Mini PC with N4200 or Laptop with i3 for Bigbox?

[shaolin95]

Hello!

So I got this mini pc with a Z8350 atom for my retro gaming. Originally it was meant to be Linux based but since it came with Windows 10 I decided to try Launchbox and love it so much that I cannot go with anything else.

So this mini pc called Z83ii, is a lot more powerful than a Pi 3 for example thus I can do N64 and even Gamecube although not quite at best speeds. So after getting a test of this, and seeing that Model 3 emulation needs a bit more power, I was going to send this back and get another mini pc called Voyo V1 based on the intel N4200.
Now, that one is going to be around $235 so then I started thinking that I can find a used laptop locally for around that price and with i5 or i7 processors that should be a lot more powerful than the N4200.

At first the size of the mini pc was the cool thing to leave it in the bedroom behind the TV but is not a big deal to connect an HDMI to a laptop if I am going to        have much better performance  then the N4200 based system.

BIGBOX for example seems very heavy for my current mini pc so I am not sure even the N4200 with 4GB of RAM (expandable to 8) will be a good choice.
What you guys think?

[DOS76]

I don't think that you will be able to get very good Gamecube experience out of either of those computers. I have an i3 laptop with a i3 M330 2.13GHZ and it is choppy as hell with Model 3 running. I don't know if  a newer gen mobile i3 would improve this or not

[shaolin95]

21 minutes ago, DOS76 said:

onI don't think that you will be able to get very good Gamecube experience out of either of those computers. I have an i3 laptop with a i3 M330 2.13GHZ and it is choppy as hell with Model 3 running. I don't know if  a newer gen mobile i3 would improve this or not

On my current Z8350, model 3 games like Scud Racer runs slow not choppy, just not at the speed of my main pc so it would seem just some extra MHZ will be enough to make it smooth and fast. You are using the -new3d switch and it is still that slow?

Maybe I will just go with the i5 or i7 laptop and call it a day then. Seems like a better investment anyways          

Edited February 4, 2017 by shaolin95

[SentaiBrad]

Yea, i5's and i7's are certainly a WAY better option. If you can get a laptop with a GTX M series GPU in it too, you'd be even better off.

[shaolin95]

I found  3 options so far.

$199

Dell M4600 with 16 GB RAM, primary 256 GB SSD and secondary drive of 512 GB spinning. Has Intel I7 -2860QM @2.5 GHz with 4 cores CPU with NVIDIA Quatro 2000M graphics card

$150

This laptop has served me extremely well. It's a bit older, however it has all the components to be amazing. Specs: Intel i7 2.30ghz processor, windows 10, 8 GB RAM, 750 gb HDD, Nvidia GT 1gb dedicated graphics

And for $230

 i7 2670 8gb ram 750gb hdd Radeon 7470m graphics

 

What you guys think?

Edited February 5, 2017 by shaolin95

[DOS76]

for some extra loot you could build something brand new that would fit under your TV I used this case to build my HTPC it is able to be oriented either way you just add the rubber pads to the bottom and lay it down flat it has its own PSU built in so you don't need to buy one for the build unless you want a better one.

On a side note you may want to be picky about a video card if you use this case I had to use one that didn't have the powerplugs from the PSU at the top as the case wouldn't close with the original card I had in there.

Edited February 5, 2017 by DOS76

[shaolin95]

I dont want to spend more than $200 (I will offer less than the $230 that third option is asking IF I decided to go with it) and the unit will not stay in the bedroom. The only reason I had the mini pc in the bedroom was because it can attach to the back of the TV so either I get a laptop that can do model 3, get a small desktop then unplug it when dont playing and store in a closet..or get a laptop that can serve me for other purposes. That is why I was more inclined for a laptop but it seems you were not impressed by those options lol

Thanks

[fromlostdays]

I think the two things which matter most is the ghz, and the video card. Those are good processors but the higher over 3 ghz the better, and the video cards are standard. I can't say whether or not they'll run Sega model 3 tho.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[shaolin95]

Well, I have a portable installation of the Roms and Launchbox so I will just take it with me to test and make sure before spending the money. I am juts confused between the faster 2860 processor but with a quatro video card vs the not as fast 2670 but with a radeon 7470m.

[DOS76]

I personally don't have any experience with mobile GPU's so I'm weary of them and prefer a desktop solution. I'm also weary about buying used computers that was why I suggested going new. For your price point though they will probably suffice.