Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator - Forums

I am looking at a bunch of SBC (Single Board Computers) and I was wondering which would have the best luck running dolphin. Ill probably be running the games at 1368 x 768 resolution. The games I'll be playing will be Pokemon Colosseum and XD, Super Smash Bros Melee and Super Smash Bros Brawl (with Project M).

I was wondering what hardware would do the best job for the games I want to run. Furthermore I am also wondering if any of these will have luck with playing more intensive games at higher resolutions, for instance Brawl at 1080p or 4K might be possible with an Iris on a 5th generation CPU with 6x native resolution on a desktop machine but only at 3x on these mobile SBC.

I am guessing that most answers will be in ranges with generalizations like "Wll the 4th gen will work for Gamecube games but will have slowdown for Wii games". Best case I'd like to run my games at 100% with no noticeable slowdown at whatever native resolution is needed, even if that means 1x. I have this list of CPUs with integrated GPUs to pick from.

i7-4500U @ 1.8 GHz with Intel HD 4400 @ 200GHz
i7-4650U @ 1.7 GHz with Intel HD 5000 @ 200GHz
i7-5557U @ 3.1 GHz with Intel Iris 6100 @ 300GHz
i7-5650U @ 2.2 GHz with Intel HD 6000 @ 300GHz

i5-4200U @ 1.6 GHz with Intel HD 4400 @ 200GHz
i5-4300U @ 1.9 GHz with Intel HD 4400 @ 200GHz
i5-5250U @ 1.6 GHz with Intel HD 6000 @ 300GHz
i5-5350U @ 1.8 GHz with Intel HD 6000 @ 300GHz
i5-6260U @ 1.8 GHz with Intel Iris 540 @ 300GHz

Other notes include the fact that I will be running Linux x64 with Mesa on Kernel 4.0 or 4.2 possibly. I'll compile the latest revision from the Dolphin master branch. If needed I could get a GPU like the Nvidia 710 or 730 but I think the integrated GPU's will preform at a similar speed.

I appreciate any insight people can provide upon the speeds I'll get using these specs.

The i7-5557U is probably your best bet due to the higher clock and the iris gpu

They're honestly all pretty shitty. What sort of system are you looking to build that you need to use a SBC?

Those CPUs are all quite well, but the thermal budget is shitty. So games will run fine for the first seconds, then they will slow down a lot. Cooling those boards is usually the harder part.

I'm looking to make a dedicated GameCube emulator to put next to my consoles. I'd be fine leveraging Wii capabilities but I am looking for the size offered by Single Board Computer. The i7-5557U is probably the best CPU here, I was going to buy the Intel NUC with that CPU.

If I replace the cooling fan and set the CPU governor to a set frequency rather than based on heat, could I get the performance I need out of it. It seems that with Iris graphics clocked up to 1GHz, and the CPU clocked up to 3.4GHz with extra cooling, it would perform pretty well!

Why is cooling so important thought? Also does the i5-6260U become a possible contender because of it's Iris graphics (the CPU can be clocked to 3.1 max I believe)?

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GB-BXi7-4...e+brix+pro
This is probably your best shot that isn't super expensive.
i7-4770R
Intel Iris Pro 5200

Or this one for a little cheaper:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Barebone-...e+brix+pro
i5-4570R
Intel Iris Pro 5200


Or if you have big bucks to spend:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-i7-4710HQ...bxi7g3-760
i7-4710HQ
Nvidia GTX 760

Because those CPU models slow down a lot when they are running too hot.

@KHg8m3r the i5-4570R Brix Pro one you suggested looks like a really good option, a desktop CPU seems like a better choose than all these mobile ultra low power CPU's I suggested.

The Brix Pro is good but it's not perfect 'cause it will overheat when gaming (100 degree Celsius at full load)
http://www.legitreviews.com/gigabyte-bri...w_136711/7
Replacing the stock thermal paste might fix this but I would personally choose sth else like Alienware Alpha (79 degree Celsius at full load)
http://www.trustedreviews.com/alienware-...ew-summary
The AW Alpha comes up with 4th gen Core i3 @ 2.9GHz + GTX 860M (much faster than HD 5200) and a $500 price tag . It will run most games full speed if you use DX12

Some cooling case mods:
http://vicsoftwa.re/install_new_fan_on_brix_pro_i7.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRgNyoiX6Cg

And someone who had the same idea:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1593907/gamec...ulation/10