Another 1st Hyperspin/PC build

[lqlegit]

Hey everyone I've seen a couple posts about computer build questions and was hoping to get some answers for myself. I have been running hyperspin on my main computer, but am ready to get a computer just for hyperspin, and possibly KODI as well. I have never built one from scratch, but really want to learn. On PC part picker and hearing other people talk, I was thinking something like:
 
Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor

 

ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

 

Kingston HyperX Fury Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

 

EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card

 

Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

 

PNY CS1311 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (For OS)

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

 

Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case

 

PCpartpicker (Link for all of the above together)

 

I really just want to run up to Dreamcast, PS1, Gamecube, MAME and below. With some video streaming off of KODI if possible.  

 

Anyone know if this will do the job and if the case is fine as well as Motherboard? I just want a simple case and a Motherboard with a good amount of usb ports and HDMI (preferred). I want to make sure this build won't have any problems with the systems I was worried about. I wouldn't mind playing some current steam games I have, but it's not a must since this will eventually go in a cabinet. 

 

Thanks.

             - Josh

 

 

 

 

[JayC]

Should work fine I'd say...as long as you are able to overclock with that h97 and a good cooler so you can overclock it to 4-4,5ghz because hs and emulation needs more cpu than gpu.

[lqlegit]

Should work fine I'd say...as long as you are able to overclock with that h97 and a good cooler so you can overclock it to 4-4,5ghz because hs and emulation needs more cpu than gpu.

 

I have never overclocked a computer before, but it doesn't seem too difficult. I may just look at different motherboards; any recommendations? I saw that you couldn't and now you can with a certain bios update or something. I was curious if I needed a cooler, but if I overclock it makes sense that I would. 

[JayC]

Or get a faster cpu so you won't need to overclock. The z97 motherboards all can do overclocking but like you discovered som h97 can as well with a bios update. Don't skimp on the cooler! I have two machines with G3258 overclocked and with noctua coolers, works great.

[SkyHighGam3r]

I opted to go with an i7-4790K 4.4ghz for my build's CPU

It's a bit over-the-top but it had far and away the best rated single-threaded performance of any CPU (by almost 2x). Which is a huge factor for emulation purposes.

Pricey though... my whole system I just went over the top so I'd be ready for the next wave of systems being emulated (X360/PS3/Wii U/3DS). Plus I get to throw modern PC games in there. You can check it out on the links in my signature if you want to see the route I took.

However, if you're interested in Dreamcast and prior, you are going to be able to get away with some cheaper parts. (Gamecube now emulates pretty quick thanks to the Ishiiruka version of Dolphin though)

[lqlegit]

Or get a faster cpu so you won't need to overclock. The z97 motherboards all can do overclocking but like you discovered som h97 can as well with a bios update. Don't skimp on the cooler! I have two machines with G3258 overclocked and with noctua coolers, works great.

 

I'll look into the z97 and the noctua coolers, thanks JayC! If I didn't want to overclock, do you think an i3 would work, or I would need an i5? 

[lqlegit]

I opted to go with an i7-4790K 4.4ghz for my build's CPU

It's a bit over-the-top but it had far and away the best rated single-threaded performance of any CPU (by almost 2x). Which is a huge factor for emulation purposes.

Pricey though... my whole system I just went over the top so I'd be ready for the next wave of systems being emulated (X360/PS3/Wii U/3DS). Plus I get to throw modern PC games in there. You can check it out on the links in my signature if you want to see the route I took.

However, if you're interested in Dreamcast and prior, you are going to be able to get away with some cheaper parts. (Gamecube now emulates pretty quick thanks to the Ishiiruka version of Dolphin though)

 

That is one hell of a HyperSpin pc lol. I like your idea and the fact that you don't have to worry about specs for quite some time since you will be set for a while it sounds like. I just prefer to go cheaper on this first build, even though I know down the road I will want to build a new system when I have more experience and go over the top ha. I just want to go cheaper and use the rest of my funds for a cabinet and what not. I may look in to it and see the price difference though anyways. 

[Goodboyparker]

If you plan to use this for kodi, where will you store your movies? Locally? Or do you just plan to stream? Kodi doesn't take much processor but if you have movies they can absorb space quickly - 1 dvd is 4-5gb and HD video is ~10gb per hour (uncompressed). Just saying this because I would look at the hdd size or consider external storage, such as a NAS box.

I'm not sure about the power supply. There are calculators where you list the equipment and it will determine the wattage. If you consider adding more hard drive space in the future, I would include this in the power calculation.

Also, I haven't seen mention of this here but if you are building from scratch and there is a possibility of using an oculus in the future, I would consider pricing those components for compatibility - it may be cost prohibitive but I think it is worth checking. FYI

[SkyHighGam3r]

That is one hell of a HyperSpin pc lol. I like your idea and the fact that you don't have to worry about specs for quite some time since you will be set for a while it sounds like. I just prefer to go cheaper on this first build, even though I know down the road I will want to build a new system when I have more experience and go over the top ha. I just want to go cheaper and use the rest of my funds for a cabinet and what not. I may look in to it and see the price difference though anyways. 

Hahaha I hear ya, going simple was what I originally set out to do. My plan was only to emulate up to the N64/PSX... then my primary computer died and I got an excellent deal on parts. lol

[lqlegit]

If you plan to use this for kodi, where will you store your movies? Locally? Or do you just plan to stream? Kodi doesn't take much processor but if you have movies they can absorb space quickly - 1 dvd is 4-5gb and HD video is ~10gb per hour (uncompressed). Just saying this because I would look at the hdd size or consider external storage, such as a NAS box.

I'm not sure about the power supply. There are calculators where you list the equipment and it will determine the wattage. If you consider adding more hard drive space in the future, I would include this in the power calculation.

Also, I haven't seen mention of this here but if you are building from scratch and there is a possibility of using an oculus in the future, I would consider pricing those components for compatibility - it may be cost prohibitive but I think it is worth checking. FYI

 

Yeah I just stream them usually on my main computer and I have an external hd for anything I choose to keep. They take up lots of space, so I don't keep many lol. Yeah I thought about oculus, but I think this build I want to keep simple and cheap. Thanks for all your input though! A NAS box is surely on my list some day. 

 

Hahaha I hear ya, going simple was what I originally set out to do. My plan was only to emulate up to the N64/PSX... then my primary computer died and I got an excellent deal on parts. lol

 

Well a good deal, plus losing your main computer is more than a good enough excuse to upgrade to overkill lol. I prefer my main not die on me to pull the trigger on a bigger build though haha,