[Mini-Build Log] The Cheapo Emulator Annihilator

[ONOTech]

(My bad attempt at a header)

 

Final Setup (so far)! 

 

UPDATE TRES HAS BEEN POSTED WITH PICS!

 

Yet, another one of my mini build logs. Nothing major and I thought I should share this one.

 

Background & Purpose:

I'm a closeted pre-2011 console fan. They've been a part of my life of my life for such a long time that I can't give them up, no matter how hard I try. My issue with consoles are the exclusives. I love so many different types of games that buying one console isn't enough -- I need at least two to keep my thirst for exclusives in tact. Well, the purpose of this build is to have a computer decently fast enough to emulate pretty much every game on pre-2010 consoles (excluding Microsoft consoles and the PS3 of course). I will be using controllers!

 

Emulation Requirements (1080p):

Emulation is a very CPU-heavy application, so a strong single threaded CPU is a must.

 

The emulators I will be using are as following:

Dolphin:

• Gamecube
• Wii & Wii U

Project 64

• Nintendo 64

PCSX2

• PS2

FOR DOLPHIN:

CPU: At least an i3 or an overclocked Phenom II x4 CPU for full speed gameplay

GPU: A GTS 250 or higher is fine for 1080p gameplay

RAM: 4GB

 

FOR PCSX2:

CPU: i3 or better

GPU: 8800GT or better

RAM: 2GB

 

Any other handheld emulator I find out there will probably be in this list, but since their requirements are so low, I won't list them individually.

 

The Parts:

 

RED = OWN

VIOLET = ORDERED

GREEN = ARRIVED AFTER SHIPPING

 

CPU = i5 2400: I found this in my garage. Evidently, it's perfect for Dolphin. Instead of buying a new CPU, I might as well use this.

GPU = GT 440 2gb DDR3: I'm a bit wary about this GPU. I know it can handle dolphin, but I'm not sure what settings it can take.

RAM = 4GB DDR3 ($29): 4GB is all I need for pretty much any type of emulation. Found the cheapest one I could find.

MOBO = Biostar h61mlv: Not the best by any means, but it's working, and that's all I need.

CASE/PSU = Logisys CS706BK ($40): Yeah, yeah. I know built in PSUs aren't very great, but this is 480W. 80+ certified or not, it's enough to power the system. Not to mention the case is very sleek and it was on sale.

STORAGE = 160GB Sata HDD ($13.50): I would like more, but this is all I can work with at this point.

Total (Tower only) = 84.50

 

ACCESSORIES:

WiiMote Controller & Nunchuck w/ Motion Plus ($20)

Bluetooth USB Adapter ($7)

Ethernet Cord ($5)

Sensor Bar ($12)

Spare PS3 Controllers (own)

Total (Accessories) = 42

 

GRAND TOTAL = 126.50

 

Table of Contents

UPDATE UNO (Parts arriving)

UPDATE DOS (More parts and starting the build)

 

Pictures are coming soon! Will be HD on a DSLR . Build will begin probably Friday or Saturday. I'll have some benchmarks on it the week after.

[minibois]

Wait, Dolphin can do Wii U too?!

[ONOTech]

Wait, Dolphin can do Wii U too?!

Well, not exactly. You gotta use a hack for CERTAIN Wii U games and they're limited. You also need a Super HD texture pack

[TTCF]

This looks to be quite an interesting project. Good luck with it mate!

@ONOTech

[ONOTech]

This looks to be quite an interesting project. Good luck with it mate!

@ONOTech

Hopefully, it turns out well! Thanks

[TTCF]

Hopefully, it turns out well! Thanks

No, it won't turn out well, it'll turn out to be A M A Z I N G ! ! !

[tengarp]

Does the new smash work with this? If so you HAVE to post/ link a tutorial, I would be very interested in doing something like this

[ONOTech]

Does the new smash work with this? If so you HAVE to post/ link a tutorial, I would be very interested in doing something like this

Unfortunately, I don't think Smash 4 works on Dolphin yet, though the devs did say they are trying to release a stable vers of the emulator that can run Wii U games.

 

Only Melee & Brawl work on Dolphin as of now . They do have skin packs, but I don't think those update the move sets.

[tengarp]

Unfortunately, I don't think Smash 4 works on Dolphin yet, though the devs did say they are trying to release a stable vers of the emulator that can run Wii U games.

 

Only Melee & Brawl work on Dolphin as of now . They do have skin packs, but I don't think those update the move sets.

Dang, well still looking forward to seeing how this turns out, looks interesting!

[ONOTech]

Dang, well still looking forward to seeing how this turns out, looks interesting!

Thank ya

[ONOTech]

UPDATE 1

Small update. Some of the parts came in, but I'm still waiting on the case & power supply to arrive, so it should be here by tomorrow.

 

Pics for all of ya (taken on a Canon Rebel SL1):

 

Motherboard & CPU

 

GPU

 

Ram

 

HDD (I picked up an 80GB one today for like $5)

 

Wii Sensor Bar

 

Cat6 Cable (It was pretty cheap...so why not?)

[JarJarBanksy]

I'm really interested in seeing how well the Wii Bar works.

[ONOTech]

I'm really interested in seeing how well the Wii Bar works.

I am too. It got really good reviews so I'm not too skeptical, but I will post some gameplay if I can get this build running this weekend.

[d33g33]

Interested in this, I have an arcade requirement.

 

I kinda have Hyperspin going on a 3570k with GTX750Ti, plenty powerful enough I just havent invested the time to set it up right however.

 

With my R2-D2 Project I was hoping to just get away with a RaspberryPi 2, as people have successfully used RasPi 1 I would have thought the RasPi 2 would be more than enough? Maybe not for Dolphin but should be for the rest?

[ONOTech]

Interested in this, I have an arcade requirement.

 

I kinda have Hyperspin going on a 3570k with GTX750Ti, plenty powerful enough I just havent invested the time to set it up right however.

 

With my R2-D2 Project I was hoping to just get away with a RaspberryPi 2, as people have successfully used RasPi 1 I would have thought the RasPi 2 would be more than enough? Maybe not for Dolphin but should be for the rest?

Thanks. Glad I caught your interest

 

Nice, did you make a log for your R2-D2 project? If so can I see it?

 

And which Pi? B+? That should be enough for gameboy and the older hand held nintendo devices, but not for the major consoles in the 2000s such as PS2 and Gamecube. You can use them for older consoles like Atari and NES, but you're pretty much limited to pre-1995 devices.

[d33g33]

Thanks. Glad I caught your interest

 

Nice, did you make a log for your R2-D2 project? If so can I see it?

 

And which Pi? B+? That should be enough for gameboy and the older hand held nintendo devices, but not for the major consoles in the 2000s such as PS2 and Gamecube. You can use them for older consoles like Atari and NES, but you're pretty much limited to pre-1995 devices.

Build log for R2-D2 is here, only just starting. http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/313280-arcade-d2-a-11-sized-r2-d2-for-htpc-and-arcade/

 

Yeah B+ and just for generally older consoles you're right. People have run PS1 emulator on it but badly...

[ONOTech]

Build log for R2-D2 is here, only just starting. http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/313280-arcade-d2-a-11-sized-r2-d2-for-htpc-and-arcade/

 

Yeah B+ and just for generally older consoles you're right. People have run PS1 emulator on it but badly...

PS1 and N64 are probably too much for B+, but I'm sure everything else is fine before the PSX & 64 generation of consoles. A lot of the older emulators don't even need downloads -- you can play them with on web browsers.

[Pandalovar100]

Awesome project you're starting! I'm planning to do a build log of a retro emulator that plays games from NES, SNES, Atari 2600, and many more. Although I'll be emulating it on a Raspberry Pi 2, It's really cool to see somebody have a system dedicated to playing games that they really enjoyed when they were younger. I'll be following this thread to keep up with the updates! 

[ONOTech]

UPDATE 2

 

All the parts have finally arrived and I have commenced building. I wanted to post the case and some other footage before I put everything into the case. 

 

Case & Power Supply: Case looks amazing for a pre-built Logisys, but the two front bays are broken upon arrival unfortunately. I'm not too mad, but it looks a bit trashy. Oh well. Not worth an RMA in my opinion, but it does show that the case is pretty weak.

 

Testing the power supply. Everything is running fine!

 

Testing the GT 440 2GB DDR3 video card. I was skeptical because I didn't think it would work, but I guess it does. Woo

 

Currently building! More updates tonight or tomorrow

[ONOTech]

UPDATE 3

 

The build is up and running and I finally have the emulator working w/ controllers (wired).

 

I haven't tested the Wii Remote and sensor bar yet, but I will soon enough. Here are some pictures of the setup.

 

Case Setup: Unfortunately, the motherboard layout is atrocious so cable management wasn't the easiest. The case was pretty damn good for only $40 though. I wasn't expecting it it to hold it's own like that

 

It's alive!! Everything is working well so far

 

Final Setup! 

 

Performance wise it's doing OK. I had to tweak some settings, but right now I can get Wind Waker running at a full 30 FPS (don't have the 60 FPS hack) at 1.5X the native resolution. Sound can get choppy here and there, but I'm pretty satisfied. I will test more on the Wii Remote and sensor bar today. I also plan on ordering a wireless PS3 receiver to use because I really don't want to use a wired one.

[Pandalovar100]

Looks like an amazing setup! It seems like that gt 440 should do you just fine. Did you get a chance to test out the Wii remote and sensor yet?

[ONOTech]

Looks like an amazing setup! It seems like that gt 440 should do you just fine. Did you get a chance to test out the Wii remote and sensor yet?

Thanks! And yep, it should be fine until I want to up the native resolution passed 1.5X.

 

I haven't tried it out yet, and due to time restraints, I probably won't have time till until next weekend on unfortunately D:

 

Once I do, I will post an update though

[d33g33]

UPDATE 3

 

The build is up and running and I finally have the emulator working w/ controllers (wired).

 

I haven't tested the Wii Remote and sensor bar yet, but I will soon enough. Here are some pictures of the setup.

 

Case Setup: Unfortunately, the motherboard layout is atrocious so cable management wasn't the easiest. The case was pretty damn good for only $40 though. I wasn't expecting it it to hold it's own like that

 

Performance wise it's doing OK. I had to tweak some settings, but right now I can get Wind Waker running at a full 30 FPS (don't have the 60 FPS hack) at 1.5X the native resolution. Sound can get choppy here and there, but I'm pretty satisfied. I will test more on the Wii Remote and sensor bar today. I also plan on ordering a wireless PS3 receiver to use because I really don't want to use a wired one.

ROFL, dat pose....

[ONOTech]

ROFL, dat pose....

He photo bombs everything..

[d33g33]

He photo bombs everything..

Hey could be Coconut Monkeys doppelganger...