Clutz450

So I went out and bought a new laptop today. I ultimately went with that Dell XPS one (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-xps-15-6-4k-ultra-hd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-1tb-solid-state-drive-silver/4550500.p?skuId=4550500). It was already in stock and they had an open box one and was able to get it for under $1,500. I have 15 days to return it so if it just doesn't do what I want it to do then I'll just order one of the other ones you guys recommended and take thus one back. So anyway, now that I have this beast maybe you can help me out on how to use it. Lol. Like I have an Nvidia GeForce control panel that has all kinds of settings in it and I'm not sure if I should touch any of them. I already had to touch one because I noticed when I installed and ran retroarch the frames weren't going any higher than 30 fps. Then I noticed that in that control panel there was an option that said optimal and next to it said limit to 30 fps. Why would anyone want to do that? But anyway I changed it to 60 fps and retroarch was giving me 60 fps. Now another thing I'm noticing just from browsing the menus in retroarch is that I have some diagonal screen tearing going on. I did some searching and it seems like it's a known issue going back like 2 or 3 years from what I saw but no way to fix it. Hopefully I was overlooking something and one of you guys can help me fix it. I havent tried any real PC games yet but I have Steam downloading Portal 2 and Half Life 2 now. When it's done I'll see if I get the same screen tearing. But if this is a known issue with those graphics cards and there is no fix then I might just return this thing tomorrow. In the end I'm hoping it's just some settings I need to tweak on my computer or in retroarch. Maybe you guys can take a look at my specs and recommend what settings would be best for my setup. Then if everything looks good I can finally enjoy Launch Box and Big box in all its glory. :-)

Thanks for all the informatiom. I'll check it out.

Thank you for your reply. I know that I could get cheaper by shopping online but I kinda don't want to wait and I want one now. Lol. The only thing I searched for on best buy as far as specs go was processor speed 3 ghz and only because I read that the bsnes accuracy core for retroarch needs it. There were only 2 laptops in Stock at best buy that have that and I think I am going to go with this one. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-xps-15-6-4k-ultra-hd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-1tb-solid-state-drive-silver/4550500.p?skuId=4550500. So I'm probably going to go out and buy that one. Hopefully it's a good buy.

I have looked everywhere for a good guide for RetroArch and so far yours is the best one that I've found. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this. The only other thing I would like to see you add is controller setup. Mainly because it was so confusing to me until it finally clicked and now I understand it and want to share it for others. Specifically I want to explain that RetroArch uses a controller that they call the RetroPad. (I don't know how to put pictures in my posts but click here for a picture.) As you can see it looks identical to an XBOX 360 controller which is why those controllers will work right out of the box. But what always confused me was figuring out and remembering what button did what for each different system. That was until I came across this site here (scroll to the bottom) which shows examples of other system controllers and what buttons on the RetroPad related to what buttons on the controller you are emulating. The other thing this site helped me with was when trying to map other controllers to RetroArch. For example, I have an N64 controller to USB Adapter and it was always a guessing nightmare trying to map the buttons. Mainly because when you set your inputs in RetroArch it told you to hit buttons like X, Y, or right analog stick which the N64 controller obviously doesn't have. But I was able to use the controller images on that site to help me figure out (for example) that when it wanted me to press the right analog stick it really wanted me to press the C buttons on my N64 controller. Anyway, I hope you find this helpful and understand what I was trying to say. I'm a horrible writer and speaker when trying to get my points across which is why I don't write guides. lol. But your guide was a very big help in understanding RetroArch and the only thing I felt it was lacking was the explanation of the controllers. Even if you don't feel you need to add it then hopefully at the very least someone else would see what I wrote and it would help them. Thanks again.

I currently have a Sony Vaio Laptop that is probably about 8 years old. I remember it being an excellent laptop when I bought it but now it just seems to be running super slow no matter what I do to it. Plus there are other things going wrong with it too so after 8 years I think I'm due for a new one anyways. I don't really know much about computers when it comes to hardware specs so I was hoping that someone here could help me out. I just don't want to spend too little and get a laptop that is no better than what I already have or spend too much and have a laptop that is overpowered for what I am looking to do with it. Basically I'm looking for something that will be able to push LaunchBox to it's limits in BigBox mode. As far as emulating goes the latest console I would probably emulate is PS2 but would most likely be spending most of my time playing N64 and below using retroarch. I used to play Steam games too like the Half Life and Portal series but again haven't played them in a long time because of my laptop's performance. My store of choice to buy from is BestBuy. So if someone could take a look on their web site at what they have to offer and give me a recommendation as to what laptop I should get to get the most out of BigBox I'd really appreciate it. Thank you.