Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

i can get an asus with an i3 quad core 2.5ghz processor 4GB ram and 500GB hard drive 

In some games will be lagging. I have 2.7 GHz processor and it still lags. Processor must be stroger but RAM is excellent.

There are no Core i3 processors that are quad core. That is a dual core CPU that is hyperthreaded(2 threads per core), so it has 4 "logical" processing cores but only 2 physical cores...unless Intel released a true quad core i3 in the last month or so that I'm unaware of(doubtful). Dolphin can only utilize 2 cores anyway so it doesn't really matter much, I'm just being technical

I would need to see the entire laptop specs and model to make a more accurate judgment, but since you didn't specifically mention a dedicated video card, I'm almost certain that it only has integrated Intel HD Graphics(most likely 4400 or 4600 if you're referring to a brand new laptop). That being said, you should be able to run most games at the lowest settings without too many problems, but some games just will not work at playable speeds because of both the processor and the GPU. There might be very few games that you will be able to play at a higher internal resolution, but I wouldn't get your hopes set too high on that.

As far as I'm aware, that's plenty of RAM and your HDD space will only get in the way if you have hundreds of games(or a ridiculous amount of music/movies/PC games/etc).


Do you know the exact model of the laptop in question?

(01-06-2015, 03:57 AM)shreduhsoreus Wrote: [ -> ]There are no Core i3 processors that are quad core. That is a dual core CPU that is hyperthreaded(2 threads per core), so it has 4 "logical" processing cores but only 2 physical cores...unless Intel released a true quad core i3 in the last month or so that I'm unaware of(doubtful). Dolphin can only utilize 2 cores anyway so it doesn't really matter much, I'm just being technical

I would need to see the entire laptop specs and model to make a more accurate judgment, but since you didn't specifically mention a dedicated video card, I'm almost certain that it only has integrated Intel HD Graphics(most likely 4400 or 4600 if you're referring to a brand new laptop). That being said, you should be able to run most games at the lowest settings without too many problems, but some games just will not work at playable speeds because of both the processor and the GPU. There might be very few games that you will be able to play at a higher internal resolution, but I wouldn't get your hopes set too high on that.

As far as I'm aware, that's plenty of RAM and your HDD space will only get in the way if you have hundreds of games(or a ridiculous amount of music/movies/PC games/etc).


Do you know the exact model of the laptop in question?

this may sound extremely dumb but which settings would be the lowest settings? as im not really that good with this sort of stuff

The default settings are generally the lowest settings. Internal resolution at 1x native, no anti-aliasing, no anisotropic filtering, no post processing FX(if using OpenGL).

Take note, however, that I said "should". You gave us extremely limited specs and we're left with guess work and assumptions based on what the laptop may have inside.

Do you know what specific model the laptop is?

(01-06-2015, 05:57 AM)shreduhsoreus Wrote: [ -> ]The default settings are generally the lowest settings.

Take note, however, that I said "should". You gave us extremely limited specs and we're left with guess work and assumptions based on what the laptop may have inside.

Do you know what specific model the laptop is?

im getting the laptop tomorrow so as soon as I know what it is I shall let you know

(01-06-2015, 05:59 AM)dowsey9027 Wrote: [ -> ]im getting the laptop tomorrow so as soon as I know what it is I shall let you know

Are you getting it cheap and/or used? If you're buying it brand new for full price I would say to continue looking.

(01-06-2015, 06:10 AM)shreduhsoreus Wrote: [ -> ]

(01-06-2015, 05:59 AM)dowsey9027 Wrote: [ -> ]im getting the laptop tomorrow so as soon as I know what it is I shall let you know

Are you getting it cheap and/or used? If you're buying it brand new for full price I would say to continue looking.

its cheap/referbed

It most likely has a Core i3 3120M, which means it has Intel HD Graphics 4000.

Straight from the Dolphin wiki

Quote:Intel Onboard: Intel HD3000 and HD4000 can run Dolphin at reasonable speeds, and can even run many games with enhancements; but they will struggle with demanding titles. A full fledged graphics card is highly recommended. IGPs older than the HD3000 are not supported.

Some games won't run very well though, especially when you consider your CPU. Even with my i7, I can't run Metroid Prime Trilogy very well with Intel HD Graphics 4600, but I also have a dedicated GT 740M which is literally the only reason I can play it at decent speeds.


After some searching, I think you might be getting an Asus K55A-SX470 based on the specs you've listed, or possibly an X501A if it has Windows 8.
Almost certain it's an X501A, I'm seeing a lot of those refurbished. Not terrible for the prices I'm seeing.


So the verdict is, yes, you will be able to play some games at a pretty decent speed but there will be some games that just won't be playable at all.

i have an asus x52f