Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

Hey guys. First, a request: I am pretty noob regarding all the benchmarking and overclocking stuff. So please go easy on my questions.

So, I'm going for a completely new build very soon. I'll attach it to my 42 inch hdtv and will most likely use it for dolphin, as well as PC gaming.

Here are a few of my questions and details regarding my situation:

CPU:
For the CPU, I can get either i5-4690 or 4670, I can also get the K versions of them for overclocking but the sad truth is that I don't know anything about overclocking. I understand that without oc, I might be able to run very few games but I can't do anything about it. So what would you suggest would be better off the two for emulation?

GAMES I'D LIKE TO RUN:
Games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Pokemon Battle Revolution and the likes (I own these). I understand games like mario galaxy and galaxy 2 and metroid series uses intensive graphics so without oc I might not be able to run them but will I able to run the games mentioned before in at least 720p at decent framerate in a cpu that's not oc'd? Also, Would there be any low budget CPU that could match 4690/70 in terms of emulating dolphin for my game requirements? If there is one, then I could spend more money in GPU.

GPU:
For the GPU, since they are pretty expensive where I live, compared to US, I would really appreciate it if you guys could suggest a low budget gpu for my situation as I'll be spending in CPU much more I guess. I am also going to run games like GTA V or watch dogs so if I could get something that could run them in high settings, even if it is in 720p, then it'd be great! Although 1080p would fantastic! And I know I'm being stupid with this request but one can hope right? RIGHT?   If high PC gaming is not possible, please suggest what would be suitable for dolphin in low budget.  

COOLER:
Do I need a cooling fan for my situation? Or if I get a k version of CPU?

Other than that, I'll be getting 8GB RAM, 2TB HDD, MOBO compatible with GPU, PSU as required by GPU, and cooling fan if needed.

Please help and if I've done any mistake in posting or posted in wrong section, please let me know. Thank you. If you want any more details, I'm willing to post them if possible.

I think either one of those two cpus will do you fine.
As for GPUs Im thinking a 960 will do it? its 200$ not sure what the price will be in your area.

You should buy Xeon 1230v3 instead and pair it with Asrock B85 mobo
It's i7 4770 on steroid (no iGPU Intel hd 4600) , cheaper than i7 but same performance

(02-28-2015, 06:21 PM)HeyAlucard Wrote: [ -> ]I think either one of those two cpus will do you fine.
As for GPUs Im thinking a 960 will do it? its 200$ not sure what the price will be in your area.

Thanks Alucard. A gtx 960's price hikes up to around 300$ (around rs. 18000) for me here in India. 1 US Dollar equals 61.64 Indian Rupee. I would prefer something around 12000 maximum if I'm to go with 4670 or 4690.
Here is a link to 960 card in India: http://www.snapdeal.com/product/zotac-nv...ode=93886d

(02-28-2015, 08:07 PM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]You should buy Xeon 1230v3 instead and pair it with Asrock B85 mobo
It's i7 4770 on steroid (no iGPU Intel hd 4600) , cheaper than i7 but same performance

Thanks admin89. I'm sorry. I don't understand much about it but since I can afford 4670/90 here, I will be able to afford Xeon 1230v3. The question is, is it better than 4670/90 in running games on dolphin or are there other benefits to it? Is it related to PC gaming?

As I've already mentioned , the Xeon 1230V3 is exactly i7 4770 without integrated GPU....
i5 has 4 cores 4 threads , i7 and that Xeon have 4 cores 8 threads
Dolphin is a dual core application . So anything besides Dolphin and single threaded applications will gain huge speed boost from 8 threads

(02-28-2015, 09:49 PM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]As I've already mentioned , the Xeon 1230V3 is exactly i7 4770 without integrated GPU....
i5 has 4 cores 4 threads , i7 and that Xeon have 4 cores 8 threads
Dolphin is a dual core application . So anything besides Dolphin and single threaded applications will gain huge speed boost from 8 threads

Thanks admin89. I will be using this build purely for gaming purposes. I'm a graphic designer and I have a separate machine for my work. Now if xeon would give me more PC gaming performance then I might consider it a better option. Will an i5-4690 3.5 ghz give me less performance than Xeon 1230v3 3.3ghz when running dolphin or other PC games? I read somewhere that 4670 or 4690 would be ideal for running dolphin? I'm sorry if I'm asking irritating questions but I'd just like to be informative about everything before going for the new build.

How about a 750ti its a lot cheaper than the 960 still uses the newer maxwell
http://www.snapdeal.com/product/zotac-ge...tx%20750ti
Can run games at 4x internal res

(03-01-2015, 09:43 AM)HeyAlucard Wrote: [ -> ]How about a 750ti its a lot cheaper than the 960 still uses the newer maxwell
Can run Dolphinat 4x internal res

I still recommend the R9 270 (non-X). It's cheaper than the 750Ti, but can run Dolphin at up to 7xIR.

(03-01-2015, 09:43 AM)HeyAlucard Wrote: [ -> ]How about a 750ti its  a lot cheaper than the 960 still uses the newer maxwell
http://www.snapdeal.com/product/zotac-ge...tx%20750ti
Can run games at 4x internal res

(03-01-2015, 10:14 AM)kirbypuff Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-01-2015, 09:43 AM)HeyAlucard Wrote: [ -> ]How about a 750ti its  a lot cheaper than the 960 still uses the newer maxwell
Can run Dolphinat 4x internal res

I still recommend the R9 270 (non-X). It's cheaper than the 750Ti, but can run Dolphin at up to 7xIR.

Thanks Alucard and kirbypuff. Things are pretty strange here in India. Please see the screenshots. R9 270 is more expensive than 750ti here. In the R9 270's screenshot, the first two are the non-X versions. What should I go with? I also have an option of GTX 660 if it would be better than these two. How would you guys rank these three cards in terms of performance? Thanks again for all the help so far.

Edit:

Here are the links to gpuboss comparison that I felt might help?

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/ZOTAC-GeForce-GT...eon-R9-270
http://gpuboss.com/gpus/ZOTAC-GeForce-GT...eon-R9-270
http://gpuboss.com/gpus/ZOTAC-GeForce-GT...ce-GTX-660

According to them, R9 270 is better right? And after that comes 660? 750Ti doesn't look that good but then again, I don't know much about this. Also, IF I'm right then difference between between R9 270 and 660 is not very huge so if they are worth it, I may buy the one which might be less expensive. Please let me know your opinions. Thank you.

the R9 270 is the best card out of the three. if the 660 is cheaper in india go for that. Both cards are really good for dolphin imo.