Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

I'm relatively new to Dolphin, but have been emulating for a long time. I've avoided GC/Wii emulation in the past due to the HW reqs and having the consoles readily available, however my recent obsession with having a complete XBMC/RCB setup combined with an aging E6850-based HTPC and the desire for enhanced resolution has lead me here.

I'm sure everyone has seen enough build threads come through here, however I'd love some feedback before I pull the trigger - so I'll try to keep it brief.

CPU: Intel G3258 3.2GHz (will OC)
MB: Asrock Z97E ITX
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X (2 x 4GB-1600)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB
PS: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Modular (SFX)
HDD: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini-ITX
Heatsync: Noctua NH-L9i
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ZPB4D

I'm looking to find that sweet spot (~$600) that will handle 2.5 to 3x IR on most games without having to build a full gaming PC (this will be an emulation/HTPC exclusively). I thought I'd give an OC'd G3258 a chance before I shell out the extra $$ for a i5-4690K/i7-4790K, which I'm assuming my choice in MB will allow for a swap down the road if need be. Can I expect reasonable performance on LOZ:TP and other graphically intensive games?

The same applies for the GPU; I would like to test the waters before I go balls out with a 970. I'm assuming the 750 Ti is still a reasonable balance in price/performance for discrete graphics? I considered either the i3-4330 or i5-4690K and sticking with the Intel HD 4600, however everything I've read here seems to point that the 750 Ti is a small price to pay for the added performance over the integrated graphics (right?).

I typically build with Kingston HyperX Fury or Corsair Vengeance memory, however I'm seeing a predominate use of Ripjaws X here - is this general preference, price or just better received for these OC builds?

I'm debating between the Silverstone RVZ01B and the FT03B-MINI cases; I like the console-like appearance of the RVZ01B, however the exclusive use of SFX power supplies seems quite limiting. The FT03B is slick looking display piece, but I need to like my devices to lay flat in my media center. Has anyone used either of these? I'd like to make sure I can OC with respectable temps and reasonably low noise (which the Noctua NH-L9i can handle?).

Thank you in advance for your patience and any assistance you can provide.

The Pentium G3258 is more than enough for Dolphin. Some of us rate it as 3rd best CPU for Dolphin (i7-4790K and the i5-4690K being the top 2) since it can OC quite high, and its price is stellar in comparison to the competition (even among other Intel CPUs). In user tests, no one's had a problem with the CPU itself being too slow.

As for wanting to play LoZ:TP, be sure to use the latest development builds. Hyrule Field get progressively more demanding, and it can even bring down the best systems Dolphin can run on. Thankfully, the latest development versions have a patch that works around the performance issue (for the most part), and the latest builds themselves are always getting faster.

About the GPU, the GTX 750 Ti should be more than fine. Fwiw, I'm still hanging in there with my GTX 550 Ti (3x IR for everything). An Intel HD 4600 can do 2x IR in most games, and 3x IR in a number of games, but if you want to add things like AA, then you would do well to go with a dedicated GPU.

Dolphin doesn't really care about what kind of memory you have, so long as you have enough of it, so I won't comment on that. I'd just go for whatever is 1) within your budget and 2) has the best reviews. I can't comment on cases either, unfortunately. Hope this helps.

Worth the $50 savings to drop down from the GTX 750 Ti to the GTX 750?

EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB ($139.99)
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 750 2GB ($89.99)

No, the Ti variant is stronger, and in my opinion, definitely worth it.

(12-10-2014, 06:01 AM)KHg8m3r Wrote: [ -> ]No, the Ti variant is stronger, and in my opinion, definitely worth it.

A further look into the benchmark data leads me to agree with you - thanks for the verification.

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(12-09-2014, 02:23 PM)Shonumi Wrote: [ -> ]The Pentium G3258 is more than enough for Dolphin. Some of us rate it as 3rd best CPU for Dolphin (i7-4790K and the i5-4690K being the top 2) since it can OC quite high, and its price is stellar in comparison to the competition (even among other Intel CPUs). In user tests, no one's had a problem with the CPU itself being too slow.

I appreciate the quick reply! I gathered this was the case based on the various threads on the subject; at $55 AND the ability to utilize the same mobo as the i5/i7 counterparts, it seems like a deal too good to be true (but one which I'll happily take advantage of). I'm thankful I wandered here, otherwise I'd have undoubtedly spend more $$ than was necessary (not to say the i5/i7 wouldn't be worth it).

Quote:As for wanting to play LoZ:TP, be sure to use the latest development builds. Hyrule Field get progressively more demanding, and it can even bring down the best systems Dolphin can run on. Thankfully, the latest development versions have a patch that works around the performance issue (for the most part), and the latest builds themselves are always getting faster.

Based on previous discussions and attempts to emulate LoZ:TP, I'd expected to have to drag out the console(s) for the more intensive games. I'm glad to see these patches are making a significant improvement - I look forward to trying them out.

Quote:About the GPU, the GTX 750 Ti should be more than fine. Fwiw, I'm still hanging in there with my GTX 550 Ti (3x IR for everything). An Intel HD 4600 can do 2x IR in most games, and 3x IR in a number of games, but if you want to add things like AA, then you would do well to go with a dedicated GPU.

Good to know the the 550 Ti is still kicking.. it's quite impressive how well the HD 4600 performs in these situations. It really makes me look forward to Skybridge next year (another reason for keeping the price point low).

Quote:Dolphin doesn't really care about what kind of memory you have, so long as you have enough of it, so I won't comment on that. I'd just go for whatever is 1) within your budget and 2) has the best reviews. I can't comment on cases either, unfortunately. Hope this helps.

Figured as much. The specs on the G.Skill look good, so I'll venture out and try something new.

I'll go ahead and pull the trigger on a few of the components and wait to see if I get any more responses on the rest of the build. Thanks again Shonumi!

Updating post with final build for future RVZ01B/ML07 builders to reference:

CPU: Intel i5-4690k 3.5GHz
MB: Asus Z97I-PLUS Mini-ITX
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X (2 x 4GB-1600)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Windforce
PS: Silverstone SX600-G 600W Gold Modular (SFX)
HDD1: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD
HDD2: WD Green 5400K 2TB 3.5"
Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini-ITX
Heatsync: Thermalright AXP-100 with Noctua NF-F12 PWM
Paste: Arctic Cooling MX4
Casefans: 2 x Noctua NF-S12A ULN
Filters: 3 x Silverstone FF123B Magnetic Fan Filters
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pkPwjX

After deciding that I'll also be doing PC gaming on the box (Steam), I ended up going with a pricier build. The proc was swapped out with the 4950k for slightly better performance (negligible I know). The mobo was swapped for the ASUS due to a) better CPU placement in the RVZ01B with regard to the heatsync and b) the ability to change boot logo for a more "appliance-like" feel.

GPU changed to the Gigabyte card; slightly lower performance than the EVGA, but it runs cooler and quieter.

Changed the ram to the F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM (blue) versus the F3-12800CL8D-8GBXL (red) for the marginally better timing and latency (only a $5 add). If I end up not having enough clearance with the CPU cooler, I'll change to the lower profile Kingston HyperX Fury.

Swapped the single 7200K drive for the Samsung 850 EVO and a 2TB WD green. I wanted quicker boot times and PC gaming speeds, while having a quieter 5400K drive for use with ROMs and other media (despite most running off NAS). The 850 EVO *just* came out, so I figured I'd give it a go.

Changed the power supply to the newer SX600-G due to its semi-fanless operation, which runs fanless under 45c and quieter under load than the 450W.

I debated heavily over the heatsync due to the less than optimal cooling values of the Noctua NH-l9i in a SFF case. After scrubbing 268+ pages of the RVZ01B/ML07 owners thread at oc.net (http://www.overclock.net/t/1466816/silve...wners-club) I found the top contenders for air cooling were the Noctua NH-L12, Silverstone NT06 Pro, Scythe Shuriken 2 Rev. B and Thermalright AXP-100. The Thermalright AXP-100 won out due to the ability to replace the stock 120x120x14 fan with a 120x120x25 static air fan (I chose the Noctua NF-F12 PWM) which will provide excellent cooling. The other coolers were either too noisy (NT06PRO) or limited due to space. I opted out of water cooling for simplicity sake and known concern with kinked hoses in this case.