Emuforums system builders guide

Smooth Criminal · 2009-11-01

thought that if we would have our very own system builders guide for different budgets it would be cool......wat say about the idea??......(and it wont be as biased as we find some of those guides around the net :p)

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StriderVM

· #2 · Nov 1, 2009

C'mon it will be Intel biased! You know that will happen! .... I think.....

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Fadingz

· #3 · Nov 1, 2009

price jumps a lot when new chips come out, so we need updates over 3 months or so

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Princess Garnet

· #4 · Nov 1, 2009

Yeah, it'd have to be updated far too frequently to make it worthwhile.

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tuanming

· #5 · Nov 1, 2009

If you want or plan to plan a pc with 'a bit cheaper' then go with AMD =)

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Cid Highwind

· #6 · Nov 2, 2009

StriderVM said:
C'mon it will be Intel biased! You know that will happen! .... I think.....

It will be biased towards whatever's best on the market I think. Intel has simply been stronger during the C2D vs Athlon X2 days, just like many here preferred the Athlon 64 over the Pentium 4. When the Phenom II arrived there was a sudden peak in AMD interest for its value.

It's the same for nVidia versus ATi, which is always a strong debate that basically comes down to the question if people want a better emulation experience or more power in PC games.

I think the most problematic part would be what Lord Zedeck pointed out: Price jumps. Adding to that it's the global nature of this place. Prices vary too much around the globe and hardly anyone can get hardware as cheaply as those who have access to NewEgg.

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Cheesus

· #7 · Nov 2, 2009

A monthly guide would be brilliant. It'll just need a mod to look after it. As in, update the original post with the new content from different users regularly.

3 builds:
Ultra-low end, Mid-range, and something someone more tech savvy would really enjoy.

It'd sure as hell save alot of the 'building a new pc' threads.

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gamefreak94

· #8 · Nov 2, 2009

Does bias really matter? Who says there has to be just one recommended build? There should be multiple recommended configurations for each price range incorporating components from a wide range of companies so that an on-looker can go with whichever companies he prefers, or blend various configurations to come up with a personal favorite.

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Cid Highwind

· #9 · Nov 2, 2009

Cheesus said:
A monthly guide would be brilliant. It'll just need a mod to look after it. As in, update the original post with the new content from different users regularly.

3 builds:
Ultra-low end, Mid-range, and something someone more tech savvy would really enjoy.

It'd sure as hell save alot of the 'building a new pc' threads.

I think that would have some potential. I think I would stick with 2 models though:

Low end OC
Midrange OC powerhouse

The high end is simply decided by the GPU anyway, for which the only changes are the motherboard (for crossfire / sli) and the cooling perhaps. I don't think having a real €1500,- build would be suitable for the community here, as we're all just poor buggers who prefer to put the whip on the hardware that we have

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gamefreak94

· #10 · Nov 3, 2009 (Edited)

So...I guess I'll try to get the ball rolling.

Budget build (a good, cheap all-rounder; PC gaming, moderate-good OC capability with cooler, decent emulation if OC'ed):

CPU: Intel Pentium dual-core E6300 ($80)
Motherboard: ASUS P5QL-CM (G43 chipset) ($60)
GPU: HIS/Sapphire/Gigabyte/XFX ATI HD4850 512MB/1GB ($110)
Casing: Cooler Master Gladiator ($70)
PSU: Corsair 450W non-modular ($65)
RAM: Kingston/Corsair/OCZ/G.Skill 800MHz 4GB (2x2GB) or single 2GB module. (4GB = $85, 2GB = $50)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green 640GB ($85)
Optical Drive: Any SATA DVD-RW optical drive from LiteOn, ASUS, LG, Sony or Samsung (example) ($20-$25)

OPTIONAL:
CPU cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 ($25)

TOTAL: $500 - $600

Obviously just to something to get started, open to alterations

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Fadingz

· #11 · Nov 3, 2009 (Edited)

Template:

HTML:

[COLOR="Red"][B][U][INSERT TYPE HERE][/U][/B][/COLOR]


[U][B]CPU:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]MOBO:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]GPU:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]PSU:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]RAM:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]HDD:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]Optical Drive:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]

[U][B][COLOR="Orange"]TOTAL:[INSERT][/COLOR][/B][/U]

Code:

[COLOR="Red"][B][U][INSERT TYPE HERE][/U][/B][/COLOR]


[U][B]CPU:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]MOBO:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]GPU:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]PSU:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]RAM:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]HDD:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]
[U][B]Optical Drive:[/B][/U][INSERT] [COLOR="Yellow"]($[INSERT])[/COLOR]

[B][U][COLOR="Orange"]TOTAL:[INSERT][/COLOR][/U][/B]

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StriderVM

· #12 · Nov 3, 2009

OK. Which website's pricing should we be basing the prices on? NewEgg? There has to be a basis of some sort.

Cid Highwind : C'mon I'm just joking.....

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Cid Highwind

· #13 · Nov 3, 2009

StriderVM said:
OK. Which website's pricing should we be basing the prices on? NewEgg? There has to be a basis of some sort.

Cid Highwind : C'mon I'm just joking.....

lol, no worries. I just didn't want a full out fanboy war to start or to have anyone think there's any brand favoritism going on. I think most of our reputable home builders here know their stuff too well that if they turn a blind eye to one brand they'll end up with an inferior PC.

I think NewEgg wouldn't be a bad idea. At least it's globally known and it gives a good impression about prices. We simply shouldn't calculate rebates into the budget and let it be known that in other countries prices can and most likely will be higher.

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Cheesus

· #14 · Nov 3, 2009

So what will the price ranges be?

I reckon something around 400-600$ and another around 1000-1200$.

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nanaya

· #15 · Nov 3, 2009

I think we should differentiate build based on user ability to OC and what most common task he will do aside from price.

e.g. if he/she mostly play emulator and can/will OC then i'll suggest something from Intel and Nvidia based on his/her budget
or if he/she mostly do light emulator, game on PC with heavy setting and can't/won't OC then i'll suggest something like high clocked tri core amd and whatever is the best video card at the moment

This is not brand loyalty and just an example, but we DO need more input than price (though as this is an emulator site i think most will want emulator based build logically)

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Cid Highwind

· #16 · Nov 3, 2009

I have seen some builds by Runawayprisoner back in the day when he'd OC the heck out of a PC and give a CPU his sign of approval. I think the low end build would be great if its primary criterium would be to run PCSX2 well enough, as that's what people here want to do in general.

After that it's the case of finding a decent build with some midrange, yet overclockable quad core processor combined with a single powerful yet affordable GPU. Meaning you'll get probably a C2Q 9xxx series or Phenom II build with an ATi videocard or nVidia, kinda depending on local pricing.

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Fadingz

· #17 · Nov 3, 2009

Extreme OC ability various from chip to chip; you will be amazed by the range of performance of chips belong to the same model.
[tested some nano fabricated parts in labs]
Also, you never get the same result from exact same techniques, and more than 50% of the chips have premature failures before put on market.

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Phil

· #18 · Nov 3, 2009

Wheres the water cooled section?

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Fadingz

· #19 · Nov 4, 2009 (Edited)

Spent 5 min and made a small program that spits out a formatted text file lol
If someone wanna make a windows app out of it instead of console, go ahead.
just copy and paste the text file if you decide to use this:

Code:

[color=Red][b][u]TEST[/u][/b][/color]
[u][b]CPU:[/b][/u] Q9550 [color=Yellow]($200)[/color]
[u][b]MOBO:[/b][/u] Rampage Formula [color=Yellow]($200)[/color]
[u][b]GPU:[/b][/u] HD5750 [color=Yellow]($300)[/color]
[u][b]RAM:[/b][/u] G.Skill 1066 DDR2 2DIMM 4GB [color=Yellow]($70)[/color]
[u][b]HDD:[/b][/u] WD VelociRaptor [color=Yellow]($200)[/color]
[u][b]SPU:[/b][/u] Built-in [color=Yellow]($0)[/color]
[u][b]PSU:[/b][/u] ThermalTake ToughPower [color=Yellow]($200)[/color]
[u][b]OPTICAL DRIVE:[/b][/u] LG DVD W/R [color=Yellow]($27)[/color]
[u][b]CPU Cooler:[/b][/u] Nirvana [color=Yellow]($49)[/color]
[color=Orange][u][b]Grand Total: $1246[/b][/u][/color]
(Price taken from: Newegg)
NOTE: This is a test!

CPU, MOBO, SPU, GPU, PSU, HDD, RAM, and optical drive are core components you have to enter.
You can add any additional parts at the end.
Do not enter anything other than number for price; do not include '$' for price.
If you do, it will take the price to be zero.

Disclaimer: It's not a virus!
However, I don't guarantee your consequence; you are using it at your own risk.

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gamefreak94

· #20 · Nov 4, 2009 (Edited)

I assigned a basic purpose for the build I came up with. The config was good for PC gaming and can be OC'ed quite a bit too with the extra cooler. Get the E6300 to 3.5'ish (no big deal I suppose) and you're good to go to emulate most games at playable speeds on heavy emus too.

Basic home PC (for casual gaming, emulation and regular computing tasks):

CPU: Intel Pentium dual-core E2200 2.2GHz
Motherboard: ASUS P5KPL-CM (G31 chipset)
RAM: 2GB Kingston Value-RAM 667MHz (or 1GB if you don't run that many heavy apps).
GPU: ATI Radeon HD4350
Case: Cooler Master Elite 335 (with 350W PSU)
HDD: Western Digital/Seagate 250GB
Optical Drive: Any SATA DVD-RW capable drive by LiteOn, ASUS, Samsung, Sony or LG.

So just one more config needed from the $1k+ range I guess...

Will put in the prices later since I'm feeling too lazy atm

Phil said:
Wheres the water cooled section?

Highly limited market

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