THRobinson Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 (edited) So... had another thread about feedback on a build, and seemed the general consensus was that a 3rd gen i5 was the min. required for decent performance on newer stuff. I was on the fence between using my RaspPi for the build or a PC but, a donor PC was just too much money... 3rd Gen i5 was like $400CAD. Started to break down what I really needed, and I have an old BFG 500w power supply, just replaced a few months ago for my media server because noisy, but I have an unused fan from the new media server case that will fit so, noise issue should be taken care of. I have a GTX 650 Ti OC Boost (quite the mouthful) for a video card, and I have a 250GB 7200rpm SATAII drive. So basically, just need a Board/CPU/RAM. Using PartPicker I could build something around $260CAD ( https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/LWyByf ) ... just quickly sorted by lowest price and picked parts, didn't research anything yet. Using eBay, I could buy used parts and make an i5-3570 with 8GB ram for (if lucky) $175-200CAD. Googled a few forums and people seemed split between the two options, seems to be a few upsides to either way I go. Just wondered if anyone had any feedback about these options. Googling other discussions helps, but then again, you never know what application the poster is basing their opinion on. One guy may be a gamer, other guy may be using it for CAD. Only upside I see for the i3-7100 is that maybe in 1-2yrs I can buy a used CPU and upgrade to an i5 or i7. But, then again, if I get all the games running just fine, I may never update the system at all, software or hardware... if it works how I want it to work, I'll disable WiFi, keep unplugged from the network and avoid messing it up with an upgrade. Eventually I'll add another 4-8GB ram, and when I upgrade the GPU in my main PC I'll moved the GTX1060 to the cabinet... that may be it. In short... for Launchbox/Games... would the i5-3570 be better? is it worth about $100 to go for the newer i3-7100? (will note that I will not be overclocking). Edited May 30, 2017 by THRobinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil9000 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Well i use the i5-3570k in my rig, the same chip but overclockable (i dont overclock it though) and it works great for emulation even using bsnes accuracy retroarch core which needs a very good cpu. I cant speak to ps1 and ps2 though as i use my gpu to run them (gtx 770) but if i had the choice of the i3 or the i5, i would take the i5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOS76 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 (edited) http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-3570-vs-Intel-Core-i3-6100 I ran this with the 6100 as the 7100 is so new its not even on the site to compare but you can see in benchmark test that new i3 scores better so I would think the 7100 would just continue that trend. Edited May 30, 2017 by DOS76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THRobinson Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 I'd prefer new because well... new... but ya, from what I can see online they perform about the same in general and saves $100. How are the games for RAM anyways? I see lots about CPU's and GPU's... when I built my PC and researched (debated 16GB or 32GB) the general opinion was that nothing fully maxed seems to go beyond 10GB so unless rendering 3D/CAD 16GB was plenty. Not sure if the same for LaunchBox and PS2 games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOS76 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Yeah If you aren't doing any video editing or professional work I would suggest only the 16GB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THRobinson Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 Just now, DOS76 said: http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-3570-vs-Intel-Core-i3-6100 I ran this with the 6100 as the 7100 is so new its not even on the site to compare but you can see in benchmark test that new i3 scores better so I would so the 7100 would just continue that trend. When I used that PC Part Picker, the i3-7100 was actually $3 cheaper than the i3-6100... compatibility warning though about may/not work and may/not need a BIOS update for the board, but again, I didn't research much, just sorted by price. I think on the forums I was reading through, the debate came down to Quad vs Dual... which I know makes a difference when doing stuff like CAD, or converting video files... not sure if video games/launchbox benefit or not from Quad over Dual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil9000 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 3 minutes ago, DOS76 said: http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-3570-vs-Intel-Core-i3-6100 I ran this with the 6100 as the 7100 is so new its not even on the site to compare but you can see in benchmark test that new i3 scores better so I would think the 7100 would just continue that trend. Fair enough, it is close though. 2 minutes ago, THRobinson said: I'd prefer new because well... new... but ya, from what I can see online they perform about the same in general and saves $100. How are the games for RAM anyways? I see lots about CPU's and GPU's... when I built my PC and researched (debated 16GB or 32GB) the general opinion was that nothing fully maxed seems to go beyond 10GB so unless rendering 3D/CAD 16GB was plenty. Not sure if the same for LaunchBox and PS2 games. I run 16gb in mine and have "NEVER" got close to maxing that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOS76 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Most emulators don't take advantage of core threading from what I've read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil9000 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Dolphin only goes up to Dual core, and that's one of the more advanced emulators out there. So yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THRobinson Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 Don't think I've tried that one yet... though honestly could not name a single gamecube/wii game at all. By that time, we were a Playstation family. Still fighting with MAME/NAOMI the past week... I understand enough about MAME to know that there are different emulators, and you have to have the ROM version match the MAME version.... still 100% clueless how to know what version it is and works with what. I've gotten some working so far, and using MAME, Xmen vs Capcom 2 will load the NAOMI screen, then says loading game and hangs. Grabbed DEMUL because recommended for NAOMI but won't run anything at all. That's another thread/problem. So far, seems that Neil9000 is i5, and DOS76 is i3... shoulda started a poll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil9000 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 To be fair that link that @DOS76 provided proves that the i3 is faster, but it is more expensive, i was just saying that i use the 3570k personally so know that it is capable of running emulators just fine. And yeah demul is better for noami, you need to add a command line in the manage emulator box to get demul to launch the naomi games from launchbox. -run=naomi -rom= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil9000 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 You also need the naomi bios in demul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THRobinson Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 (edited) Nice... thanks... when I get home I'll give that a try. OP related... I think I'll go cheap and grab the i5-3570. If I can get it under $175CAD I think I'll be in budget and be happier with it than the RaspPi. Also, side note.... got a Samsung 204B / 20.1" / 4:3 / 5ms/ 800:1 contrast / 1600x1200 monitor for $20CAD (well, picking up this week). Aware of the capacitor issues they sometimes have but, $14 to replace those and I'm not afraid to solder if it ends up needing it. Actually, person has 2 of them $25 each of 2 for $40, buying both because if in a few years one dies, I'd rather a $20 backup monitor than have to find a new one and probably cut a new panel for the cabinet if not the right fit. Annoying though because after 3+ weeks I gave up, and on Sunday, checked the local ad page, nothing new posted so went and picked up an LG L1952TX 19: 5:4 screen for $35... got home and 1 hour later, person posted a pair of Samsung 204B's. Sigh. But rather a 4:3 screen so, guess sell the LG now and hope I get most of the cost back. Edited May 30, 2017 by THRobinson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SentaiBrad Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 So if you are going with one of those i3's, keep in mind that they may be different chip sets. So the warning in PCPartPicker you got was probably related to that. You might have picked a motherboard for one chipset, but not the other. If the motherboard doesn't support that chipset, then you can't use any of those CPU's. Edit: Oh, I run 32GB of RAM, and I max it out constantly, but I am a video editor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THRobinson Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 (edited) Yup... no worries. Built my own systems since the early '90s. I just don't keep up with stuff.... basically, when time to upgrade I research the snot outta it, get what I need, then not look at specs again for 3yrs. My main PC has 16GB ram... I re-encode video often enough, like making a 12GB MP4 down to 4GB, otherwise I am a graphic designer and use Photoshop/Illustrator/Indesign constantly and never had an issue. Game wise.... World of Wacraft, Borderlands, Bioshock, Crysis... with the GTX1060 I got a few months ago, my system runs totally fine. For Launchbox/games though, 16GB overkill? 8GB enough? maybe 12GB? Just don't want to dump in 16GB and find out it never runs past 10GB. If I can save $20, I'll save $20. My prob is that this arcade is just 1 DIY I have for the summer... also building a RaspPi based mini console for my niece, HiRes audio player alarm clock for myself, restoring a '79 CX500 motorbike, rebuilding a garage, renovating the kitchen and my car needs new struts so... yup... I know sounds like I'm being cheap, but just have too many things on the go so, ya... whatever I don't need to spend, goes towards the other dozen projects. Edited May 30, 2017 by THRobinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOS76 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 8 would probably suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THRobinson Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 Thanks... Now to start getting some wood cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil9000 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 I would also suggest getting your ram in dual channel, so two 4gb sticks rather than one 8gb stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THRobinson Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 Good point... got a few options being watched on eBay... just hope to snipe at a low price. Upside is, I have time... for the most part I can only get work done on weekends so, probably take a while to get this built. Main focus now is getting emulators figured out and roms working. If I can get that sorted out and ready I'll be happy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOS76 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 I'd buy one 8GB stick just in case I wanted to upgrade then I would only need one new DIMM stick and not 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.