08-02-2016, 03:45 AM
Hi guys. I actually followed through and built this, and I figured I'd let you know how it's working.
I haven't bought the GPU yet (next paycheck), but this system is performing admirably. Running Ubuntu.
Game performance on integrated graphics is hit or miss - Pikmin 2 and Soul Calibur II are both completely playable (4x AA and anisotropic filtering) at native internal resolution. Other games have framerate issues but are somewhat playable (Melee, F-Zero GX, both Sonic Adventure titles), but I expect that they'll run fine, and at a higher resolution, once I install my GPU.
I built this machine to be cool and quiet, because it's in my bedroom and is always on. With the stock CPU cooler it is basically silent. Even after running Pikmin 2 for like four hours yesterday, none of my components got hotter than 40 Celsius. When playing older consoles or playing videos, my CPU never gets hotter than a human forehead, and I can't feel any heat coming off of it. That's pretty great.
I'll update this once I've got a proper GPU in my machine.
On a side note, I thought it'd be four or five years until an affordable, compact, cool, energy-efficient HTPC could run GameCube games, but here it is. This thing is a dream project and it's working better than I could've hoped for. Thanks for the advice on component selection guys.
I haven't bought the GPU yet (next paycheck), but this system is performing admirably. Running Ubuntu.
Game performance on integrated graphics is hit or miss - Pikmin 2 and Soul Calibur II are both completely playable (4x AA and anisotropic filtering) at native internal resolution. Other games have framerate issues but are somewhat playable (Melee, F-Zero GX, both Sonic Adventure titles), but I expect that they'll run fine, and at a higher resolution, once I install my GPU.
I built this machine to be cool and quiet, because it's in my bedroom and is always on. With the stock CPU cooler it is basically silent. Even after running Pikmin 2 for like four hours yesterday, none of my components got hotter than 40 Celsius. When playing older consoles or playing videos, my CPU never gets hotter than a human forehead, and I can't feel any heat coming off of it. That's pretty great.
I'll update this once I've got a proper GPU in my machine.
On a side note, I thought it'd be four or five years until an affordable, compact, cool, energy-efficient HTPC could run GameCube games, but here it is. This thing is a dream project and it's working better than I could've hoped for. Thanks for the advice on component selection guys.