Is my computer powerful enough for Dolphin emulator

[robj0nes]

My computer shuts off like 10-20 minutes of playing games using the Dolphin emulator. Is my computer powerful enough to run the wii emulators my specs are as follows Processor: Intel (R) Core (TM) i5 CPU M480 @ 2.67 GHz 2.67 GHz with 4.0 GB RAM (3.80 used) and 64bit operating system. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dagiz]

My computer shuts off like 10-20 minutes of playing games using the Dolphin emulator. Is my computer powerful enough to run the wii emulators my specs are as follows Processor: Intel (R) Core (TM) i5 CPU M480 @ 2.67 GHz 2.67 GHz with 4.0 GB RAM (3.80 used) and 64bit operating system. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello. Well first of all, the Dophin emulator actually recommends a Core i5 2500k or above for CPU to even get the "best overall" game experience without running the games at full speed. Having said that, the 2500k is a quad core 2nd gen that runs at 3.3Ghz and turbos to 3.7Ghz, compared to the M480 which is a dual core running at 2.66Ghz. The difference in processor performance is pretty signifigant. But the processor you have should run the Dolphin, but I'm not sure how well... That could be a part of it.

The RAM should be OK....2GB is recommended and the more RAM you have does not really make a difference in performance like the CPU or GPU.

Another issue I see would be a lack of dedicated video card. The onboard graphics on your notebook is probably not going to cut it. While Dolphin does not require a top end card to run by any means, it is recommended to have at least the equivalent of a Nvidia 8800GT. And if your CPU can handle it a AMD HD6850 or better is recommended to prevent bottlenecking. Alot of Intel integrated graphics will run the emulator but it is not at all recommended as per performance concerns.

So the long and short of it is, while you should be able to meet the requirements to run Dolphin, meeting the requirments and getting the performance you really want are often very different things. As to why it shuts off every 10-20 minutes, It could be its putting enough strain on your notebook to cause it to overheat? Computers will shut themselves off when they overheat to prevent potential damage. Not sure, but just a thought. Hope this helps.

Cheers.

 

[robj0nes]

Hello. Well first of all, the Dophin emulator actually recommends a Core i5 2500k or above for CPU to even get the "best overall" game experience without running the games at full speed. Having said that, the 2500k is a quad core 2nd gen that runs at 3.3Ghz and turbos to 3.7Ghz, compared to the M480 which is a dual core running at 2.66Ghz. The difference in processor performance is pretty signifigant. But the processor you have sh........

yeah that helps. i think i just need to buy a computer meant for gaming. I bought my current comp for wordpress and dreamweaver not video games....but somewhere down the road got bored. lolz

 

[dagiz]

I can understand getting bored and needing distraction

The Dolphin emulator is just super resource intesive compared to any other SNES/MAME/N64 emulators ect.... A big part of the reason being they run on the old IBM PowerPC CPU's and all the games that run on the Wii were programed for that processor. The modern day computer CPU's (AMD & Intel) have to work double time to translate and understand the coding in the games as it's not something that is native to them.

In my rig I have a i7 3770K @ stock 3.5Ghz and an XFX HD7970Ghz Edition and I still dont push Dolphin emulated games like I do some other AAA PC titles from the last year or so.

Anyway, a powerful computer meant for gaming will certainly help. And the good news is if you choose to wait to purchase a gaming rig, from where you stand now, prices can only go down and performance can only go up