Building a Emulation Console Need Help w/ parts

emulate console

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Dec 3, 2013
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Building a Strictly Emulation Console (need to know by Christmas)

-Most important thing people need to know is thank you in advance for any help and that i need answers fast. And that I need all of this for Christmas

Description: i've heard of hackintoshes and stuff like that where you build your own computer. the other day i bought a ouya for black friday and hooked it up, every thing was grate, i was playing n64 and all the way down to the nes. well anyways u guys can maybe see were this is going. i want to build a emulation console, that biggest difference that will set my console apart from Ouya and Nvidia shield is that mine needs to be more powerful then Terga 4. i want it all to be like Terga 5 and run wii or gamecube games in perfect speed/Power. http://kyokojap.myweb.hinet.net/gpu_gflops/ this link will help you people know what im talking about in terms of "power".my budget is $400-500. if too little write in the discription or email still with suggestions and put the price. Plz some one make me a list on parts, tips, tricks, suggestions anything that will help
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1.size: i would like 1ft x 1ft if it can

2. Purpose: just for emulations such as (Nes, Snes, Gb, Gbc, Gba, n64, dreamcast, ps1-2, psp, dolphin: gamecube/wii, (if you guys feel like i can do all of this for much cheaper if i kick out the wii idea then ok)

3. controller: i want to connect my Ps3 controller and wii for wii games so bluetooth included.

4.memory: i dont really know about memory i just know that the ouya has like 8gb of internal memory and i can put a usb drive in, i want it to be like that or if easier SD would works fine idc

5.Parts/Software: in terms of actual finding parts thats what i need help with but parts that i dont need, dont put in the list, and parts that does not affect the performance of gaming and emulation but is necessary, find the cheapest ones plz. And software is something that i really dont know anything about, im guessing this is going to be like a "computer" and not like a Ouya console (idk) so windows 7 i heard, but if theres a software that i can use for the simplicity of gaming and emulations then tell me lol.

6.Price: i read forms on this similar topic and people were getting fancy and they wanted music, CDs, Dvd, Wifi, etc (i really don't need browsing the wed either) and at the end the price was $700. not me all i need is the things listed above. if this will cost me cheaper then $400 then i love you thank you for your time.

Every one plz help me i have like 20 more days to order my things to start the build
 
Solution


I use a large desktop rig with an i5-4670k and a GTX 480 for gaming, which as a side I often run Dolphin Emulator.

I have also ran Skyward Sword off my Lenovo Y570p laptop, which had a dual core sandy bridge (Two Generations ago) and a GT555m processor. Both which are much less powerful than the i3-4330 + HD 7850, and it still ran VERY fluid hooked up to a 1080p HDTV.

You don't NEED 1TB of storage, you can re-use another Hard Drive if you have one lying around.

Dolphin uses One processor core for CPU emulation, and the Second for GPU emulation, which is...

Blaise170

Honorable
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax ATX-249B (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $509.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-03 20:14 EST-0500)
 

azathoth

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Jun 25, 2011
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19,660
This build is enclosed in a case that is The dimensions of ( 222 mm (W) x 176 mm (H) x 276 mm (D) ) making it VERY compact.

It has a Dual Core haswell CPU.
It will be a SIGNIFICANTLY better choice than the FX-8350, because no emulators support more than 2 cores. Having higher single-threaded performance is VERY important with Dolphin EMU, and cutting down the core count also reduces a lot of heat in a small form factor.

This build does NOT include an internal Optical drive, if you need to install an OS you can install via USB Stick, or hook up a USB Dvd-Drive.

It will run Emulated Wii games at 4x Native resolution without issue. (I have a setup for Dolphin Emulator myself)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus H81I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.94 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone SG06BB-LITE Mini ITX Desktop Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Other: SeaSonic SS-350SFE 350W Power SUpply ($44.99)
Total: $486.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-03 20:35 EST-0500)
 

emulate console

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Dec 3, 2013
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what is your dolphin set up for wii and do i really need 1TB of storage and what is buy a better graphic card going to improve mainly when i run dolphin and emulate wii ?

 

azathoth

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Jun 25, 2011
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19,660


I use a large desktop rig with an i5-4670k and a GTX 480 for gaming, which as a side I often run Dolphin Emulator.

I have also ran Skyward Sword off my Lenovo Y570p laptop, which had a dual core sandy bridge (Two Generations ago) and a GT555m processor. Both which are much less powerful than the i3-4330 + HD 7850, and it still ran VERY fluid hooked up to a 1080p HDTV.

You don't NEED 1TB of storage, you can re-use another Hard Drive if you have one lying around.

Dolphin uses One processor core for CPU emulation, and the Second for GPU emulation, which is then sent to be rendered on the GPU.

This makes it VERY cpu dependent due to emulation. The GPU does a bit of work, but nowhere near what the CPU needs to handle. There will be next to ZERO improvement over a higher performance video card, and a processor with more cores will cause very little speedup for Dolphin as well.
 
Solution