Games at full speed constantly. I have seen a particular gaming laptop recommended on this forum designed for more intensive use for programs like dolphin:

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268-clev...-6986.html

These sort of laptops are suggested because they are better at managing heat than standard office/multimedia laptops.

its recommended to choose the 4810mq or higher for the best performance and to choose the copper cooling upgrading option along with ICD compound.

You could choose the i7 (assuming the 4510U?) one but you may have some games that will not run full speed i think the games you mentioned are likely to run full speed though

If you have to pick out of those 3 get the i7 - 4700mq one.

I have no doubts the 4700MQ will run to my expectations as it's more powerful than what I currently have. While the laptop you linked me to is nice, it's not a very good deal at all. If I'm about to spend that kind of money (which I cant, but hypothetically), I would just as soon get an ASUS ROG, they're much more reputable than Sager.

If the 100MHz is really that big a deal, I can always upgrade the Lenovo's processor at a later date as the MQs are PGA. I wouldn't be limited to the 4710 either, I could go all the way to a 4910MQ if necessary, which is a much more reasonable .5GHz bump with no TDP change. I doubt it'll be needed though. My main concern is how will the U variant fare? Has anyone tried using them and gotten a playable 30fps on those games?

Quote:ASUS ROG, they're much more reputable than Sager

Not sure about that . Asus uses OEM thermal compound on some gaming laptop models
OEM TC doesn't last long like aftermarket one and it will cause overheating when your laptop is at full load
Sager is customizable laptop . You can choose "IC diamond 7 carat" or "CPU cooling upgrade" . You can't do the same thing with Asus
Not to mention , Sager uses higher quality components

Quote: I can always upgrade the Lenovo's processor at a later date as the MQs are PGA. I wouldn't be limited to the 4710 either, I could go all the way to a 4910MQ if necessary, which is a much more reasonable

All Lenovo laptops are multi-media laptop , not gaming laptop . Gaming laptop must have 2 big fansink to dissipate the heat from both CPU and GPU , multi-media laptop only has one
i7 4910MQ is powerful but if your laptop cooling units are not good enough then the CPU and GPU will throttle . As a result , you will lose performance greatly
The U stands for Ultra low voltage CPU which is weaker than a normal CPU . There is no such thing as i7-4210U , it's i5-4210U . All ultra low voltage CPUs are not recommended for Dolphin . i5 4210U is slower than i3 4100M
Ultra low voltage CPUs are not designed for running at maximum but for saving battery life by underclocking itself . Never expect any good performance out of a low clock speed CPU anyway

It's a bit harsh to say that all ULV CPUs won't perform well with Dolphin, especially now that there are models (like the i5-4510U) that have a minimum frequency of 2 GHz. Dolphin has gotten much faster in the past month alone (something like 26 or 28%). I've downclocked my i5-2500K to 2.3GHz and most of my library runs without issue, so an i5-4510 would do even better, even with thermal throttling. The thing to remember is that it all really depends on which games you want to play. Unfortunately, I doubt even any ULV models will suffice for SMG 1 or 2.

@OP, I have to advise against getting an ULV CPU in this case. If the price difference is just $60 for the i7-4700MQ (or anything better) just wait until you have the money and the model becomes available. Better to wait than buy early and have something that doesn't meet your expectations.

If you want a light-weight gaming laptop , just get the laptop that has built-in i7 4750HQ . It has integrated GPU Intel HD 5200 Iris Pro which is the strongest iGPU atm . It's on par with Nvidia GT 650M
Integrated GPU doesn't add extra wattage like discrete GPU . Power consumption is low , you won't need decent cooling units for it .
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2740-clev...-6201.html

(09-08-2014, 08:10 AM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]

Quote:ASUS ROG, they're much more reputable than Sager

Not sure about that . Asus uses OEM thermal compound on some gaming laptop models
OEM TC doesn't last long like aftermarket one and it will cause overheating when your laptop is at full load
Sager is customizable laptop . You can choose "IC diamond 7 carat" or "CPU cooling upgrade" . You can't do the same thing with Asus
Not to mention , Sager uses higher quality components

Quote: I can always upgrade the Lenovo's processor at a later date as the MQs are PGA. I wouldn't be limited to the 4710 either, I could go all the way to a 4910MQ if necessary, which is a much more reasonable

All Lenovo laptops are multi-media laptop , not gaming laptop . Gaming laptop must have 2 big fansink to dissipate the heat from both CPU and GPU , multi-media laptop only has one
i7 4910MQ is powerful but if your laptop cooling units are not good enough then the CPU and GPU will throttle . As a result , you will lose performance greatly
The U stands for Ultra low voltage CPU which is weaker than a normal CPU . There is no such thing as i7-4210U , it's i5-4210U . All ultra low voltage CPUs are not recommended for Dolphin . i5 4210U is slower than i3 4100M
Ultra low voltage CPUs are not designed for running at maximum but for saving battery life by underclocking itself . Never expect any good performance out of a low clock speed CPU anyway

Thanks for your input. I mistakenly said i7-4210U when I meant i7-4510U. I am aware there is no i7-4210U

I understand cooling is a concern, and I'm willing to reapply the thermal compound myself if necessary with AS 5, but to be completely honest I've never had a problem because I typically use an oversize laptop cooler when gaming, and the Lenovo y410p may not have dual fans and vents, but the one it has is huge, the size of an optical drive. Speaking of, I can also swap out the optical drive for a second fan if I desire, so I have a fallback if it starts running too hot (Alternatively, I can install a second GPU for an SLI laptop if I find the cooling is sufficient, though they are costly and hard to find so I probably wont bother).

You sure about the Sagers? I was told they were garbage by more than a few of my friends who also have gaming laptops, so forgive me if I take what you're saying with a grain of salt.

Thanks for your input on the ULVs, I will not be getting one. I prefer quad cores anyway, I do a lot of multitasking

(09-08-2014, 08:25 AM)Shonumi Wrote: [ -> ]It's a bit harsh to say that all ULV CPUs won't perform well with Dolphin, especially now that there are models (like the i5-4510U) that have a minimum frequency of 2 GHz. Dolphin has gotten much faster in the past month alone (something like 26 or 28%). I've downclocked my i5-2500K to 2.3GHz and most of my library runs without issue, so an i5-4510 would do even better, even with thermal throttling. The thing to remember is that it all really depends on which games you want to play. Unfortunately, I doubt even any ULV models will suffice for SMG 1 or 2.

@OP, I have to advise against getting an ULV CPU in this case. If the price difference is just $60 for the i7-4700MQ (or anything better) just wait until you have the money and the model becomes available. Better to wait than buy early and have something that doesn't meet your expectations.

Yes, the price is only $60 more and I can afford it now, it's just being on backorder and not knowing when it will ship that's the issue. I will go for it though, guess the wait is worth it for such a massive performance gain.

(09-08-2014, 08:39 AM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]If you want a light-weight gaming laptop , just get the laptop that has built-in i7 4750HQ . It has integrated GPU Intel HD 5200 Iris Pro which is the strongest iGPU atm . It's on par with Nvidia GT 650M
Integrated GPU doesn't add extra wattage like discrete GPU . Power consumption is low , you won't need decent cooling units for it .
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2740-clev...-6201.html

Don't know if you paid any attention to my budget when looking at that, but I don't have that kind of money. The 410P is only a few dollars short of my max budget after tax ($835) so $780 before tax). No way I can spend an extra $170, especially not for something with no dedicated graphics (Iris Pro is not good enough yet for the rest of my gaming needs). If you want to give me more recommendations I'll gladly listen, but only to what's within my budget.

(09-08-2014, 02:51 PM)ThePokeman92 Wrote: [ -> ]

Spoiler:

(09-08-2014, 08:10 AM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]

Quote:ASUS ROG, they're much more reputable than Sager

Not sure about that . Asus uses OEM thermal compound on some gaming laptop models
OEM TC doesn't last long like aftermarket one and it will cause overheating when your laptop is at full load
Sager is customizable laptop . You can choose "IC diamond 7 carat" or "CPU cooling upgrade" . You can't do the same thing with Asus
Not to mention , Sager uses higher quality components

Quote: I can always upgrade the Lenovo's processor at a later date as the MQs are PGA. I wouldn't be limited to the 4710 either, I could go all the way to a 4910MQ if necessary, which is a much more reasonable

All Lenovo laptops are multi-media laptop , not gaming laptop . Gaming laptop must have 2 big fansink to dissipate the heat from both CPU and GPU , multi-media laptop only has one
i7 4910MQ is powerful but if your laptop cooling units are not good enough then the CPU and GPU will throttle . As a result , you will lose performance greatly
The U stands for Ultra low voltage CPU which is weaker than a normal CPU . There is no such thing as i7-4210U , it's i5-4210U . All ultra low voltage CPUs are not recommended for Dolphin . i5 4210U is slower than i3 4100M
Ultra low voltage CPUs are not designed for running at maximum but for saving battery life by underclocking itself . Never expect any good performance out of a low clock speed CPU anyway

Thanks for your input. I mistakenly said i7-4210U when I meant i7-4510U. I am aware there is no i7-4210U

I understand cooling is a concern, and I'm willing to reapply the thermal compound myself if necessary with AS 5, but to be completely honest I've never had a problem because I typically use an oversize laptop cooler when gaming, and the Lenovo y410p may not have dual fans and vents, but the one it has is huge, the size of an optical drive. Speaking of, I can also swap out the optical drive for a second fan if I desire, so I have a fallback if it starts running too hot (Alternatively, I can install a second GPU for an SLI laptop if I find the cooling is sufficient, though they are costly and hard to find so I probably wont bother).

Applying thermal paste to the Asus is not that hard, and is recommended to help keep temperatures down and prolong CPU life.

Cooling pads are more or less snake oil, as they only help push the air already outside the laptop. And the problem with the y410p is not that it only has 1 fan/vent, the CPU and CPU share a heatsink. Why is this bad? Because when the CPU or GPU is put under a massive load, then they are sharing this output of heat on one heatsink inside the laptop before it reaches the fan, causing thermal throttling.

(09-08-2014, 02:51 PM)ThePokeman92 Wrote: [ -> ]You sure about the Sagers? I was told they were garbage by more than a few of my friends who also have gaming laptops, so forgive me if I take what you're saying with a grain of salt.

My friend, my dad, and myself have been happy Sager users for over a year now Fantastic build quality, and great for Dolphin and PC gaming.

(09-08-2014, 02:51 PM)ThePokeman92 Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for your input on the ULVs, I will not be getting one. I prefer quad cores anyway, I do a lot of multitasking

Spoiler:

(09-08-2014, 08:25 AM)Shonumi Wrote: [ -> ]It's a bit harsh to say that all ULV CPUs won't perform well with Dolphin, especially now that there are models (like the i5-4510U) that have a minimum frequency of 2 GHz. Dolphin has gotten much faster in the past month alone (something like 26 or 28%). I've downclocked my i5-2500K to 2.3GHz and most of my library runs without issue, so an i5-4510 would do even better, even with thermal throttling. The thing to remember is that it all really depends on which games you want to play. Unfortunately, I doubt even any ULV models will suffice for SMG 1 or 2.

@OP, I have to advise against getting an ULV CPU in this case. If the price difference is just $60 for the i7-4700MQ (or anything better) just wait until you have the money and the model becomes available. Better to wait than buy early and have something that doesn't meet your expectations.

Yes, the price is only $60 more and I can afford it now, it's just being on backorder and not knowing when it will ship that's the issue. I will go for it though, guess the wait is worth it for such a massive performance gain.

Spoiler:

(09-08-2014, 08:39 AM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]If you want a light-weight gaming laptop , just get the laptop that has built-in i7 4750HQ . It has integrated GPU Intel HD 5200 Iris Pro which is the strongest iGPU atm . It's on par with Nvidia GT 650M
Integrated GPU doesn't add extra wattage like discrete GPU . Power consumption is low , you won't need decent cooling units for it .
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2740-clev...-6201.html

Don't know if you paid any attention to my budget when looking at that, but I don't have that kind of money. The 410P is only a few dollars short of my max budget after tax ($835) so $780 before tax). No way I can spend an extra $170, especially not for something with no dedicated graphics (Iris Pro is not good enough yet for the rest of my gaming needs). If you want to give me more recommendations I'll gladly listen, but only to what's within my budget.

$835/780 will get you nowhere in the world of a decent gaming laptop. To have the best experience, you will either need to raise your budget or build a desktop.
And as for meeting your gaming needs, this one should do fine, at $891: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6658-clev...-6994.html Yes, it does go against what I just said about dual heatsinks being a must, but it is the cheapest gaming computer with a dedicated card (the Maxwell GTX 850M, which puts it a bit below my GTX 770M). You can play Dolphin at around 2-3x IR using the Intel HD 4600, and then use the GTX 850M to play PC games.

For the best experience, this is a baseline price for a proper gaming laptop, $1279: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268s-cle...-6987.html Dual heatsinks and a GTX 870M will dominate for years to come. You should really save up more and go for this one.

OR

Go the route of a desktop for $769/$709 after rebates: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CFBcBm That's the i5-4670K with a GTX 760. And then if you want something to be mobile with you can get a cheap Windows 8 tablet or something if that's something important.

(09-08-2014, 05:28 PM)KHg8m3r Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-08-2014, 02:51 PM)ThePokeman92 Wrote: [ -> ]

Spoiler:

(09-08-2014, 08:10 AM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]

Quote:ASUS ROG, they're much more reputable than Sager

Not sure about that . Asus uses OEM thermal compound on some gaming laptop models
OEM TC doesn't last long like aftermarket one and it will cause overheating when your laptop is at full load
Sager is customizable laptop . You can choose "IC diamond 7 carat" or "CPU cooling upgrade" . You can't do the same thing with Asus
Not to mention , Sager uses higher quality components

Quote: I can always upgrade the Lenovo's processor at a later date as the MQs are PGA. I wouldn't be limited to the 4710 either, I could go all the way to a 4910MQ if necessary, which is a much more reasonable

All Lenovo laptops are multi-media laptop , not gaming laptop . Gaming laptop must have 2 big fansink to dissipate the heat from both CPU and GPU , multi-media laptop only has one
i7 4910MQ is powerful but if your laptop cooling units are not good enough then the CPU and GPU will throttle . As a result , you will lose performance greatly
The U stands for Ultra low voltage CPU which is weaker than a normal CPU . There is no such thing as i7-4210U , it's i5-4210U . All ultra low voltage CPUs are not recommended for Dolphin . i5 4210U is slower than i3 4100M
Ultra low voltage CPUs are not designed for running at maximum but for saving battery life by underclocking itself . Never expect any good performance out of a low clock speed CPU anyway

Thanks for your input. I mistakenly said i7-4210U when I meant i7-4510U. I am aware there is no i7-4210U

I understand cooling is a concern, and I'm willing to reapply the thermal compound myself if necessary with AS 5, but to be completely honest I've never had a problem because I typically use an oversize laptop cooler when gaming, and the Lenovo y410p may not have dual fans and vents, but the one it has is huge, the size of an optical drive. Speaking of, I can also swap out the optical drive for a second fan if I desire, so I have a fallback if it starts running too hot (Alternatively, I can install a second GPU for an SLI laptop if I find the cooling is sufficient, though they are costly and hard to find so I probably wont bother).

Applying thermal paste to the Asus is not that hard, and is recommended to help keep temperatures down and prolong CPU life.

Cooling pads are more or less snake oil, as they only help push the air already outside the laptop. And the problem with the y410p is not that it only has 1 fan/vent, the CPU and CPU share a heatsink. Why is this bad? Because when the CPU or GPU is put under a massive load, then they are sharing this output of heat on one heatsink inside the laptop before it reaches the fan, causing thermal throttling.

(09-08-2014, 02:51 PM)ThePokeman92 Wrote: [ -> ]You sure about the Sagers? I was told they were garbage by more than a few of my friends who also have gaming laptops, so forgive me if I take what you're saying with a grain of salt.

My friend, my dad, and myself have been happy Sager users for over a year now Fantastic build quality, and great for Dolphin and PC gaming.

(09-08-2014, 02:51 PM)ThePokeman92 Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for your input on the ULVs, I will not be getting one. I prefer quad cores anyway, I do a lot of multitasking

Spoiler:

(09-08-2014, 08:25 AM)Shonumi Wrote: [ -> ]It's a bit harsh to say that all ULV CPUs won't perform well with Dolphin, especially now that there are models (like the i5-4510U) that have a minimum frequency of 2 GHz. Dolphin has gotten much faster in the past month alone (something like 26 or 28%). I've downclocked my i5-2500K to 2.3GHz and most of my library runs without issue, so an i5-4510 would do even better, even with thermal throttling. The thing to remember is that it all really depends on which games you want to play. Unfortunately, I doubt even any ULV models will suffice for SMG 1 or 2.

@OP, I have to advise against getting an ULV CPU in this case. If the price difference is just $60 for the i7-4700MQ (or anything better) just wait until you have the money and the model becomes available. Better to wait than buy early and have something that doesn't meet your expectations.

Yes, the price is only $60 more and I can afford it now, it's just being on backorder and not knowing when it will ship that's the issue. I will go for it though, guess the wait is worth it for such a massive performance gain.

Spoiler:

(09-08-2014, 08:39 AM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]If you want a light-weight gaming laptop , just get the laptop that has built-in i7 4750HQ . It has integrated GPU Intel HD 5200 Iris Pro which is the strongest iGPU atm . It's on par with Nvidia GT 650M
Integrated GPU doesn't add extra wattage like discrete GPU . Power consumption is low , you won't need decent cooling units for it .
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2740-clev...-6201.html

Don't know if you paid any attention to my budget when looking at that, but I don't have that kind of money. The 410P is only a few dollars short of my max budget after tax ($835) so $780 before tax). No way I can spend an extra $170, especially not for something with no dedicated graphics (Iris Pro is not good enough yet for the rest of my gaming needs). If you want to give me more recommendations I'll gladly listen, but only to what's within my budget.

$835/780 will get you nowhere in the world of a decent gaming laptop. To have the best experience, you will either need to raise your budget or build a desktop.
And as for meeting your gaming needs, this one should do fine, at $891: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6658-clev...-6994.html Yes, it does go against what I just said about dual heatsinks being a must, but it is the cheapest gaming computer with a dedicated card (the Maxwell GTX 850M, which puts it a bit below my GTX 770M). You can play Dolphin at around 2-3x IR using the Intel HD 4600, and then use the GTX 850M to play PC games.

For the best experience, this is a baseline price for a proper gaming laptop, $1279: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268s-cle...-6987.html Dual heatsinks and a GTX 870M will dominate for years to come. You should really save up more and go for this one.

OR

Go the route of a desktop for $769/$709 after rebates: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CFBcBm That's the i5-4670K with a GTX 760. And then if you want something to be mobile with you can get a cheap Windows 8 tablet or something if that's something important.

Hey, I completely understand what you're saying about the gaming performance and the fan thing, but seriously I don't over clockor push things to the absolute max. I just want 1 iIR in Dolphin playable fps. Same with games, I don't need max settings, I just want playable. Intel graphics won't cut it, but moderate midrange gpus will. I have realistic expectations of the 755M,not like I'm expecting 1080p ultra or anything especially since the screen on this laptop will be 900p I've already got a desktop for the hard-core stuff. The issue with spending more is I simply don't have it. My laptop happened to die at the worst possible time, just as school started, so it's buy now and buy the best I can afford.

Good to know about sager though, next time I'm in the market for a real gaming laptop I'll consider them. For now though I just need the best for $850. Can't do the one you linked me sadly, for one thing it's gone up 30 since you posted, and for another it doesn't include an os, so that's another 50 would have to spend. Appreciate the help though. If you've got any suggestions strictly under my budget I'd love to hear it, otherwise I do have to go with the lenovo tomorrow.

Just get the lenovo you will still have a decent laptop that can play a number of games very well, enjoy