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Anyone built a small form factor PC just for emulation?

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    #31
    Possibly, if he could find a used HDD maybe.

    ITX mobo + RAM and CPU for ?150 is pushing it. Unless another case was selected - that one can only have a pico PSU and that one is expensive.

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      #32
      Yeah, definitely. That case is nice, and I do like the PSU idea...but it is not a budget case when you consider the total cost.

      Shame really, as it's nice and small, with everything you'd want.

      I think, currently, I'd lean towards the a decent APU with the smaller case posted on the 1st page. If it isn't good enough, can always change the case and add a dedicated GPU.

      I think the APU is a decent compromise, and reviews tend to be fairly decent. If it can do Dreamcast and Gamecube, that's sweet.

      You see the included PSU in this case? What type is that? Was thinking about replacements if it went bust.

      Last edited by 25.05.2005; 18-07-2013, 09:15.

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        #33
        Just do what I did. I have a Acer Aspire laptop under my TV for emulation. Runs everything up to Model 2 arcade and Play station just fine. It's very thin as well so I don't even notice it on top of the BluRay player plus it looks smart with its brushed aluminium look.

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          #34
          Yeah a laptop really isn't a bad solution. Self contained, thin and very powerful.

          Just not as aesthetically pleasing.
          Last edited by speedlolita; 18-07-2013, 16:22.

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            #35
            Nah, I want to build this thing! Haha.

            Priced up some components quickly:

            ..........

            CiT MTX-006B Mini ITX Case with 300W Power Supply Unit - ?33.40

            Asrock FM2A85X-ITX Motherboard - ?76

            AMD A8 5600K Black Edition CPU (3.6GHZ, 4MB Cache, 4 Core, HD6570, Socket FM2, 100W, Retail Boxed) 0 ?69.98

            8GB DDR3 RAM (Crucuial) - ?51.59 or 4GB DDR3 RAM (Crucial) - ?29.99

            Pioneer DVR-TD11RS Slim 8x DVD?R, 8x DVD?DL, DVD+RW x8, -R x6, Ram x5 - SATA Black Oem - ?18.13

            2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 Barracuda 7200.14 SATA 3 6GB/s 7200rpm 64MB Cache 8ms OEM NCQ - ?67.44 or 1TB HDD - ?49.

            Extras - ?30

            ........

            TOTAL = ?346.54 OR ?306.50

            ........

            I could FLUBIT all of those components and get them for much less though, I reckon you'd get close to ?300 for the 2TB version with more RAM.

            Need to look more closely at the processor and motherboard. Just picked them quickly. Also decided to go with a standard HDD for space Though would be nice to have a case that offered a 2.5" SSD bay for fast booting OS (as well as the larger HDD). Though that then adds another ?60 or so. No OS included in that price either.

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              #36
              You can deffo skank on the ram, hi spec pc games only need 4gb still and they can be system destroyers so for emulation 8gb still probably overkill.

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                #37
                I don't know, a **** load of ram will work wonders. My i3 desk top only had 4gb of ram. With that is couldn't run the model 3 emulator, super model. When I boosted it to 8GB it could run Super Model full screen at 1080p at 50fps!! All I did was add more Ram. I'm not a PC gamer so an i3 did me just fine for emulation. I now use an i5 but to be honest there isn't much difference in emulation terms. Well, Super Model will now run at 60fps.

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                  #38
                  I don't have a lot of specific knowledge to add as I don't emulate seriously, but if you considered Linux as the OS you could get away with much less RAM. Win7 is utter RAM hog. Just my tuppence. Good luck with the project, sounds great!

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                    #39
                    Or use Windows XP. If only for familiarity reasons.
                    Last edited by speedlolita; 18-07-2013, 23:42.

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                      #40
                      I have a small acer tower back home that only had one 3.5" bay. I bought a 3.5" to 2x2.5" adaptor to stick two laptop hard drives in there. That could be an idea, although a 2.5" drive will obviously by more expensive than a 3.5" one at the same capacity. Personally I'd just go for more storage and hibernate the machine each time so no worries about slow bootups.

                      As for turning the machine on/off, I have a media centre remote for mine that has a power button. Only powers it on if you put it into standby but that's what I used to do.

                      Another thing which could be handy is to use your phone as a keyboard/mouse, that's what I do. It uses free VNC software but means that's two less things I need lying around.

                      If you buy a USB, wireless(with dongle) or Bluetooth keyboard, you may be able to get one with a power button that would work. You'd need to change a windows setting to leave USB and/or Bluetooth on while in standby for this to work.

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                        #41
                        Interesting advice billy_dimashq.

                        Definitely want it to turn on remotely....and I did have the hibernation thing in mind, similar to how shutting the screen on a laptop.

                        Regarding the OS. I think I'll probably stick to Windows. I don't know enough about Linux, and I think the front ends and emulators are better supported in Windows? Also, can't stand XP anymore.

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                          #42
                          I think this is a great thread, what front ends are available to consolize this.

                          Only thing I know of is Maximus Arcade.

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                            #43
                            Don't forget this sweet Blueberry Pi arcade cab!

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                              #44
                              Originally posted by redstar_dan View Post
                              I think this is a great thread, what front ends are available to consolize this.

                              Only thing I know of is Maximus Arcade.


                              Probably more, I haven't tried any of them myself.

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                                #45
                                I build PC's and buy all my components through the bidding sites. It works out much cheaper and you can usually find the exact components you are looking for.

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